 Contact TEAM: +44 (0) 116 207 8575STING (Sustainable Technology In Nettle Growing)  STING is a three and a half year LINK project sponsored by Defra through the Sustainable Technologies Initiative. The common stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) has potential as a fibre crop in the increasingly popular sector of non-food crops. The distinctive nettle fibres have characteristics that set it apart from other fibre crops. Compared to cotton it is far stronger but is still finer than other bast fibres such as hemp. 20th century nettle cultivation was led in Europe by the work of Bredemann at Hamburg University who developed high fibre nettle clones during the 1940s. Nettles represent a much more environmentally friendly fibre crop compared to cotton, which requires more irrigation and agrochemical input. Stinging nettles are also a native of the British Isles and support numerous rare invertebrate species. The STING project is investigating the usefulness of nettle fibre and its potential in the textile market and as a UK crop. High fibre nettle clones from Germany are being grown at sites in Leicestershire and Cornwall. Workers on the project are also studying native wild types of nettle that may be better suited to the UK climate to see whether these have even higher fibre contents. The scientific objectives can be briefly summarised as:
The STING project consortiumThe STING project consortium comprises 7 partners representing academic and industrial organisations. The project is coordinated by Professor Raymond Harwood of the TEAM Research Group at De Montfort University in Leicester, UK. Investigators from the TEAM Research Group DMU For more information on STING or other projects contact Prof Ray Harwood Research Partners: Central Science Laboratory, Sand Hutton, York, UK Industrial Partners:
STING publicity and press releases  STING had its first public presentation at this year's Royal Agricultural Show held in July at the Royal Agricultural Showground at Stoneleigh, Warwickshire. As part of a "natural fibres" fashion show organised by the Central Science Laboratory, Alex Dear modelled a bikini made from nettle fabric she produced for her final year project as a textile undergraduate at De Montfort University. See also:
For interest see:
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