It is remarkable that nothing of the flax is lost. The long fibers are used for clothing, and the linseed ends up in animal food. Even what used to be seen as waste now gets a new destination. Vlas is also a sustainable cultivation: it requires little water, hardly any pesticides and it absorbs CO₂.
The sector is strongly focused on exports: 95% of the flinged flax goes to countries such as China and India. Only a small part remains in Europe.