Sustainability in Textiles and Fashion: How Far Have We Come Since 2000?

Sustainability in textiles, focusing on eco-friendly practices and materials. The paper examines the multifaceted approaches adopted by the fashion industry to mitigate environmental impact and promote ethical production. It scrutinizes the adoption of eco-conscious practices, such as utilizing organic fibers, recycled materials, and innovative biodegradable textiles. Through an analytical lens, the review evaluates the efficacy of these eco-friendly measures in reducing the industry's carbon footprint, minimizing waste, and conserving natural resources. It delves into the challenges faced in the widespread adoption of sustainable practices, considering issues related to scalability, cost-effectiveness, and consumer adoption. Further more, the review assesses the social and ethical dimensions of sustainable fashion, emphasizing fair labor practices, supply chain transparency, and the empowerment of communities involved in textile production. Drawing upon a comprehensive analysis of scholarly articles, industry reports, and case studies, this review critically examines the progress, limitations, and future prospects of sustainability in fashion and textiles, providing insights for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers in advancing eco-friendly practices within the industry.

The purpose of this chapter is to explore the relationship between the Indian textile industry and sustainability. This chapter traces the evolution of the industry in India and its economic contribution. It highlights the emerging trend towards circularity. In this chapter, it is argued that the industry must adopt sustainable practices. The role of digital technology in promoting sustainability is emphasized. To become sustainable, technologies like data analytics, AI, and IOT will help in tracking carbon emissions. The chapter discusses government initiatives for sustainable transformation. It examines the challenges in implementing policies among small businesses. The final section discusses the future of sustainability in Indian textiles and digital transformation's potential to drive sustainable growth. Several actionable recommendations include importance of government support and consumer awareness in adopting sustainable practices. The chapter concludes with a call to action for collaboration among industry stakeholders, government and consumers for a sustainable future.

Current sustainability frameworks and tools to assess and track social and environmental impacts of textile and apparel (such as life cycle analysis) along the chain, although important, provide a narrow focus on metrics (such as a reduction in inputs) or on economic value. This paper proposes a tailored method which combines value chain thinking with qualitative value mapping techniques to identify what sustainable value means and to whom, who benefits both in and beyond the chain (such as wider society, the environment, local communities), as well as opportunities to create sustainable value in the future. Results from interviews with stakeholders of a single connected cotton value chain demonstrate that this approach can identify sustainable value propositions specific to different actors in the chain, temperature-test whether stakeholders are willing to pay a premium price for sustainability efforts, and identify novel sustainable value opportunities that disrupt the chain. In addition to extending knowledge around sustainability in the textile and apparel industry, our contribution also lies in the development of a tailored tool which can be adapted and used for other value chains.

As sustainability gains prominence in many spheres of life and disciplines of study, there is also a need to produce sustainable textiles, or ethical fabrics. Sustainability in textile design aims at producing fabrics or textiles that provide the greatest long-term benefits for all the users at any given time to sustain the textile design industry. This paper explores the need for sustainable approaches for sustainable textiles and materials in Kadoma, Zimbabwe. It also highlights the need to incorporate environmental, social and economic sustainability in textiles and the textile industry as they produce sustainable textiles. The paper also outlines the factors that affect sustainability in textile designing companies in Kadoma and explains how the textile industry can gain sustainability through the use of sustainable textile production and people-centred designing methods for each of the factors as they produce sustainable textiles. The paper ends by recommending sustainable textile design strategies for the textile design industry in Kadoma.

The sustainable development of textiles has been a notable concern for the textile industry and society in recent years. From green textiles and circular textiles to cultural textiles, academia has conducted many explorations. The problem of the connection between the cultural needs of increasingly educated consumers and the development of textiles has become increasingly prominent, which has also triggered many new social problems. This study aims to explore how culture promotes sustainability in textiles and can meet consumer demands. This study uses scientometric methods to conduct a thematic analysis of cultural factors in the development of textiles. From 2013 to 2023, the Web of Science and Scopus databases included a total of 306 articles related to the cultural factors in textiles. The results of this study are as follows: 40 main research keyword clusters appeared in the knowledge base, 6 research themes were identified, and a conceptual framework of culture in the development of textiles was constructed. At the same time, this study provides suggestions on how to better establish communication between textiles and culture. The results of this study will help textile practitioners better understand the current status, hot spots, and research trends of cultural sustainability in the textile industry while establishing closer connections with consumers.

Social sustainability, the social dimension of sustainable development goals (SDGs), is getting increasing attention in recent years. The issues of social sustainability are very challenging in the textile and clothing supply chain especially in emerging economies. This article proposes a modified fuzzy interpretive structural modelling (fuzzy ISM) for analysing the contextual relationships among the barriers of social sustainability. Twenty barriers are shortlisted based on review of literature and experts' opinion. The contextual relationships among the barriers are captured in form of linguistic ratings given by the experts. Using the modified fuzzy ISM method, an eight‐level hierarchical model is developed. The lack of consumer awareness is found to be the most important driving barrier. The other important driving barriers are lack of strict implementation of government laws and regulation, and lack of financial support from the Government and trade bodies. This study shows that the issues of social sustainability in the textile and clothing supply chain can be addressed by increasing consumer awareness, coercive pressure from the regulatory bodies, and financial aids and incentives to supply chain partners. This study contributes to the methodology by developing an improved interpretive model of decision making. The hierarchical and contextual relationships among the social sustainability barriers have been deciphered. The study also utilises organisational change management theory to address the barriers of adoption of social sustainability. Outcome of this research will be useful to frame strategies to implement social sustainability in textile and clothing supply chain.

From Fiber to Fashion: A Roadmap towards Sustainability in Textile and Apparel Industry

Lignin nanoparticles (LNPs) present a promising alternative owing to several beneficial characteristics as compared to conventional metal and other nanoparticles. They are cost‐effective, eco‐friendly, biocompatible, and biodegradable. This study aimed to synthesize and characterize LNP‐based antimicrobial and ultraviolet (UV) barrier textiles, alongside a novel antimicrobial UV‐barrier sunscreen formulation. LNPs were synthesized via acid precipitation, and the particle size and morphology characterized through scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The antimicrobial efficacy and UV shielding properties of the LNPs were quantitatively assessed using spectrophotometric methods. LNPs range from 70 nm to 200 nm as observed under SEM analysis and also showed the presence of LNPs on the cotton cloth. Both LNPs and LNPs containing cloth demonstrated antimicrobial properties against tested bacterial ( E. coli and P. aeruginosa) and fungal ( Aspergillus niger and Penicillium sp .) strains. LNPs demonstrate minimum inhibitory concentration of 1.5 mg/mL against E. coli . The distinctive properties of LNPs, specifically their antimicrobial, and UV barrier capabilities, position them as promising candidates for applications. Thus, LNPs offer eco‐friendly, UV‐protective, and antimicrobial properties, enhancing sustainability in textiles and also in skincare by providing natural antioxidants and UV shielding.

This research investigated the sustainability of textile garments with integrated electronics and their potential impact on the environment. The electronic textiles (E-textiles) sector is booming, with many advancements in E-textile product designs and construction methods having been made in recent years. Although there is a rapidly increasing interest in the reusability and sustainability of textiles, work towards E-textile sustainability requires further attention. Vastly different components are combined when constructing an electronic textile product, which makes it challenging at the end of the life of these products to dispose of them in a responsible way. In this study, a teardown analysis was conducted using a structured method, which first mapped out the interactions between each component of the product with the environment, followed by using Kuusk’s sustainable framework to analyze sustainable strategies. The research provides a unique contribution to transitioning sustainability theories into practical applications in the area of E-textiles, and the method proposed in this work can be employed in modifying electronics-embedded textiles to improve longevity and reduce the negative environmental impact. The work has highlighted key points of improvement that could be applied to a series of commercial E-textile garments, as well as a prototype E-textile device. Beyond this, the work provides a systematic approach for implementing new E-textile product designs that can evaluate overall product sustainability from the design stage to material selection, construction, and the planning of the commercial approaches of a product.

The textile industry, a substantial component of the global economy, holds significant importance due to its environmental impacts. Particularly, the use of water and chemicals during dyeing processes raises concerns in the context of climate change and environmental sustainability. Hence, it is crucial from both environmental and economic standpoints for textile factories to adopt green industry standards, particularly in their dyeing operations. Adapting to the green industry aims to reduce water and energy consumption in textile dyeing processes, minimize waste, and decrease the carbon footprint. This approach has become crucial in achieving sustainability in textiles following the signing of the Paris Climate Agreement. Important elements of this transformation include the reuse of washing waters used in the dyeing process, the recycling of wastewater, and the enhancement of energy efficiency through necessary methodological and equipment changes. This study analyzes the energy, labor, production, and consumption data since 2011 for a textile factories with four branches located in the Adana Organized Industrial Zone. Among these factories, the one designated as UT1, which has the highest average energy and water consumption compared to the other three branches, is selected. In recent years, the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies in predicting industrial processes has been increasingly observed. The data are analyzed using LSTM (Long Short-Term Memory) and ANN (Artificial Neural Networks) forecasting methods. Particularly, the LSTM algorithms, which provided the most accurate results, have enabled advanced forecasting of electricity consumption in dyeing processes for future years. In 2020, electricity consumption was recorded as 3,717,224 kWh and this consumption was reflected in the total energy cost as TRY 1,916,032. Electricity consumption accounts for 22.34% of total energy consumption, while the share of this energy type in the cost is 43.25%. In the light of these data, the MAPE value for energy consumption forecasts using the LSTM model was 0.45%, which shows that the model is able to forecast with high accuracy. As a result, a solar power plant was installed to optimize energy consumption, and in 2023 60% energy savings were achieved in summer and 25% in winter. The electricity consumption forecasting results have been an essential guide in planning strategic initiatives to enhance factory efficiency. Following improvement efforts aimed at reducing energy consumption and lowering the carbon footprint, significant optimizations in processes and layouts have been made at specific bottleneck points within the facility. These improvements have led to savings in labor, time, and space, and have reduced unit production costs.

Environmental Sustainability in Textile and Apparel Global Value Chain: Towards Achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Circular Economy Solutions for Sustainability in Textile and Silk Sector

Emerging design strategies in sustainable production and consumption of textiles and clothing

The global textile industry, valued at $414 million, confronts substantial environmental challenges, contributing to waste, pollution, and greenhouse gases. This paper examines Türkiye's potential to drive sustainability in textiles, exploring circular systems that minimize waste and promote eco-friendly practices. The paper consists of seven parts. After introduction, in the second part the importance of sustainability and circularity in textile industry is explained. Third part examines the Türkiye as a major textile player, and the challenges of textile recycling industry. Overwhelming obstacles like insufficient recycling infrastructure require industry initiatives, government regulations, and technological innovations. Following parts explains the main limitations of the textile recycling in EU and questions if Türkiye, with its production capabilities and recycling expertise, could be a key ally for EU to solve the obstacles of current textile recycling challenges. Recommendation and Conclusion parts offer a road map for Türkiye to enhance its capabilities to become a key ally for EU, exemplifying a transformative shift towards a sustainable textile industry.

Textile and apparel supply chains have emerged as environmentally unsustainable and pollution-causing, responsible for the depletion of resources and the fourth-largest cause of greenhouse gas emissions in the environment. With the hub of textile and apparel production centralized around developing economies, the supply chain faces several challenges, with organizations focusing on triple-bottom-line performance considering the social and environmental impact of the supply chains over and above their financial viability. Thus, seven critical requirements for an effective supply chain model to meet the triple bottom line are reduction in textile waste and emissions, reduction in energy intensity, maximum usage of renewable and sustainable energy resources, reuse and recycling of materials, measurement, and assessment of the impact of the supply chain on the ecosystem, standard measuring procedures evaluating the sustainability performance of an organization and environmental consciousness permeating the organizational culture.