How can textile manufacturers damage the environment

The problem does not rest in the high usage, though, but in the fact that often waste waters are not treated to remove pollutants before they are disposed in the environment. As a consequence, according to some studies 20 percent of all fresh water pollution is made by textile treatment and dyeing.

The high volumes of water and discarded in the textile producing process are responsible for aquatic life toxicity. Substances such as formaldehyde , chlorine and heavy metals are disposed into water bodies and they are consumed in daily activities by a large number of people.

Specifically, air pollutants produced by the textile industry include:. The textile industry also produces lots of solid waste. Other eco-clothes are made using recycled textiles or plastics, saving on waste, landfill space and the amount of raw materials used.

Criteria for eco-friendly Lable Product-based Pertains to the limits of harmfull chemicals which vary with the intended use of textiles.

Group I-Baby wear The limits are the lowest stringent for the clothes and textiles for babies below age 3. Group II Material in direct skin contact, worn next to skin, for example underwear, bed-sheets and night dresses Group III Materials not in direct contact with skin.

Textiles worn as second layer dresses, c oats, articles with linings. Group IV Furnishings articles and accessories for decorative purpose. Process Based These are recommendations for processes to be avoided such as 1. Bleaching with hypochlorite 2. Use of chlorinated organic compounds as carriers in dyeing of polyester 3.

For several years now, developed and developing countries have forged partnerships around fair trade in textiles. High-street names have also entered the age of sustainable development. Some use organic cotton or hemp; others process fibres without heavy metals or ensure acceptable working conditions. Some companies have developed new eco-friendly textiles from algae, soya, milk casein, bamboo, etc. Ingeo, a natural synthetic fibre made by distilling plant sugar from plant starches such as corn, has made its high-fashion debut thanks to the Italian jean designer Diesel, and soon Versace Sport.

Other firms make clothes from natural or recycled materials. Patagonia has been manufacturing fleece sweaters from recycled plastic bottles for several years. The international Clean Clothes campaign urges textile brands and distributors to take concrete and effective measures to improve the very poor working conditions that prevail in clothes and footwear manufacturing.

Since its launch, and thanks to active public interest, this initiative has succeeded in winning companies to its cause. No harmful chemicals and bleaches - which can cause long-term damage to peoples health and the environment - are used in the production of eco-clothes. Eco-clothes are fair traded. Eco-clothes are high quality and last a long time. Because of this people need fewer clothes, less raw materials and energy are used, and there is less waste.

To guarantee standards in the future, a system of eco-labelling is being established to show that clothes have been made from organic materials and manufactured in an environmentally-friendly way. Many famous fashion designers have started to use organic materials - and make money!

Conclusion Textiles could be one of the most un-sustainable products in the world. In their entire lifecycle from growing the raw material or creating it from oil to manufacturing and selling and final disposal they can create a serious problem. Ranga Agril. Industries , Chennai. Where I worked as Senior Merchandiser. I also have been absorbed as lecturer in ST. Also conducted various training programmes in clothing and textiles.

Interested Indian Traditional embroideries and research studies. Presently working as guest faculty lecturer in Dept. Mobile: E-mail: lakshminaveen yahoo. The pesticides that farmers use to protect textiles as they grow can harm wildlife, contaminate other products and get into the food we eat. The chemicals that are used to bleach and colour textiles can damage the environment and peoples health.

Old clothes that we throw away take up precious space in landfill sites, which is filling up rapidly. Most of the textile machineries cause noise, sound and air pollution. Over-usage of natural resources like plants, water, etc depletes or disturbs ecological balance.

The working conditions in the textile and clothing industry are of sub- standard. Exploitation of animals often goes hand in hand with intensive farming practices that damage the environment as a whole. Environmental effects of textile fibres Natural fibres have their problems, too: Cotton is the most pesticide intensive crop in the world: these pesticides injure and kill many people every year.

It also takes up a large proportion of agricultural land, much of which is needed by local people to grow their own food. Herbicides, and also the chemical defoliants which are sometimes used to aid mechanical cotton harvesting, add to the toll on both the environment and human health. These chemicals typically remain in the fabric after finishing, and are released during the lifetime of the garments.

The development of genetically modified cotton adds environmental problems at another level. Growing cotton uses Growing enough cotton for one t-shirt requires gallons of water. On top of that, bleaching and then dyeing the resulting fabric creates toxins that flow into our ecosystem. First of all, the cotton must be grown; this entails vast amounts of chemical fertilizers and pesticides that pollute and deplete the soil.

Despite mechanized harvesting, the cotton industry is still largely dependent on cheap labour. The raw cotton is then dyed, meaning chemicals and heavy metals with harmful effects on the environment. Finally bands of cotton are assembled in factories to be sown into a T-shirt. From wastewater emissions to air pollution and energy consumption, the textile industry weighs heavily on the environment.

Wool pollution: both agricultural and craft workers in the UK suffer from exposure to organophosphate sheep dip problem. Getting from fibre to cloth - bleaching, dyeing, and finishing - uses yet more energy and water, and causes yet more pollution.

Nylon and polyester -made from petrochemicals, these synthetics are also non-biodegradable, and so they are inherently unsustainable on two counts. Nylon manufacture creates nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas times more potent than carbon dioxide.

Making polyester uses large amounts of water for cooling, along with lubricants which can become a source of contamination. Both processes are also very energy-hungry. Rayon viscose , another artificial fibre, is made from wood pulp, which on the face of it seems more sustainable. Often the tree planted is eucalyptus, which draws up phenomenal amounts of water, causing problems in sensitive regions.

To make rayon, the wood pulp is treated with hazardous chemicals such as caustic soda and sulphuric acid. The use of rayon for clothing is contributing to the rapid depletion of the world's forests. And the environmental damage is increasing as the industry grows.

However, there are solutions and alternatives to mitigate these problems. The first step lies in building awareness and willingness to change. In most of the countries in which garments are produced, untreated toxic wastewaters from textiles factories are dumped directly into the rivers. Wastewater contains toxic substances such as lead, mercury, and arsenic, among others.

These are extremely harmful for the aquatic life and the health of the millions people living by those rivers banks. The contamination also reaches the sea and eventually spreads around the globe. Another major source of water contamination is the use of fertilizers for cotton production, which heavily pollutes runoff waters and evaporation waters. Choose clothes made in countries with stricter environmental regulations for factories EU, Canada, US Choose organic fibers and natural fibers that do not require chemicals to be produced.

The fashion industry is a major water consumer. Huge quantity of fresh water are used for the dyeing and finishing process for all of our clothes. As reference, it can take up to tons of fresh water per ton of dyed fabric. Also, cotton needs A LOT of water to grow and heat , but is usually cultivated in warm and dry areas.

Up to 20, liters of water are needed to produce just 1kg of cotton. The fashion industry is also the second-largest consumer of water worldwide. The fashion industry uses vast quantities of water. Cotton is highly water intensive.

Cotton farming used up so much water from the Aral Sea that it dried up after about 50 years. Dying textiles causes lots of water pollution. The dying process. A fifth of water pollution comes from the fashion industry.

License and Republishing. Written by. More on Plastics and the Environment View all. A Filipino company is turning plastic waste into building materials 'The Plastic Flamingo' is a group of recyclers in the Philippines who turn items of plastic waste into building materials to help reduce pollution.

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