While designing suitable work wear for their employees, Zurich based bag makers Freitag realised that what they were looking for didn’t even exist – a tough, sustainably produced and compostable material made in Europe.

Their new range, F-ABRIC, is made from the best hemp, flax and Modal fibres, all grown on European soil, which require minimal amounts of water to grow. Compared to the production processes of more common textiles, the journey from fibre to finished product is a relatively short trip; all of the production stages take place within a 2500-kilometer radius of the factory in Zurich.

As few chemicals as possible are used during the cultivation and further processing of F-ABRIC, meaning that F-ABRIC corresponds to Product Class I of the Oeko-Tex® Standard – Freitag claim “you could even swaddle a baby in it."

And once your garment has served its time and is finally worn out, don't worry about throwing it away or taking to the closest charity shop, just chuck it on the compost pile. F-ABRIC textiles are 100 % naturally biodegradable – including threads and selvage. A piece of clothing therefore becomes fertile soil for new raw materials and the cycle continues.

This is another example of natural, sustainable design being at the front of many designers' minds. We recently looked at the Living Fruit Basket, totally bio-degradable fruit bowl.