Coir is a short fibre coming from the outershell of the coconut. It has become a durable product, since its low decomposition rate. 

 

Compared to Hemp or Jute, Coir contains by far the hightest amount of lignin. This makes it stronger but less flexible than cotton and unsuitable for dyeing. The tensile strength of coir is low,  but it has good resistance to movement and salt water damage and needs no chemical treatment. The major use of white coir is in rope manufacture. Mats of woven coir fibre are made from the finer grades of bristle and white fibre using hand or mechanical looms. White coir also is used to make fishing nets due to its strong resistance to saltwater.

 

There are two types of coir:  the more commonly used brown fibre, which is obtained from mature coconuts, and finer white fibre, which is extracted from immature green coconuts after soaking for up to 10 months.

 

Coir is a material which is widely used to overcome the problem of erosion. One of Coir's features is absorbing water and preventing top soil from drying out. Coir textiles have a natural ability to retain moisture and protect from the suns lightning and radiation just like natural soil. Coir fibres make up about a third of the coconut pulp. The rest, called peat, pith or dust, is biodegradable, but takes 20 years to decompose. Once considered as waste material, pith is now being used as mulch and soil treatment. 

 

source: http://www.fao.org/economic/futurefibres/fibres/coir/en/