eco textiles Archives - Zureli

Search for any green Service

Find green products from around the world in one place

Window cleaning

Singapore Safety Glass

France’s Clothing Repair Program to Decrease Fast Fashion

Posted on September 13, 2023September 13, 2023 by dishanth

Fast Fashion is the design, manufacturing and marketing method focused on rapidly producing high volumes of clothing and selling them at inexpensive prices. Over the past few years, fast fashion has increased due to the affordability of many of these items. With fast fashion brands like H&M and Zara and now online brands like Shein taking over the fashion industry, fast fashion doesn’t show any signs of slowing down.

The Fast Fashion Market is projected to reach over $280 million by 2030. Apparel consumption has reached 62 million tonnes a year and is expected to be 102 million tonnes a year by 2030. With the increase in the production of clothing, there is also an increase in the amount of waste produced as well.

Apparel companies produce 53 million tonnes of clothing annually. Over 57% of clothing produced and purchased ends up in landfills. The reason is due to the increase in production. These fast fashion brands use cheaper materials that are generally not made to last more than a year or even a season. Much of what is purchased isn’t worn and is either donated or dumped—with the rise of fast fashion, buying something new when articles rip or tear is cheaper than fixing it.

France’s clothing repair program is trying to change these habits and encourage people to fix their torn clothing. France’s clothing repair program intends to offer a repair bonus for people to mend their clothes. In France, over 772 000 tonnes of clothing are discarded annually, most of which are still wearable.

With France’s clothing repair program, people will receive a $6.73 to $28.05 credit for bringing their shoes and clothes to a cobbler or workshop to be mended. The monetary incentive will be based on the amount of mending that needs to be done. The government will fund the program with around $173 million in contributions over five years. This program aims to create a circular economy for shoes and textiles so that products last longer. This program will hopefully lower how money items people purchase and donate annually.

France’s clothing repair program is run by an eco-organization called Refashion. The organization manages the prevention of waste and management of the end of service life of products on over 5000 companies placing goods onto the market. Within France’s clothing repair program, tailors, clothing brands and repair shops can join the initiatives for free with the organizations.

The organization has reported that approximately 56% of donated textiles can be reused, while 32% can be recycled into new products. By raising awareness about these possibilities and incentivizing repairs, these schemes may actually encourage individuals to reconsider their buying habits. In France, clothing companies are now required to label items with information about the materials used and their country of origin. This will allow customers to make more informed choices and encourage them to shop sustainably.

France’s clothing repair program follows a similar initiative launched last year by the French government, which offered bonuses to individuals to repair their household appliances. In 2020, a law was passed to promote sustainable practices and consumption habits related to household goods.

If more people choose better quality clothing or consciously decide to have their clothing mended, the popularity of the fast fashion industry might begin to decrease. If people are rewarded for their environmental efforts, they will actually save money instead of constantly buying new clothing. It’s an initiative that could have a significant impact on the way we shop and consume. I’m interested to see how it will play out and if other countries will take on similar initiatives.

Source – Happy Eco News

Innovative smart fabric responds to changes in temperature

Posted on February 24, 2023 by dishanth

Aalto University in Finland, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Cambridge, have developed new textiles that change shape according to temperature levels.

Weaving together old technology and a new approach, the fabrics use liquid crystalline elastomers (LCEs), which were developed in the 1980s. LCEs are a smart material that can respond to light, heat, or other stimuli. Although LCEs have been made into fibres, they have yet to be made into textiles until now.

This innovation offers opportunities in the apparel sector for adjustable aesthetics, fabrics that could help monitor people’s health, and improve thermal insulation.

According to India-based market research company Coherent Insights, the smart and interactive apparel market is set to be worth US$6.5m by 2028.

To develop this smart fabric, the team at Aalto University used conventional textile crafting techniques and tested two versions with soft or stiff LCE yarn. Under an infrared lamp, all of the LCE fabrics contracted as they warmed up. The changes were reversible as they relaxed back to their original shape once the temperature dropped.

Pedro Silva, a postdoctoral researcher who led the study, commented: “At first, the impact of using industrial textile techniques with these kinds of new materials wasn’t clear to us. The elasticity of the two types of LCE yarn is comparable to spandex or even softer. That meant it was essential to understand if the textile industry could use these yarns and how the combination with conventional yarns would impact their movement.”

Following this, the researchers combined LCE yarns with linen and nylon in a radial pattern to weave a circle that would lift itself into a cone when heated. Heating the pattern caused the LCE yarn to contract into a cone before it relaxed back into a flat circle.

Maija Vaara, a PhD student at Aalto University who crafted the weaves and laces, hopes that the work will “trigger new ways of thinking when it comes to the materials of tomorrow.”

Source – Just Style

Xeros study explores upcycling of laundry microfibres

Posted on January 30, 2023 by dishanth

Microfibres are defined as tiny ‘threads’, smaller than 5mm, that break off from textiles through the everyday acts of wearing and laundering garments and textiles Xeros explains.

Estimates from The Microfibre Consortium suggest every year more than half a million tons of microfibres are released into the world’s oceans simply from washing our clothing.

Meanwhile, independent research shows that microfibres from synthetic textiles (known as microplastics) are one of the biggest sources of microplastic pollution in the world’s oceans.

In order to address this, Xeros Technology has developed a washing machine filtration device, XFilter, which captures the microfibres and prevents their release into the world’s oceans.

XFilter lasts the lifetime of a washing machine and allows users to place the captured microfibres directly into their bin to be disposed of with other household waste, as we already do with vacuum cleaners and tumble driers that collect similar mixed fibres.

“Microfibre waste from filtration is a complex material to recycle within existing recycling infrastructure: not only are the microfibres often mixed materials, but they also contain captured dirt and soil,” says Xeros. “This is why Xeros have teamed up the University of Surrey – to accelerative research into improved methods to permanently reduce this continued pollution build-up in the future.

Led by Dr Melis Duyar, the team from the University of Surrey and North Carolina State University have developed a new method specifically designed to upcycle textile micro/nano fibres shed during the washing and drying of clothes. The method produces clean hydrogen and solid carbon nanomaterials as a by-product.

Dr Duyar, senior lecturer at the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at University of Surrey, said: “At the University of Surrey, we are developing solutions to upcycle microplastics without releasing the fossil carbon contained within them into the atmosphere in the form of greenhouse gas emissions. Plastics are one of the problems associated with our dependency on fossil fuels, so any solution we develop to address plastics pollution must also fit within our strategy for reaching a net zero emission economy. This partnership with Xeros will allow us to bring our technology closer to commercialisation, by developing methods for upcycling real microfibre waste collected from commercially available filters. We are excited to see our patent pending processes in action as applied to mixed fibre feedstocks, which is a big step towards developing a viable, real-world solution.”

The carbon nanomaterials developed using this upcycling method can be used in various essential products including batteries, solar cells and medical devices.

Dr Paul Servin, application development director of Xeros, added: “There is nothing better than to convert, what is today considered to be waste and a problem in the world, into a highly valuable product which is what we, together with the excellent researchers at University in Surrey, will accomplish. I’m extremely excited about this project which can hopefully lead the way to future separated collection of microfibres from washing machines, tumble dryers and vacuum cleaners for the purpose of upcycling to a higher valued product.”

The project began this month with research conducted over a 12-month period.

Source Just Style

Fashion giants agree on forest-positive textile fiber collaboration

Posted on November 15, 2022 by dishanth

The fashion firms, supported by Ben & Jerry’s and HH Global, have signed up to source “Next Generation Solutions” to fashion fibers through an initiative led by environmental nonprofit Canopy.

The companies have agreed to purchase more than half a million tonnes of next-generation fibers, which Canopy claims has a lower carbon footprint and a reduced biodiversity impact compared to traditional textile and packaging materials.

Canopy believes the announcement, made to coincide with COP27, will help the transition to nature-positive business models.

“We are thrilled to advance this commitment with forward-looking partners who are willing to challenge the status quo and in doing so provide a breakthrough for these game-changing technologies,” Canopy’s executive director and founder Nicole Rycroft said.

“This commitment will allow us to take a historic leap closer to the $64bn of investments in sustainable alternatives needed to ensure forest conservation for our planet’s climate and biodiversity stability.”

The investment will help build up to 20 new pulp mills for Next Generation materials, as well as providing farm communities with new markets to replace the common practices of burning straw residue and landfilling materials. Canopy claims it will prevent an estimated 2.2 million tonnes of CO2 emissions compared to the production of virgin forest fiber.

Canopy notes that less than one-third of the world’s largest companies have yet to make forest-based commitments. However, research suggests that at least 50% of the world’s forests need to be conserved by 2030 to meet the Paris Agreement’s 1.5C ambition.

The signatories have also committed to ensuring their respective supply chains are free of Ancient and Endangered Forests

“At H&M Group, we are committed to becoming a circular business, in which moving towards more sustainable alternatives for our materials is crucial. Canopy has showed true leadership by bringing the fashion and regenerated cellulosic industries together with the purpose of reducing fashion’s dependency on forests,” H&M’s environmental sustainability business expert Madelene Ericsson said.

“Innovative low-carbon solutions, such as regenerated cellulosic fibers from waste textiles, microbial cellulose or agricultural residues, will play a vital role to help us reduce our impact on climate and protect forests, so no ancient and endangered forests are put at risk to make fashion. These next generation solutions and collaborations like Canopy’s help us taking strong steps towards our goal for all our materials to be either recycled or sourced in a more sustainable way by 2030.”

Source edie

Google to help fashion brands map ESG supply chain risks

Posted on November 26, 2021November 26, 2021 by dishanth

Consumers are demanding more transparency about where their clothes are produced and under what conditions. With the average supply chain for a merino sweater spanning 28,000 kilometres, fashion brands have the colossal task of tracing a product’s history from field to shelf in a bid to clean-up the sector’s spotty environmental, social and governance (ESG) record.

In partnership with conservation group World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), fashion label Stella McCartney and non-profit The Textile Exchange, the search giant has developed the Google Impact Fibre Explorer, that it says will enable companies to identify the biggest risks associated with more than 20 fibre types in their supply chains, including synthetics.

Despite sustainability pledges, the fashion industry is failing to tackle its hefty carbon and environmental footprint and is on a trajectory that will far-exceed the pathway to mitigate climate change to align with the United Nation’s goal of keeping global temperatures from rising above 1.5°C since pre-industrial times, according to research by McKinsey, a consultancy.

The fashion industry is one of the largest contributors to the global climate and ecological crisis — accounting for up to 8 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

A large chunk of emissions could be avoided in its upstream operations with approximately 70 per cent of the industry’s greenhouse gas emissions stem from energy-intensive raw material production.

The Global Fibre Impact Explorer (GFIE) dashboard allows brands to upload their fibre portfolio data and get recommendations to reduce risk across key environmental categories. Image: The Keyword, Google

Environmental factors such as air pollution, biodiversity, climate and greenhouse gasses, forestry and water use are calculated to produce risk ratings. The tool will also provide brands with recommendations for targeted and regionally specific risk reduction activities including opportunities to work with farmers, producers and communities.

During a pilot phase, British fashion house Stella McCartney was able to identify cotton sources in Turkey that are facing water stress.

Brands such as Chanel, Nike and H&M are among the 130 companies that have pledged to halve their greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 under the renewed United Nations Fashion Charter announced last month during climate talks in Glasgow. Alongside updated commitments to cut emissions, the charter promises to reduce the environmental impact from the use of materials such as cotton, viscose, polyester, wool and leather.

The renewed agreement is more ambitious than a previous commitment in 2018 to cut emissions by a third. Nevertheless, the signatories represent a slither of the vast garment and footwear industry with fast-fashion brands such as BooHoo, Shein and ASOS notably missing from list.

The textiles sector also called for policy change to incentivise the use of “environmentally preferred” materials, such as organic cotton and recycled fibres earlier this month.

Consumers do not want to buy products made with forced labour…Without government regulations, many companies will continue to make choices based on profits not on rights.

Laura Murphy, professor of human rights and contemporary slavery, Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice

Improved data mapping tools should help to shed light on fashion’s murky supply chains. Many brands do not have reliable information on their upstream suppliers beyond the manufacturers they deal with. Data from cotton farms and spinners are rarely available on paper, let alone a digital format. Blind-spots are perpetuating environmental and social problems that have dogged the industry for decades.

Cotton supply, in particular, has come under the spotlight. China’s northwestern Xinjiang region, which produces a fifth of the world’s cotton, is where the Chinese government has allegedly committed grave human-rights violations against the largely Muslim population of Uyghurs and other minorities.

A new report published on 17 November by Sheffield Hallam University in the United Kingdom analysed supply chain connections identified through shipping records to show how cotton from the Uyghur region circumvents supply standards and import bans to end up in consumer wardrobes around the world.

In the report, Laundering Cotton: How Xinjiang Cotton is Obscured in International Supply Chains, Professor Laura Murphy and co-authors identify more than 50 contract garment suppliers – in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Vietnam, India, Pakistan, Kenya, Ethiopia, China and Mexico – that use the Xinjiang fabric and yarn in the clothes they make for leading brands, “thus obscuring the provenance of the cotton.”

“The benefits of such an export strategy may be clear: the end buyer is no longer directly involved in buying Xinjiang cotton,” the report said. “International brands and wholesalers can buy from factories in third countries that have few visible ties with Uyghur region-based companies.”

The researchers identified over 100 international retailers downstream of Xinjiang cotton, Murphy told media on a call on Friday. These include Levi Strauss, Lululemon, H&M, Marks & Spencer and Uniqlo, according to the report.

“Consumers do not want to buy products made with forced labour,” Murphy told Eco-Business. “We need our governments to insist that companies trace their supply chains back to the raw materials and make those findings public. Without government regulations, many companies will continue to make choices based on profits not on rights.”

Source Eco Business