It is a well-known fact that the textile industry is causing significant damages to the environment. The production of textile items causes a lot of greenhouse gas production, and that contributes to global warming. The carbon footprint of the textile industry consists of the emitted GHG and Carbon dioxide in the manufacturing process. Various harmful chemicals and dyes are used in the textile industry that not only causes damage to the human skin when applied. They can cause skin cancer and various other skin diseases coming to direct contact with the skin. However, the modern world is quite worried about the environmental decline of the earth.
More and more people are getting concerned, and various industries are trying to opt for eco-friendly means of production and manufacturing. The same goes for the textile industry. The textile industry is bringing some renovations in its model of manufacturing to ensure that it causes a lesser carbon footprint and thus does minor harm to the environment. Some of the technique that is adopted by the textile industry to reduce its carbon footprint are mentioned below.
Opting for alternative materials of manufacturing:
The traditionally used materials in the textile industry are the reasons behind leaving such high carbon footprints. Cotton, the most commonly used fabric in the industry, causes a considerable amount of pesticide. It causes more harm than any other kind of crop in the market in the market. The material of polyester needs almost 70,000,000. or even more barrels of water every year. Due to such harmful characteristics, the textile industry is now thinking of changing most commonly used materials.
Using chemically tested dyes:
Many manufacturers in the textile industry use colours that are chemically tested but have failed to pass the qualities to qualify as a suitable dye. Due to such actions, the textile industry not only causes harm to nature but also damages to the human skin. Using chemically untested colours increases the amount of carbon footprint the textile industry leaves behind. The harmful dyes emit Carbon dioxide and it contributes to the overall climate change. It has been happening for years now, and it is time that the textile industry does something to change the situation.
Many manufacturers now are using dyes that have passed all the chemical requirements of being a safe dye. There are also dyes available now that are made of organic components. Thus, they are entirely harmless, both on the environment and also on the skin of the user of the product. It would ensure that the industry emits less harmful gases and also reduces the amount of harm it does to the human skin.
Increasing recycling:
Recycling is the right way of reducing the amount of waste an industry produces. The same rule applies to the textile industry, as well. The industry is currently focusing on recycling old materials and making new products out of them. It not only reduces textile waste but also helps in reducing chemical waste and emission of harmful gases. The modern textile industry is also using various items like thrown away beer bottles or bags made of polypropylene to create fibres that can be used in the industry. These materials are broken into massively beautiful pieces, and then they get melted and finally extruded to get used as fibres in the textile industry. Such innovative techniques also help in reducing toxic waste. It is an excellent way to fight the amount of carbon footprint the textile industry leaves behind.
Using Natural fibres:
The textile industry is now focusing on using natural fibres over the traditionally used synthetic fibres for several reasons. The primary benefit of using natural fibres is that they cause a lot less carbon footprint than those of synthetic fibres. Besides, various micro-organisms can decompose natural fibres when they go to waste. However, the same does not happen in the case of synthetic fibres. These fibres do not get decomposed and thus cause the release of various harmful chemicals and heavy the metals into the ground and soil.
The natural fibres, on the other hand, release its fixed amount of carbon dioxide in the air and thus help to maintain a balance. The synthetic fibres cause long term damages to both water bodies and soil. Recycling synthetic fibres are also very costly, and they further contribute to increasing the carbon footprint of the textile industry. Due to various such reasons, the textile industry now is focusing on stopping the use of several types of synthetic pesticides or fertilisers to make sure that lesser harm is done to the environment.
These are some of the ways following which the textile industry can significantly reduce its carbon footprint. However, this is a long-term process. Many manufacturers in the industry are still now aware of the harm that the textile industry is causing the environment. It is high time to spread awareness and bring essential changes to the traditional methods to reduce the emission of harmful gases and other chemical wastes. The waste management system of the textile industry also needs to be renovated as these toxic wastes cause harm to both land and soil. The textile industry is slowly evolving in this part, and hopefully, soon, it will be able to reduce the amount of harm it is doing to the environment.
From ITEMMA VOICE, Magazine December - 2019 Republished with permission from Director General (Technical), 'ITAMMA'Mumbai 1,
No comments:
Post a Comment