Linen is made from the flax plant, which is 100% natural and fully biodegradable. Belgian flax in particular is one of the most sustainable raw materials in the world, needing zero irrigation and fewer pesticides compared with other natural fibres like conventional cotton. The coastal oceanic climate along the North Sea regularly alternates between sun and rain, which is ideal for creating a strong fibre that only gets better with age. The fibres are separated from the stalk using a natural process called dew retting, and crucially, Belgian flax is a zero-waste crop with every part of the plant used: the long fibres become textiles, the shorter fibres become paper, the seeds become linseed oil, and the stalks become chipboard.