Sustainability
in Textile Industry
Suman Bhiradkar
Department of Textile
Technology
DKTE Engineering College ,Icchalkaranji,
India
All societies face this economic problem.
Textile and fashion industry have major impact on environment. Air we breathe,
the water we drink and the food we eat, all are provided by the environment
which has been un intentionally jeopardised by human beings. An environmental
protection to be obvious, there is a growing need for the textiles with natural
material, recycle and reuse. A simple solution is to accept with the rules of
sustainable planet. Sustainability means that process can be maintained a
certain level. Depletion of natural resources in order to maintain am ecological
balance. Sustainability is important to ensure that we have the water, the
materials and resources to protection both human health and environment.
Keywords: Sustainability, The
textile and fashion industry and sustainability, Sustainable Textiles,
Sustainable textile production.
Sustainability- concepts and definition:
Environmental issues are playing an
increasingly important role in the textile industry both from the point of view
of government regulation. In general, sustainability is focused on 3 different
points, economic, social and environment.
What is economic sustainability?
It requires preservation of human capital,
physical capital and natural capital. The main feature of sustainable economic
development are reduction in pollution, quality of life of future generation
should not reduce, efficient use of natural resources.
What is social sustainability?
It should respect social elements of fair
trade and human rights of the people involved.
What is Environment sustainability?
It is defines as
responsible interaction with the environment to avoid degradation of natural
resources and allow for long term environmental quality. Sustainability and
health care are related since the quality of our environment affects public
health.
Now a days everywhere in the world and in all
industries the sustainability exhibited it has to be mentioned that the textile
industry is one of the biggest polluters. A number of fashion and design
companies are shifting their unsustainability ways also Sustainable development
is positive change which does not reduce the environment or social systems on
which we depend. Sustainability it is important to ensure that we have and will
continue to have the water, materials and resources to protect both human
health and our environment.
The Textile and Fashion Industry and
Sustainability:
The textile industry is one of the longest
and most complex and complicated industrial chains of the manufacturing
industry. In recent years ecological issues have become more and more important
especially in the textile and apparel industry. Every textile item releases
toxic substances that are harmful to the environmental. The textile industry
consumes large amounts of natural resources and pollutes the environment
because their production and processing involve chemical process. There is need
for green textile.
Sustainable textiles:
Sustainable textile
mean that all materials and process inputs and output are healthy and safe for
human and environmental. Also sustainable textile mean ways of achieving more
sustainable materials and technologies as well as improving recycling in the
industry. There are developed cleaner and sustainable manufacturing processes
in order to overcome the image of so called ‘dirty’ textile industry, polluting
Water and environment.Many textile companies are taking the initiative to invest in
sustainability to be green. There are many sustainable contributions to be made
in the textile industry.
The definition of sustainable textiles
involves:
All energy, material and process inputs come
from renewable or recycled sources.
In the product life cycle actively support
the reuse or recycling of these materials at the highest possible level of
quality.
All materials are
able of returning safely to natural systems or industrial systems.
Sustainable Fibres or Eco-fibres and Textile:
Many people considers that a ‘Sustainable
fibres’ is an organic fibre or a natural one. They will reject any man-made
fibres because that damage environment. But some manmade fibres or synthetic
fibres can be more sustainable than natural ones Improving
the sustainability of man-made fibres is the guiding principle to improve
ecological, economical and social performance.
Fibres mainly classified in two groups:
Natural fibres: Natural fibres are made by
nature. Ex are cotton and wool which are many used in textile clothing.
Man-made fibres: Man-made fibres are fibres
made by man. Man made fibres can be organic or inorganic
Natural Fibres:
Natural fibres will play role in the emerging
“green” economy based on energy efficiency. Natural fibres are renewable
resource. They have been renewed by nature and human. they are 100%
biodegradable at the end of their life cycle. Natural fibres really excel in
the disposal stage of their life cycle. Natural fibres decay through the action
of fungi and bacteria because they absorb water. There are many natural fibres
which can be considered as eco-friendly such as organic cotton, organic linen,
hemp, jute, ramie, etc.
Man-made fibres
Manmade fibres
account for 68% of fibres used worldwide, and 75% of those processed in Europe.
The world production was around 53 million tonnes in 2010 and the duction was
3.8 million tonnes. Their principal end use is in clothing, carpes, household
textile and a wide range of technical products: tyres, conveyor belts, filings
for sleeping bags and cold weather clothing, filter or improving the quality of
air and water in the environment, fire resistant materials, reinforcement in
composites used for advanced aircraft production, and many more. Fibres are
precisely engineered to give the rights combination of qualities required for
the end use in question: appearance, handle, strength, durability, stretch,
stability, warmth, protection, easy care, breathability, moisture absorption
and value for money, for example. In many cases, they are used in blends with
natural fibres such as cotton and wool. Man made fibres come in two main forms:
- Continuous filament, used for weaving, knitting or carpet production
- Staple, discontinuous lengths of fibre which can be spun into yarn or incorporated in unspun uses such as fillings or nonwovens.
Biodegradable and sustainable fibres:
More and more textile researches, producers
and manufactures are looking to biodegradable and sustainable fibres as an
effective way of reducing the impact textile have on the environment. The
emphasis in biodegradable and sustainable fibres is on textile that are
beneficial by their biodegradable and come from sustainable sources.
New and exciting development in fibre
technology and their application, exploring fields such as biomimetics, nanotechnology
and biodegradability have been reported. Fibres will enter into more novel and
unexpected applications as the century progresses.
Natural polymer are
both biodegradable and sustainable. But research is still on going to develop
new synthetic polymers/fibres derived from renewable sources. For a material to
fulfil the ‘cradle to grave’ sustainability requirement, it must be both
derived from a renewable source and be degradable.
Sustainable textile production (STeP):
A new tool to help
fashion brands and retailers to evaluate and chose the sustainability of their
suppliers is the sustainable textile production.
SteP is the new OEKO-TEX certification system
for brands, retail companies and manufacturers from the textile chain who want
to communicate their achievement regarding sustainable production to the public
in a transparent, creatable and clear manner. Certification is possible for
production facilities of processing stages from fibre production, spinning
mills, weaving mills, knitting mills, to finishing facilities and manufactures
of readymade textile items. The aim of step certification is to provide fashion
brands, retailers and manufacturers with needed documentation of sustainable
production across the international textile supply chain. This will allow an
objective assessment of the sustainability of textile factories. This
certification could be used to provide consumers with understandable
documentation of retailers commitment to sustainability when sourcing its
products.
Advantages for brands and retailers:
Step allows globally operating brands and
retail companies to search for suitable suppliers world wide who meet their
demands regarding environmental protection and social responsibility. These
enables them to clearly and completely document their joint sustainable
commitment to end consumers together with the supply chain.
Advantages for production facilities
Textile and clothing manufactures can make
their production process much more efficient on the basis of STeP
certification. The system helps them to determine the companies positioning
with regard sustainability and shows areas for improvement. The independent
proof of sustainable production conditions also provides an image boost
allowing the companies to open up new markets and suppliers relations.
Conclusion:
- Measurement and control of these inputs and outputs can lead to
- Improved resource productivity
- Improved co efficiency.
- Improved cost efficiency.
- Improved customer satisfaction
- Improved brand reputation.
- Improved environmental conditions.
- Better health conditions of the wears and the workers.
References:
- Sustainability textiles “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iasi, Faculty of Textile -Leather and Industrial management.
- Sustainability: increasing impact on textile
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