The textile industry contributes hugely to direct and indirect employment generation, foreign exchange, and gross domestic product of a country. But despite its massive importance, the textile industry is also the second-most polluting industry. So, there is a need to optimise and streamline the operations to make them more environmentally friendly.
There are a lot of manufacturing industries that operate daily to meet the basic needs of humans. These include the agro-based industries, where the chief raw material is agricultural produce. Textile industry uses crop, mainly cotton, as raw material for the production of fibre, yarn, fabric and garments.
The textile industry is also an important as it contributes hugely to direct and indirect employment generation, foreign exchange, and gross domestic product of a country. But despite its massive importance, the textile industry is also the second-most polluting industry. So, there is a need to optimise and streamline the operations to make them more environmentally friendly.
The Adverse Impact of the Textile Industry on the Environment
The textile industry, however, causes a lot of environmental problems. To better understand the adverse effects of all individual operations on the environment, let’s take a close look at the production of a garment such as a cotton shirt.
Raw material: The raw material is obtained from cotton crop. The agricultural process requires large amounts of energy to process this raw material.
Spinning: The machinery used in spinning consumes lots of energy.
Weaving and knitting: The production of fabric via the interlacing of fibres/yarns consumes a lot of energy, as heavy-loaded machinery is used.
Chemical processing: This includes all the processes such as dyeing and finishing. The process of finishing the garment produces lots of chemical waste. This chemical waste, in turn, pollutes water bodies.
Garment distribution: Once the garments are produced, they need to be distributed to the retailers and sellers. This distribution is facilitated by transportation, which again results in pollution, especially when they are carried by trucks that use fossil fuels like petrol and diesel.
Energy usage: Most of the textile units (both small-scale mills and integrated facilities) at present derive their energy from coal-fuelled power plants, which are responsible for the emission of greenhouse gases.
Solutions to Achieve a Non-Polluting Textile Industry
Given the current scenario, it looks like it is difficult for the textile industry to become completely non-polluting as there is no one root source of the pollution. The supply chain and the process that starts from the processing of the raw materials to the finishing of a garment are all responsible for pollution.
Moreover, with the advent of fast fashion, textile production is increasing at a rapid rate. This contributes to pollution and a high carbon footprint. For example, the carbon footprint of a polyester shirt is twice that of a cotton shirt. Therefore, small steps need to be taken for research and production of sustainable clothes.
Sustainable clothing refers to apparel that is produced, processed, and distributed in an environmentally friendly way. As a result, most firms—both big and small—are trying to introduce naturally occurring and environment-friendly materials like organic cotton, wool, seaweed, jute, wood-based cellulose, hemp, bamboo etc.
Further, the use of biodegradable dyes can also help in making fashion sustainable. Clothing waste can also be reduced by recycling of old clothes. These are small but important steps towards making the textile industry non-polluting. Such steps would eventually result in a decrease in waste material, chemical production, and pollution.
Use of renewable energy: Renewable energy sources include the energy sources that are available in nature. Such energy sources are replenished and can be utilised again and again. These energy sources do not harm the environment, which is most important. The use of renewable energy sources will provide an alternative to the growing energy needs of the textile industry. These energy resources include hydroelectricity, wind energy, and solar energy.
Sustainable clothes: Sustainable clothes are already being produced in bulk to reduce the impact of garment production on the environment. However, steps should be taken at an individual level as well towards sustainable production. Individuals should purchase organic, vegan-friendly, and naturally produced clothes from eco-friendly brands. At the same time, individuals should lengthen the longevity of their clothes with proper maintenance and care. They should stop throwing away their used clothes and instead start donating them for recycling.
Careful discarding of waste products: An excessive amount of auxiliary waste is common in the textile business. The production process has its problems, including significant water and air pollution, the use of hazardous chemicals in the dyeing operations, and the development of mountains of non-biodegradable synthetics. These problems have been lessened recently, though, because of the greater usage of biodegradable and degradable materials. In addition, tight criteria are set forth by regulatory bodies to reduce such issues. Further government legislation has also played a significant role in the matter.
Digitalisation in the textile industry: Digitalisation is optional and somewhat necessary for industries producing textiles. By incorporating digitalisation and various advanced technologies like AI and Analytics, textile firms can become more advanced and grow rapidly in the modern world. Firms can digitise certain practices like customer service, labour management, transportation, etc. Because of this, the industry’s understanding of sustainability would further expand.
Thus, there are several ways to regulate pollution caused by the textile industry. Even though achieving a 100 per cent non-polluting textile industry may be a distant dream, a significant portion of its process can be made environmentally friendly with a conscious effort at the individual and industry levels.
This article was originally posted by: FIBRE2FASHION