Temperatures stoop lower, the weather grows soggier, and from the depths of closets everywhere, winter woollens and cozy cottons emerge from their summer slumber. My thoughts wander to hearty food and holiday cheer at this time of year, but also to fabric. And apparently, I am not alone. The month of October played host to several conferences around the world on the topic of sustainable and natural textiles.

From ancient traditions to high-tech innovations, the business of fabric continues to change rapidly in response to growing demands for sustainability.

While glistening silk spun by golden-orb spiders or clothing grown from the bacteria on our skin may be impractical or undesirable to many, there is an ever-growing array of textiles made from recycled, alternative or re-purposed materials to meet nearly everyone's needs or fancies.

Here are just a few of the latest fabrics and trends for decking your halls this season.

PET flies high

While it may be some time before the enormous plastic island in the South Pacific finds its way into our decor and fashion -- given how pervasive and persistent plastic is in our environment -- we are seeing more and more textiles made from recycled polyester. That offers some reassurance that the material is being kept in circulation, and out of landfills, for as long as possible.

One of the newer arrivals on the recycled-content block is Knoll Textiles' Abacus line. Designed for upholstery and wrapped panel applications, the fabric is reportedly made from 100 per cent post-consumer recycled polyester.

However, that's hard to tell by looking at it. The company has used a new finishing technique to give the fabric the look of virgin wool. (www.knoll.com)

Another recycled textile that's flying high is the banner fabric Echotex, made by The Flag Shop, a family-run Vancouver-based business. In an industry that's been challenged to find an eco-friendly material able to meet the demands of clients and the elements, the Flag Shop has created the first recycled outdoor banner product of its kind.

Made from 80 per cent post-industrial textile scraps and 20 per cent recycled pop bottles, the polyester fabric could have a significant impact on the industry. There are 50,000 street banners in Canada, which account for approximately one million square feet of fabric. The company also encourages its clients to re-purpose the banners at the end of their useful life, including working with the Common Thread Co-op, to create reusable bags. (www.flagshop.com)

Cappuccino cloth

For coffee lovers who want to take their passion for the bean one step further, there is now S. Cafe, a line of cloth made from coffee beans. Challenging the mighty soybean for a bit of the limelight, the manufacturer of S. Cafe boasts it can produce two shirts from the grounds used to make one medium cup of coffee. Rumoured to be quick-drying, odour-controlling and UV-protective, the material's production reportedly eschews the use of chemicals, and saves energy by avoiding high-temperature carbonization typically used in processing. (www.singtex.com)

Prefer a little cream with your coffee? While people probably won't be ordering custom cloth blends as they do venti, triple-shot non-fat lattes (hold the whip) any time soon, cafe-au-lait cloth is actually not so far-fetched. Mikofil, produced by Maclodio Filati, is a silk-like fabric made from casein, a white, odourless protein found in dairy products. While claims that it has "anti-microbial" or therapeutic qualities -- for instance, the ability to stimulate blood circulation -- have come under scrutiny from governmental organizations, perhaps a greater concern about Mikofil is the venti amount of dairy required to produce it: around 100 pounds of skim milk to make a mere three pounds of milk fibre. Espresso for me, please. (filatimaclodio.it/EN/milkofil)

Gold standards

While the list of alternative textiles, from seaweed to sea leathers, seems to be growing exponentially, another reassuring -- and perhaps more important -- development is the number of companies resetting the bar on environmental protection at every stage in a fabric's life cycle.

For example, the Q Collection offers textiles completely free of toxic finishes or treatments, and is designed to be 100 per cent biodegradable.

In addition to using a variety of natural materials, including abaca, linen and hemp, all dyes are 100 per cent non-toxic, and wool-based textiles are produced at a mill with wastewater that's cleaner at the end of the process than at the start. (www.qcollection.com)

Climatex, by Swiss manufacturer Rohner Textil, carries the prestigious cradle-to-cradle certification. Among its criteria are the implementation of environmentally safe, healthy and recyclable materials, the use of renewable energy during manufacturing and the responsible handling of water. Products in the Climatex line include: Climatex Lifecycle, a completely biodegradable fabric made from mostly Ramie, a rapidly renewable plant in the nettle family that was used in Egypt as early as 4,000 years ago; and Climatex LifeguardFR, a wool and renewable beechwood-based material that quite remarkably meets the stringent fire-retardant requirements for aircraft, without the use of any toxins. (www.climatex.com)

Rescued rags

From patchwork cashmere-sweater creations to bags made from rescued sails, re-purposing fabrics that have reached the end of their first incarnation continues to be a fun way to keep materials in the loop. One of the latest additions to this "new life" club is fabric used in paragliding devices. For safety reasons, these synthetic textiles are typically discarded after only two to three years. But Rodrigo Chapero and Lucas Desimone, designers from the Baumm recycle and design company saw the opportunity to do something with the material and began making a line of bags and accessories. Today, even the threads from the zippers are from the flying devices. (www.baumm.com)

Kim Davis is a Vancouver sustainable-design consultant.