Jute Bowl Natural - Medium

ReSpiin baskets and bowls are hand woven in Bangladesh through a supplier working towards WFTO membership. The supplier is committed to providing regular employment in a working environment that is safe and hygienic, and they pay a living wage to all employees. Together they have developed an innovative way of producing jute rope and stylish jute baskets which means they can produce a much higher return from the jute than when it is sold for basic jute sacks.

The sewing thread used in this product is made of 70% polyester and 30% cotton. It cannot be 100% cotton thread as this will not tolerate the sewing machine tension needed to be able to stitch the seagrass and jute into place.

Jute plants are easy to grow, have a high yield per acre and, unlike cotton, have little need for pesticides and fertilisers. Jute grows during the rainy season in Bangladesh which is from June to October. The plants are ready to harvest in four to six months, after the flowers are shed.

The fibres lie beneath the bark around the woody core. To extract the fibre, the jute bundles are submersed in water and left for a few days until the fibres come loose and are ready for stripping from the stalk, then washed and dried. This is what the ReSpiin baskets are made from. The remaining jute stalks can be used in a similar way to make wood pulp, and also work well as a renewable source of cooking fuel.

Jute plants help to clean the air. During growth they take in three times more CO2 than the average tree, converting this CO2 into oxygen. Jute plants also enrich the soil. As these plants grow fast, they are often used in crop rotation. The leaves and roots left after harvest enrich the soil with micronutrients, maintaining soil fertility.