Sustainabilty in Textile Processing

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SUSTAINABLE PROCESSING IN THE APPAREL INDUSTRY

BF Tech (Sem 3)

CONTENTS

• Sustainability - definition• Need of sustainability in apparel

production• The stages of apparel production• Various chemicals used in the industry• Achieving sustainability in apparel

industry• Benefits of organic clothing• Steps to be taken for sustainable textile

processing• Alternate processing methods• Examples in apparel industry 2

Page number

34-5

678

910

1112-15

SUSTAINABILITY- DEFINITION

• Sustain means “to maintain” or “to uphold” .• “To improve the quality of life while living within

the carrying capacity of ecosystems” IUCN (The World Conservation Union), 1991.ss

The 3 principles of sustainability

• Environmentally Viable- It should have the lowest possible adverse effect on the environment.

• Social Desirable- It should respect the social elements of fair trade and human rights of the people involved.

• Economically feasible- It should be able to Compete effectively in the global marketplace against less sustainable products.

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NEED OF SUSTAINABILITY IN APPAREL INDUSTRY

• Consumption of natural resources has increased dramatically in the last 40 years

• Issues like that of global warming, natural resource depletion, toxic waste disposal, and increasing air, water and soil pollution are of global importance.

• At every stage of textile production, vast amounts of energy, clean water and chemicals are used to process the textiles and apparel.

• Thus apparel industry also needs to eliminate environmental hazards, improve process efficiency.

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A sustainable approach covers the following points:• Minimum use of resources (water and energy

consumption during preparation, colouration and finishing).

• Minimum chemical consumption.• Minimum pollution load.• Toxic chemicals eliminated from supply chain.• Harmful chemical residues eliminated from final

textile.

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The typical stages of apparel production, use and

disposalRaw Material

Production of natural and synthetic fibers

Production of yarn, filaments, fabrics.

Wet treatments (Pre-Treatments, Dyeing, Printing and Finishing)

Garment Manufacturing

Consumption

Waste

DYES

ADDITIVES

WATER

EMISSIONS

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Various Chemicals Used In Each Stage Of Processing

PROCESS CHEMICALSSpinning, weaving and knitting Spinning oils, knitting oils, Lubricants

Sizing Sizes (Starches, Polyacrylates, Carboxy methyl Cellulose)

Desizing, Scouring Sizes, Enzymes, Starch, Ammonia, Disinfectants and insecticides residues, NaOH, Surfactants, Soaps

Bleaching, Mercerizing Bleaching Agents(Oxidants) like H2O2 ,Alkalis, Salts

Dyeing and Printing Dyes, Pigments, Salts, Alkalis, Acidity/Alkalinity, Metals

Finishing Resins, Softeners, Flame retardants, Anti-microbials , fluorocarbons

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ACHEIVING SUSTAINABILITY IN APPAREL INDUSTRY

In broader perspective sustainability can be achieved by following 2 major steps-

1. Organic Clothing It is made from materials raised in or grown in

compliance with organic agricultural standards. The source of the clothing's fibre are free from

herbicides, pesticides, or genetically modified seeds.

2. Recycling Fashion Textiles that are discarded by consumers,

retailers or charitable organisations undergo a discriminating process of sorting, grading and separation into waste-free products which are suitable for reuse.

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BENEFITS OF ORGANIC CLOTHING

• No chemical pesticides are used. • Organic cotton farming produces far less CO2 emissions. • Organic cotton farming uses up to 60% less water than

conventional farming methods. • Pesticide or herbicide residues are not entered accidentally

into the environment.• Humans and animals are not exposed to chemical pesticides

or herbicides.• When the fabric is discarded, pesticides and herbicides are

not returned to the earth in landfill, or enter into recycling process.

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STEPS TO BE TAKEN FOR SUSTAINABLE TEXTILE PROCESSING

1. Eco-friendly Fibres• Organic cotton• Bamboo Fibre• Alpaca Wool• Recycled Polyester2. Dyes• Azo-free colourants• Biodegradable dyes• Chrome-free tanning• Fibre reactive dyes• Low-impact dyes• Natural dyes

Organic cotton

Yarn spun from alpaca wool

Bamboo fibre

Bales of PET bottles10

ALTERNATE WET PROCESSING METHODS

• Chlorine-free bleaching• Cold or low temperature dye processes• Dye bath reuse• Eco bleach• Ink-jet printing• Vegetable tanning• Waste water recycling

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EXAMPLES OF SUSTAINABILITY IN APPAREL INDUSTRY

Levi’s• Levi's is a brand of denim jeans, under privately held American clothing company Levi Strauss & Co.• Their Waste<Less line of jeans uses cleaned, sorted and crushed PET

plastic bottles and food trays to make polyester fiber.• Then its blended with cotton and woven.

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WATER<LESS™JEANS THAT SAVES WATER

• Levi’s also designed the Water<Less range, which uses less water in the finishing stage in 2010.

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Nike, Inc.• Nike's Trash Talk Shoe, which had been

constructed in February 2008 from pieces of leather and synthetic leather waste from factory floors.

• Its sole is composed of ground-up rubber from a shoe recycling program

• NIKE Flyknit, introduced in 2012, The technology uses knit construction that allows for a lightweight upper that reduces footwear waste.

• The Flyknit Lunar 1+ running shoe reduces footwear waste by 80% on average when compared to typical NIKE running footwear.

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CONCLUSION

The 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 wearers and the

workers. 15

Thank You

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