The environmental impact of the textile and apparel industry is a subject of long scrutiny. With the participation of many parties from consumers to government officials to propose ways to make positive, meaningful change. Here are five ways textile manufacturers can stimulate growth.
Figure 1: Folded textiles
One option for textile manufacturers to make improvements is to analyze which processes have the most negative impact on the earth and find ways to change or eliminate them. Researchers at Aalto University have come up with a non-toxic method to produce waterproof, breathable textiles. This method creates a coating of carnauba wax on the fabric surface.
The team also determined that textile manufacturers can simultaneously dye and waterproof materials using their methods. With such a multi-function advantage, this technique can also support environmental benefits by reducing the resources used in the production process.
More and more textile companies are turning to recycled materials to reduce their environmental impact. One company, for example, produces nylon from recycled fishing nets, while another company focuses on post-consumption cotton and polyester. Waste doesn't go away and these futuristic businesses want to create new things out of it.
It's not just textiles that help the environment through recycling. Some brands report that their textile manufacturing processes reduce water use by 98% and cut carbon dioxide emissions by 90%. These new fabrics aren't as popular yet, but they may become more common once people become aware of them. Many conscious consumers are eager to help the planet by opting for eco-friendly clothing and here's one way to do just that.
Figure 2: Close-up shot of textiles
The proliferation of fast fashion involves clothing that textile manufacturers are rapidly rolling out in response to ever-changing consumer trends. There is also a related change in the production of permanent garments. Many fast fashion retailers expect people to get dressed a few times and then leave. That short cycle means there's no need to focus on high-quality items lasting for many years.
Consider that while the traditional clothing industry has two cycles per year , fast fashion has 50 cycles. That's almost a new cycle for every week of the year. This change caused people to buy more clothes but not wear them as often. Textile manufacturers are looking for ways to escape the fast fashion craze. Many companies in the United States and elsewhere oppose the throw-away culture of fast fashion.
The textile industry is a substantial producer of wastewater, especially in the steps of dyeing and finishing clothes. To put the issue into context, considering that the industry uses about 100 to 200 liters of water for every kg of product produced, recycling selected wastewater. A project at a textile mill in Pakistan used a membrane bioreactor and reverse osmosis to do that, making the water suitable for reuse during the rinsing process.
Another way is to remove pollutants such as dyes from the wastewater before contaminating the environment. A graduate student recently explored many different methods to achieve that goal. Her experiments clean up wastewater while reducing the consumption of energy and chemicals used. Many options are not yet ready for wide use, but textile manufacturers should stick to the advances and be ready to adopt them when possible.
Textile manufacturers can also help by using engineering fabrics that are less likely to drop microplastics during washing. A research team found that the amount of water used in the washing process is one of the main factors causing the release of those particles. Their statistics showed that a perishable fabric wash cycle lost 800,000 more fibers than the standard wash cycle . That result contributes to increased plastic pollution in our oceans.
Scientists have shown that the rotation speed of the washing machine, the number of times the drum changes direction, or pauses in a cycle can also cause yarn loss. However, this new work shows that perishable fabric cycles can trigger additional undesirable effects. This means that by creating textiles that don't need washing and less likely to lose fibers, pollution on the planet is reduced.
The five actions on this list are the things that manufacturers can do at the factory level. Other factors - such as government regulations or supply chain shortages may cause the textile industry to gradually function in ways that support the environment.
Regardless of the methods used, an important first step for a garment factory is to choose an action plan. Many companies make vague promises about what improvements they want to make at a given point in time, but they just stay at the specifics. When businesses define what they can do and commit to doing, they are on the right track to solve a pressing problem in the fashion industry.
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Source: vinatex.com.vn
