The cotton fibers in this Tibetan silk are dyedable and can be woven into clothing, jewelry and other products, but the dyes are less durable than the silk, experts said.
It’s a boon for the textile industry, but it’s also a problem for the environment, which depends on the ability to sustainably produce it.
This year, more than 100,000 tons of the Tibetan silk yarn will be imported to the United States, according to the U.S. International Trade Commission.
The U.K. is the biggest exporter of the textile to the country, but Chinese imports account for the vast majority of the total, which makes the textile a major target for pollution.
“This textile is an ecological disaster waiting to happen,” said Michael Klimenko, a professor at New York University and the director of the Cornell University Center for Textile Research.
The fibers are not used in clothing.
“They’re used to make jewelry and to make clothing,” he said.
“I can’t see why they should be treated any differently.”
In the United Kingdom, where silk and cotton are used to produce a range of fabrics, the trade is regulated and banned by the government, according.
But for the silk industry in Tibet, the regulations are “more of a red flag” than a deterrent.
The industry employs 1,000 workers and produces more than a million kilograms of the fiber annually.
In the Tibetan area of Lhasa, where the silk is made, there are more than 300 mills that produce the fiber.
About 80 percent of the silk fibers are exported to China, according the International Labour Organization.
Some of the fibers that are exported are dyed into clothing and other textile products, such as handbags.
China is the world’s largest silk producer, with more than $3.7 billion in exports in 2016, according a report by the nonprofit Global Silk Industries Association.
China has made significant efforts to control its textile exports in recent years, banning exports to most of the world, including the United Sates.
The Chinese government has not commented on the use of the dyeable cotton fabric, but a government statement from 2015 said that the cotton fabric is not “compatible with human health.”
It said that there is a “significant risk” of human and animal diseases, and that the dithering of the yarn “does not meet standards for the quality and safety of this textile.”
But there is no evidence that the fiber is toxic or harmful to humans.
China says the fiber does not degrade or damage textile fibers.
But the textile workers say the dye is more dangerous to the environment.
“You can smell the dung after a day of working there,” said Liu Qiu, a silk mill worker who works on a hillside near Lhasashen.
“There’s a lot of dust in the air.”
He said the workers wear masks at work and in the field to protect against the dust.
“The textile workers who work on the hillside and in villages get a lot,” Liu said.