The biggest headline for 2019 has to be sustainability, and rightly so. Finally the global business community, politicians and consumers have awakened to the facts. Climate change is real! It affects each and every one of us to a greater or lesser degree (irony noted), and as a global population we have to bring about change, together. Small steps cumulatively will make a huge positive impact for mankind.
Driven by the consumers’ demand for carbon neutrality the Textile industry is adapting its manufacturing processes and facing up to its responsibilities, albeit slowly, and perhaps too slowly to fully reverse the damage of the past. However, numerous new technologies have emerged onto the market this year and progress is gaining pace. Although it has to be said that, whilst not in the public domain, many of these technologies have been years in the making.
All products, be they intended for Fashion, Interiors or Apparel, use textiles. The fabrics that we use in our daily lives are the bedrock of necessary change.
The environmental footprint of the Textile Industry is now under scrutiny as one of the largest contributors to carbon emissions, for its use of precious resources, toxic waste and intensive use of non-renewable energy.
Whilst I accept that there is a lot of green washing in the media, pushed by inscrutable marketeers who seek to profit from the sustainability trend, this isn’t a trend; the Textile industry is making serious commitments to bring about change by investing billions into sustainable alternatives and, through blue chip company collaboration, these initiatives are making an impact.
Fibres too are seeing a new dawn, and we see numerous initiatives making a significant sustainable impact.
All fabrics begin as fibres, be that synthetic or natural, and in recent years the industry has found sustainable alternatives in short supply. But in the last year alone huge strides have been made in the technical production and availability of sustainable fibre production. With huge investments promised, the availability of circular substrates is set to improve in the year ahead.
Recycling is the keystone to a circular economy, and as yet, it has to be said that we do not have the facilities, or global infrastructure, to deal with the volume of textiles that need to be recycled, or the technology to repurpose the blended volume of fibres required for recycled yarn production worldwide. But progress is being made and, once established, these technologies will require scaling to meet demand.
And so, as technology begins to catch up with our newly invigorated demand for sustainable fabrics, great care needs to be taken in the sourcing of such fabrics. All is not as it seems, we need to be transparent and to truly understand the recycling process utilized in the fabrics we choose if we are to correctly define for end-use. The consumer needs clarification, and the manufacturer needs certification to ensure that the carbon footprint, and environmental impact of the recycled fabrics we choose, is less than the original version.
But, it’s early days for the industry as a whole; and for practitioners within the Textile industry, designers and manufacturers alike, we all need to learn fast to make critical progress and save the planet’s precious resources.
The Textile workbook has changed forever; forget the principles of the past, read as much as you can in the year ahead, listen to your mentors and collaborative peers, take on board as much information as possible, collaborate – and together we can all make a huge change…
This article is from www.whichplm.com
PREVIOUS： Selection criteria for correct screen printing mesh number
