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Introduction
Published in Shishir Sinha, G. L. Devnani, Natural Fiber Composites, 2022
Natural fibers are divided into three different forms animal, mineral, and plant fibers based on their organic source. Animal fibers are mostly made up of long chains of biomolecules or macromolecules of the amino acid group, whereas plant fibers are mostly made up of lignocellulosic compounds. Plant fibers have attracted interest as a reinforcement phase for biocompatible composites due to their accessibility and low price. Animal fibers have considerable attention due to their elasticity, high durability, the enhanced surface-to-volume proportion, and reduced hydrophilicity (Mhatre et al., 2019). Plant fibers such as cannabis, bamboo, wheat, jute, agave, and animal fibers such as camel hair, spider silk, and wool are commonly utilized in the clothing industry (Vinod et al., 2020). The classification of natural fibers is shown in Figure 1.7.
Sustainability in fashion: A study of clean waste management within a clothing company
Published in Fernando Moreira da Silva, Helena Bártolo, Paulo Bártolo, Rita Almendra, Filipa Roseta, Henrique Amorim Almeida, Ana Cristina Lemos, Challenges for Technology Innovation: An Agenda for the Future, 2017
H. Cruz, A.C. Broega, M. Amorim
The fashion industry, namely the textile and clothing industry, is an economic potential that employs millions of people around the world, in spite of being also one of the most polluting to the environment (Black, S., 2008).
Development of non-woven from recycled fabric selvedge wastes for functional sound absorption
Published in International Journal of Sustainable Engineering, 2022
Temesggen Feleke Fera, Yerdaw Zeleke, Yohannes Girmay
The fast fashion cycle in the textile industry has led to a high level of consumption and waste generation. This can cause a negative environmental impact since the textile and clothing industry is one of the most polluting industries. Non-hazardous solid textile waste recycling is a viable alternative (Yalcin-Enis, Kucukali-Ozturk, and Sezgin 2019). Textile recycling is a process in which textile wastes, old clothing and other textiles are recovered for reuse or material recovery (Bartl and Marini 2008; Bhatia, Sharma, and Malhotra 2014). While recycling is not new to the textile industry, it is now a necessity brought on by increased fees at landfills and decreased availability of landfill space. Recycling was more than simply a trend or a new marketing campaign designed to make a profit as an economic necessity (Bartl, 2009; Pensupa et al. 2017).
Identifying critical eco-innovation practices in circular supply chain management: evidence from the textile and clothing industry
Published in International Journal of Logistics Research and Applications, 2022
Yue Cao, Ying Qu, Lingling Guo
As one of the most global industries, the textile and clothing industry contributes significantly to global economic and social development, although at the cost of having an enormous impact on the environment (Saha, Dey, and Papagiannaki 2021). In fact, this industry has become the second most polluting industry in the world after petrochemicals, emitting 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions and discharging approximately 200,000 tonnes of untreated dyes yearly (Liu et al. 2021). In addition, a conservative estimate suggests that waste clothing and textiles worth US$3 billion go to landfills each year (Saha, Dey, and Papagiannaki 2021). A key solution to these problems is represented by circular supply chain management (CSCM), which integrates the concept of circular economy into supply chain management (Farooque et al. 2019). Through CSCM, this industry can maximise natural resource utilisation, reduce waste generation and improve social benefits (Bressanelli, Perona, and Saccani 2019; Tseng et al. 2021a). The implementation of CSCM entails several challenges, including shortage of funding and poor level of technology (Bressanelli, Perona, and Saccani 2019). Eco-innovation (EI) is seen as effective in overcoming these obstacles (Sawe et al. 2021). However, practical approaches are currently missing, through which textile and clothing companies may understand and implement the theoretical framework of EI and achieve CSCM. Therefore, there is the need to develop a framework of EI criteria in CSCM, which can be utilised to guide industry practice.
Recycled versus virgin polyester sportswear – can a difference be perceived in actual use?
Published in International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education, 2023
Lars Claussen, Alex Lloyd, Daniel Ruiz, George Havenith
The clothing industry is considered a major environmental polluter, and its impact includes CO2 emissions, water use, chemical pollution, and textile waste (Niinimäki et al., 2020). Hence, a transformation toward a more sustainable production is needed. Due to its functional nature, polyester is the raw material of choice for sports clothing. The switch from virgin to recycled polyester offers the sportswear industry a way to reduce its environmental footprint. According to the Higg Material Sustainability Index (MSI), mechanically recycled polyester has a 70% lower greenhouse gas footprint than virgin polyester (United Nations Climate Change, 2021). While the Higg Index is the apparel industry’s leading sustainability measurement tool, the index has come under criticism. As the data for the index is provided by industry members, critics argue that the data used to calculate the index is intransparent, unrepresentative and often outdated. The Higg Material Sustainability Index (MSI) assesses the impact of products from cradle to gate, so it does not include data on impacts that occur later in the life cycle, such as fibre shedding (Tabuchi, 2022). The Sustainable Apparel Coalition, which publishes the index, argues against this criticism that it can only include information that is currently measurable in a standardised way, which is not the case for fibre shedding, for example (Hughes, 2021). Based on a decision by the Norwegian Consumer Authority that the use of the Higg Material Sustainability Index (MSI) is potentially misleading to consumers, it is currently not used in consumer-facing marketing (Razvi, 2022).