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Green fashion- Not only the survival of society, the business too…

Published: June 5, 2014

Author: TEXTILE VALUE CHAIN

The world of fashion may be stylish, glamorous and exciting but from an environmental point of view, the clothes we wear and the textiles they are made from can cause a great deal of damage .Nowadays in fashion, the words “eco-friendly,” “organic” and “sustainable” are used a lot. Sometimes it can be hard to differentiate between a brand that’s actually helping to make the planet a better place and the one that’s just riding the eco bandwagon. Some companies are cashing in on consumers’ growing environmental awareness by labeling their clothes “green,” without actually bringing about a change in their production process.

Environmental protection is not only seen as a social commitment but also a strategy to remain in business. The demand for “Ecosafe Textiles” and “Environment friendly Textiles” is increasing. Ecosafe textiles are those which are totally biodegradable and non-hazardous substance has been used in their production at any stage. It is difficult to produce totally ecosafe textiles. However, a beginning has been made in this direction with the commercial cultivation of organic cotton in some clusters in India and abroad. It is however easier to produce eco-friendly textiles which do not contain any hazardous or toxic substance, and are produced by observing various emission norms of State and Central Pollution Control Boards and which are biologically degradable, so that damage to the environment and ecology is minimized.

Right from cultivation to manufacturing of fibers, spinning, weaving, processing, garmenting and finishing textiles, more than 14000 dyes and chemicals are used and a significant of these dyes and chemicals goes in the solid, liquid and air wastes, resulting pollution of air, land and surface water.

Benefits
Organic fibers are grown without the use of harmful pesticides or genetically modified organisms so they promote a healthier farm and environment.
Harmful manufacturing chemicals are not allowed in organic textile production, so it is better for local wildlife, animals and people.
Organic textiles don’t contain allergenic, carcinogenic or toxic chemicals.
Eco fashion clothes are made using organic raw materials, such as cotton grown without pesticides and silk made by worms fed on organic trees.
These clothes are often made from recycled and reused textiles. High-quality garments can be made from second- hand clothes and even recycled plastic bottles
They are made to last, so that people keep them for longer They come from fair trade that is people who make them are paid a fair price and have decent working conditions.

Some of the prominent countries that are hugely investing in eco clothing are US, Japan, UK, and EU. Countries like India, Tanzania, China, Peru, Egypt, US, Syria and Burkina Faso are the largest producers of organic cotton in the world. Many famous brands namely Nike, Marks & Spencer, Timberland, Reebok, and Wal-Mart have set a trail by starting the production and selling of organic products. Some of the eco clothing brands are:

Woodland: It has been among the first companies in the early 2000 to start innovating green products and processes.
Ecofi /Ecospun: This is made from recycled plastic pop bottles by Wellman Inc in USA
Eco skin: Based in USA, this brand makes use of only eco friendly fabrics made from renewable resources.
Element Ecowear: This brand makes use of fair trade certified bamboo and hemp fibers for making clothes.
Dongguan Humen Yuefeng: This brand uses 100% eco friendly cotton to manufacture clothes mostly for adults, both men and women.
Grassroot by Anita Dongre: The concept of organic clothing in India gained popularity with the launch of designer Anita Dongre’s label Grassroot, in 2007. It is an organic clothing brand that promotes usage of cellulosic or organic fibers, vegetable dyes, bamboo jersey fabric and re-uses waste products in the form of manure.
Madura Garments: Among the big brands Van Heusen, the apparel brand from Madura garments has launched its Green Range of apparel in the year 2010. The Organic range started with limited edition, but soon saw it flying off the shelves.
Levi’s Eco: Levi’s, which already retails organic jeans in the US market, has an organic line for male and female denims called Levi’s-Eco. While the cotton used by the company for making jeans is organic, the button on the waistband is made of coconut shell. There are no metal rivets, the dye is from natural compounds, and the label is from recycled cardboard^.

Thankfully organic clothing offers a solution. Buying durable, long-wearing clothing is better for the environment. Clothing that lasts many years reduces the need for replacing garments frequently and thereby conserves natural resources and, minimizes the amount of waste going to landfills. So many of today’s garments are made to low-quality standards from fabrics that wear out quickly. But with organic clothing produced, the quality of the fibres should rarely be a concern.

To certify a garment to be organic, it must be processed throughout without the use of synthetic chemicals. Whether it is chemicals used to add colour to fabrics or methods used to fix those dyes to the fabrics or the waste water disposal once the fabrics have been dyed. Each stage needs to be monitored carefully.

Government Initiatives

Government must be on the front foot to offer following incentives:

Duty concession and low interest finance for effluent treatment plants.
Subsidy on Common Effluent Treatment Plants.
Rebate on water cess on undertaking pollution control measures.
Eco-testing laboratories throughout the country.
Ban on Benzedine based dyes and other carcinogenic dyes.
Awareness creation programmes and sponsoring of Research Projects for production of eco friendly textiles.
Introduction of the system of Annual rebate like khadi rebate.

For meeting the challenge:

Conducting Training& creating awareness for management and workers to make them environment responsible.
Introduction of environmental management systems.
Separate courts for environmental disputes.
Emission norms to be made practical and fixed in consultation with the industry.

The textile industry in general and textile wet processing in particular is passing through serious challenges. Eco consumerism is widely spreading the world over. Eco labeling has become a philosophy and way of life and is ever increasing. Organic dyeing procedures are still inadequately developed in the world. India could probably take a lead given its background in natural dyeing.
Various specialty chemical and dye manufacturers are also coming forward with their list of Eco-friendly products and time is not too far when not only the customers in international market but those in domestic market will also insist for “Eco-friendly textile”.

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