In June, when its blue flowers cover the fields of Hauts-de-France and Normandy, flax attracts all eyes. But who knows that France is the world’s leading producer? In ten years, the areas it occupies have doubled, rising from 70,000 to 140,000 hectares. And it’s probably not over. Because this herbaceous plant, of which we find traces 36,000 years BC. J.-C., is a small ecological miracle in itself: “In 99% of cases, rainwater is enough for it and it requires almost no pesticides or fertilizers”, specifies a spokesperson for the European Confederation of flax and hemp (CELC).
And all its components are used. First of all, its long fibres, extracted by the “scutchers”, and which, once woven, are transformed into clothing, household linen or upholstery. Its particularity is to be thermoregulating: cool in summer and warm in winter. One hectare can harvest 1,500 kg of these fibers, the equivalent of 4,000 shirts. Its short fibres, tow, are used in the composition of composite materials and technical textiles. It is even found in the American dollar bill.
France produces but transforms too little
Linen can also be found in surfboards or ski helmets because it is extremely resistant. Half of the stem is made up of wood, the shives, used to make insulation panels, horticultural mulch or animal litter. The seeds are used as animal food or become oil. Even the dust generated turns into soil for the garden.
Big downside in this almost ideal table, French production is exported to 85% in Asia and 15% in the European Union. France does little processing of the flax it produces. But the situation is changing. Thus Safilin, a spinning specialist born in 1778, chose to set up a factory in Béthune (Pas-de-Calais) when the company had relocated its sites to Poland. The first 100% French spools of yarn are expected this spring.
