As a natural, environmentally-friendly, and entirely biodegradable product, linen today benefits from a good reputation and an increasing demand. Its longest fibers, flexible and silky, are exported to spinning mills around the world to become textile. The shorter one, known as tow, will be incorporated into composite materials and become skis, skateboards, furniture, and even bicycle helmets. Today, Haute-Normandie (Upper Normandy) is the leading producer of flax fiber in the world.