A Sewists Guide To Tagua Nut Buttons
If you were to pick up a Corozo button, it feels like something that has been polished, perhaps a stone and old ivory? You'll find them cool to the touch, weighty for its size and with a faint grain running through it. It doesn't feel like a button that came out of a mould, and that's because... it didn't.
Here is a guide to what corozo buttons actually are, what it means to use them in your handmade sewing projects
What Are Corozo Buttons Made Of?
Corozo buttons are cut from the dried seed of the tagua palm.
It's a tree that grows wild in the rainforests of Central and South America.
Nothing more is added to these buttons, there is no resin, no filler, no backings. It is simply a a slice of nut, shaped and polished.
The tagua palm has a beautiful botanical name: Phytelephas.
It's name comes from the Greek for "plant" and "elephant". Both the size of the seeds and the fact that once dried, they look and behave remarkably like elephant ivory. Hence corozo's older name: vegetable ivory.
You'll see corozo and tagua used mutally. Tagua is the nut. Corozo is the materal once it has been dried and worked. So they are the same, and can be used interchangeably.
How The Tagua Nut Becomes A Button?
The process is slower than you'd expect, and pleasingly low-tech.
It grows wild, and not-so-wild.
Tagua tradionally was gathered from the rainforest floor, and much of it still is. But the picture in Ecudaor has shifted: tagua now also grows in managed systems, in pastures and alongside cacao, and that increasingly sits alongside the forest gathering rather than replacing it entirely.
But it stays in small hands.
Tagua takes seven to twenty-five years to fruit, and you can't tell whether a palm is female (the fruiting sex) until it gets there. No large estates wants to wait fiften years to find out half it's planting was pointless. So corozo stays with small local harvested and smallholders working land they already hold, rather agricultural corportations. The upside of that long wait: once a palm starts fruiting, it carries on for a century or more. A palm that fruits this year could still be suppying buttons for your grandchildren.
Nothing is cut down.
The nuts grow inside large spiky pods that ripen, then drop to the floor on their own. Harvesters collect them by hand. The tree isn't shaken, cut or felled; it simply carries on.
It hardens naturally.
Fresh tagua is soft and milky. Over several months of drying, it hardens into a dense, ivory-like solid.
Then it's sliced and shaped.
Dried nuts are cut into flat blanks, then turned, drilled and shaped into buttons. The finished buttons tumble for a day or so with water and a fine abrasive, which knocks off the sharp edges and brings up that soft sheen.
Because the material is porous, it takes dye beautifullly, which is why corozo comes in such rich colours, not just cream and brown. The dye soaks in, so the natural agrain still shows underneath.
Are Corozo Buttons Sustainable?
It isn't flawless, but yes. For reasons that go beyond the material itself.
It's plant-based and biodegradable.
A corozo button is a natural material, that finds its own habitat to grow and sustain itself. Even after we have used them as buttons, the natural biodegradable material, will break down and leave no harm to the enviroment.
It's vegan.
No horn, no shell, no ivory. No animals are involved within the process which is a win for nature and ethical standards.
It gives the rainforest a reason to stand.
This is the part that matters the most. A standing tagua palm earns money every year for a century. A felled one, earns money once. Which is why tagua harvesting remains active, there is a direct financial argument against clearing the forst; and the tagua trade supports tens of thousands of families in Ecuador alone.
The only downside is the tumbling stage that uses water, the nuts travel a long way to reach the UK, and into the sewing room. Like other natural materials - such as cotton - it doesn't automatically mean low-impact. But set against a moulded plastic button, the corozo is genuinely a better choice.
Social and ethical: Supports local farmers/smallholders and future generations.
Due to the tagua palms natural slow process to maturing, it means that corporate agricultuaral companies don't see the worthwhile investment in the long maturing process to see if the trees can provide them with an return on investment. It's a win for the small farmers, small holders of land that grow the tagua palms, as it means the local farmers and their economy can benefit off the harvest instead.
Sewing with Corozo: What You Need to Know
They are tougher than they look.
Corozo is dense, scratch-resistent and won't warp or melt in a warm iron's vicinity. It's a good choice for coats, jackets, shirts and anything you'll wear for years.
Every button is different.
The grain is unique to each one, like a fingerprint, and the dye lots vary.
Top Tip: Buy all the buttons you need for a project in one go. A re-order months later, may not match. If you're making a coat, by a spare or two while you're there.
Sew with a shank if the fabric is too thick.
It is a solid button, but leave a thread shank so the buttonhole isn't fight the fabric depth.
Wash with care.
It can handle a washing machine well. What it doesn't like is bleach, very hot water and long soaking - all of which can dull the surface or lift the dye over time. Air dry rather than tumbling on high. For anything precious, wash inside out or cover the button with fil in the wash.
They can be re-used.
When a garment finally wears out, cut the buttons off, they'll most likely outlive several projects.
A Small Change That Adds Up
Buttons are the last thing most of think about and the first thing anyone touches. Swapping a pack of plastic buttons for corozo on a make you'll wear for a decade is one of the easiest sustainable swaps in sewing (unless you've repurposed plastic ones from a charity shop) just don't buy new.
Why not take a look a closer look at our Corozo buttons →
Shop all the Sew Eco Buttons range →
Or browse our fabrics that have great eco-creds! →
