Textile industry is one of the basic industries which satisfies one of the basic needs of people and hence becomes as an inevitable part of human’s life. It is important and need of the hour to talk about the environmental impacts of textiles and clothing. But when it comes to sustainability of textiles and clothing, sustainability focuses on three major elements namely environmental, economic and social aspects but it is most commonly noticed from various sources such as literature and media that the other two pillars of sustainability namely social and economic are masked and carried away by the environmental impacts. Only environmental impacts are in focus when sustainability in textiles is defined.
The process of turning raw materials into finished garments has significant negative environmental and social implications, including air and water pollution and exploitation of human resources, especially where production is outsourced to lower labour cost country.
Environmental issues inside Textiles are Air pollution, it is a big factor in all textile industries especially in spinning mills, which directly effect work force. Noise pollution is produced by all types of textile industries due to different type of machines and processes. A lot of dangerous materials are used in textile industries causing chemical hazards. Major share is of wet processing units where a lot of care is required while using different chemicals. Waste materials thrown out by Textiles and are not disposed properly and produce land pollution.
We should try to control pollutions created by industries and should think about some alternatives to dangerous processes and chemicals. We should use filtration media and treatment plants to control and prevent from pollutions. We should create awareness in people about dangers of different processes and their impact on life because life is the most important thing in this world.
Developing a sustainable textile and apparel supply chain should follow the theory of the triple bottom line, which refers to the three pillars of Profit, People and Planet.
Solutions; Firms diversification into new environmental segments such as organic cotton industry and natural and recycled fibres to ensure wider social and environmental benefits in terms of low cost of pest management, increased yield and reduced crop failure Use of 100 percent organic cotton. We should produce Water-friendly sustainable types of fabric. Integrated production of natural fibres and replacement of natural fibre to minimize the use of pesticides.
Expertise in converting materials such as military laundry bags and seat belts into new fashion products. Substitution of natural fibre with man-made fibre from renewable sources such as cellulose or milk proteins.
Entering green retailing and educating consumers about environmental issues and giving them incentives like 15 percent off coupons to promote sustainable actions. Use of reusable packages, removal of outward card boxes to minimize the packaging size.
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