Textile Sustainability Research Articles

Water Repellent Coating in Textile, Paper and Bioplastic Polymers: A Comprehensive Review

Water-repellent coatings are essential for enhancing the durability and sustainability of textiles, paper, and bioplastic polymers. Despite the growing use of sustainable materials, their inherent hydrophilicity presents significant challenges. This review explores advanced coating technologies to address these issues, focusing on their mechanisms, properties, and applications. By imparting water resistance and repellency, these coatings improve material performance and longevity. The environmental impact and limitations of current coatings are critically assessed, highlighting the need for sustainable solutions. This review identifies key trends and challenges, offering insights into developing water-resistant materials that align with environmental goals while meeting industry demands. Key focus areas include coating mechanisms, techniques, performance evaluation, applications, environmental impact assessment, and the development of sustainable coating solutions. This research contributes to the development of water-resistant materials that meet the demands of modern industries while minimizing environmental impact.

Sustainable Textile Manufacturing with Revolutionizing Textile Dyeing: Deep Learning-Based, for Energy Efficiency and Environmental-Impact Reduction, Pioneering Green Practices for a Sustainable Future

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.

Heterogeneous E‐Textiles: Materials, Manufacturing and Sustainability

AbstractElectronic textiles (e‐textiles) combine electronic functions (e.g., sensing, actuating, data processing) with textiles. E‐textiles are a platform technology with the potential for ubiquitous deployment in any application scenario where textiles can be found. E‐textiles have attracted significant research interests from materials and manufacturing process development to applications such as sports/fitness, healthcare, and workwear. While significant advances have been made in the research domain regarding the integration of electronic functionality, the technology is relatively immature and significant challenges remain in the manufacturing of commercialized e‐textile systems. This paper reviews the state of the art in e‐textile manufacturing including materials (e.g., yarns, inks), fabrication (e.g., weaving, knitting, printing), electronic integration and interconnections. This paper also reviews the key principles of textile sustainability and electronic waste (e‐wastemanagement, which provide useful guidance on e‐textile design and manufacturing to minimize their impact on the environment. Examples are given to demonstrate the early work toward sustainable e‐textiles. The remaining research challenges regarding scalable and sustainable manufacturing of e‐textiles are presented.

Exploring Sustainable Approaches for Electronic Textile Products and Prototypes.

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.

Can Turkey Be A Hub For Closed-Loop Systems In the Textile Industry for the EU?

The global textile industry, valued at $414 million, confronts substantial environmental challenges, contributing to waste, pollution, and greenhouse gases. This paper examines Turkey'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 Turkey 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 Turkey, 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 Turkey to enhance its capabilities to become a key ally for EU, exemplifying a transformative shift towards a sustainable textile industry.

SUSTAINABILITY IN TEXTILES: A CRITICAL REVIEW OF ECO – FRIENDLY PRACTICES AND MATERIALS

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.

Textile Sustainable Development Related to Culture: A Scientometric Approach

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.

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

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

A sustainable strategy for promoting the colour strength and ultraviolet/oxidation resistance of polylactic acid fabric integrating quercetin and food-grade ester

The combination of green chemicals with biodegradable polymers is highly encouraged to enhance the sustainability of textiles and their manufacturing process. Polylactic acid (PLA) is a promising biodegradable polymer to replace petroleum-based fibres and fabrics. However, to enhance the compatibility between PLA and bio-based dyes or finishes is still a challenging issue. This study achieves a simultaneous bio-colouration/finishing on PLA using quercetin, especially focusing on the adsorption enhancement with a food-grade methyl cinnamate (MC). Results show that the exhaustion of quercetin on PLA is significantly enhanced from 26% to 64% using MC. At similar concentrations, MC enables much better colour depth (K/S) improvement on PLA than synthetic n-amyl acetate. The factorial significance follows the order: MC concentration > quercetin concentration > temperature. Under the optimal condition (0.97 g/L quercetin, 3.0 g/L MC, at 103.5 oC), a theoretical highest K/S of 6.15 can be achieved. PLA treated with quercetin/MC displays much higher b* value than that of the PLA only treated with quercetin. MC also increases colour uniformity of the PLA treated with quercetin. Quercetin/MC efficiently decreases UVB and UVA transmittance of PLA and reaches the UPF 50 + rating. Around 98% of free radicals were scavenged by 10%owf quercetin/MC treated PLA in 30 min. The marginal tensile loss (<5%) of PLA after treatment is acceptable in wet processing. In all, the strengthened colour shade and functionality of PLA using MC stemms from the adsorption enhancement, which expands the applicable area of PLA.

Comparative Sustainability Assessment of Organic Versus Conventional Cotton Production

The global textile and clothing fabric industry is one of the top polluters annually, underscoring the need for sustainable production innovations (Bonou-zin et al., 2019). Traditional cotton cultivation frequently entails extensive water use and synthetic pesticide and fertilizer applications, leading to water pollution, soil erosion, biodiversity decline, and lasting impacts on ecosystems and human health (Bonou-zin et al., 2019). Despite growing consumer awareness of textile sustainability and advancements promoting organic cotton, its adoption remains notably lower than conventional cotton (Delate et al., 2021). Organic cotton, championing environmental, social, and economic sustainability, markedly reduces the environmental challenges linked with traditional methods (Delate et al., 2021). This review provides a comprehensive assessment of organic cotton, highlighting its advantages over conventional cotton across economic, environmental, and social sustainability dimensions, and anticipates future growth trends.

Implementation of Sustainability in Textile and Fashion Projects: Didactic Sequence Proposal

En las últimas décadas la industria textil ha sido responsable de generar importantes afectaciones socioambientales para las generaciones actuales y futuras; reconociendo que la humanidad se encuentra en un momento determinante para revertir las crisis planetarias y garantizar la vida digna en el planeta, este artículo propone transformar la inercia de la industria confiando en la educación. Tras una revisión de bibliografía especializada que parte de los siguiente ejes temáticos: crisis globales, sistemas de producción de la industria textil/moda y retos en la educación, se ha llegado a la creación de una secuencia didáctica para que los estudiantes incorporen la sustentabilidad al desarrollo de sus proyectos y así las futuras generaciones de diseñadores cuenten con habilidades adecuadas para la consolidación de una industria textil sustentable.

IDENTIFYING AND ANALYZING THE RISK FACTORS OF SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT IN TEXTILE SECTOR

Sustainable supply chain management is a management process that combines economic, social and environmental contribution and foresees making certain decisions and planning at every stage of the supply chain line. With the understanding of sustainable management style, companies keep environmental traceability in the foreground, provide necessary regulations, take important steps in social environment cooperation and achieve economic efficiency while doing all these. In addition to the economic investments required to make their supply chains more effective with a developing sustainability understanding, companies should also consider the risks that environmental and social factors may bring, taking into account the level of uncertainty in the future and their decisions. While the risk factor is accepted as the uncertainty associated with the occurrence of any event; on the other hand, risk management is strategically important in the planning of contingencies. Risk management in the supply chain is effective in identifying and analyzing risk factors in the economic and production cycle and in producing proactive solutions against risks. With the effect of the rapidly increasing population of the world, there is a significant increase in textile consumption. In this study, for risk assessment in sustainable supply chain management for the textile sector; covered under the main headings of supply, production, distribution, customer, reverse logistics and within the framework of economic, social and environmental subheadings. Potential risks are determined by reviewing the literature and taking opinions from textile sector employees. As a result of the study, it is aimed to develop a comprehensive framework for Sustainable Supply Chain Risk Management (SSCRM). Important strategies such as the ability to transform textile wastes into the raw materials of value-added products with appropriate technologies, which are included in the sustainability of textiles, are presented.

Chemical of concern for raising awareness to Indonesian textile sustainability

It is well known that textiles and textile products may contain hazardous compounds. Formally, all imported textiles and textile products must be registered through the Indonesian Custom. Ideally, the Indonesian Custom has the capability to detect chemicals of concern in textiles or textile products entering Indonesian territory. However, this is not the case, particularly for chemicals listed in the Stockholm Convention. The difficulties arise from the lack of identification regarding substances listed in the Stockholm Convention that might be present in textiles, textile products, and finished products. The Indonesian Government has initiated programs to assess the presence of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in Indonesian territory. Results of the assessment were elaborated in the National Implementation Plan Document on POPs, which was updated recently. Not all substances listed in the Stockholm Convention can be described in depth. Some POPs such as short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) and polychlorinated naphthalenes have not been included in Indonesian regulation, particularly in Indonesian Customs Tariff Book, making it extremely difficult to assess them. Nevertheless, a preliminary assessment of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and SCCPs has been carried out. Using the Tier 1 approach, it was revealed that 2,194 tonnes of SCCPs was imported from India to Indonesia, which was listed under HS code 38249090 that covered CP52 (containing 50–54% chlorinated paraffins). Furthermore, another prominent issue for chemicals of concern (CoC) in textiles was the use of lead-containing dyes, nonylphenols, and nonylphenol ethoxylates. The latter two compounds are known to be used in detergents and surfactants during textile manufacturing processes. At present, nonylphenols and nonylphenol ethoxylates are not listed in Indonesian laws for regulated chemicals in textiles and textile products, as well as in the wastewater quality standard for the textile industry. Therefore, to avoid circular economy obstacles of used textiles and textile products and support sustainable Indonesian textiles, a systematic inventory of CoC in textiles is very important.

Configurations of sustainability‐oriented textile partnerships

AbstractFirms configure their sustainability‐oriented partnerships differently depending on the sustainability issue, partnership types, and mechanisms (product, process, policy, and awareness raising) and target change at various levels (firm, industry, supply chain, and society). We study how sustainability‐oriented partnerships in the textile industry are configured by analyzing 444 partnerships using a mixed‐method approach. Textile firms partner to tackle environmental issues such as circularity, waste, and sustainable materials, utilizing product and process mechanisms and create firm‐level change. In contrast, these firms address social issues such as education and job development, labor and working conditions, poverty, and inequality through cross‐sector partnerships that target change beyond firm boundaries. We discuss these findings critically by drawing on and contributing to two literature areas: sustainability‐oriented partnerships that study partnership configurations and the sustainability in textiles. Our findings highlight the importance of issue and context specificity when partnering for sustainability.

Advancing life cycle sustainability of textiles through technological innovations

Advancing life cycle sustainability of textiles through technological innovations

Using LCA and Circularity Indicators to Measure the Sustainability of Textiles—Examples of Renewable and Non-Renewable Fibres

Reducing environmental impacts by increasing circularity is highly relevant to the textiles sector. Here, we examine results from life cycle assessment (LCA) and circularity indicators applied to renewable and non-renewable fibres to evaluate the synergies between the two approaches for improving sustainability assessment of textiles. Using LCA, impacts were quantified for sweaters made from fossil feedstock-derived and bio-based PET. These same sweaters were scored using four circularity indicators. Both sweaters showed similar fossil energy footprints, but the bio-PET raw material acquisition stage greenhouse gas, water and land occupation impacts were 1.9 to 60 times higher, leading to higher full life cycle impacts. These contrasts were principally determined by what raw material acquisition processes were considered outside the system boundary of the alternative feedstocks. Using circularity indicators, fossil-feedstock PET scored lowest (worst) because the feedstock was from a non-renewable source. These examples highlight the limitations of LCA: the renewability or non-renewability of raw materials is not fully considered, and contrasts in processes included within system boundaries can preclude equitable comparisons. For LCA to be suitable for quantifying sustainability, it should be complemented by circularity indicators capable of demonstrating the contrast between renewable and non-renewable raw materials, particularly in the case of textiles.

Developing textile sustainability education in the curriculum: pedagogical approaches to material innovation in fashion

ABSTRACT The textile industry needs to adopt environmentally sustainable approaches to address ecologically damaging practices. Whilst driven by initiatives such as Textiles 2030, it is current students who will carry this agenda forward. This project investigated pedagogical approaches to develop sustainable textiles for the fashion design curriculum. Pilot studies, using bacterial cellulose (BC) as a material for millinery, revealed members of the public were prepared to experiment with this novel material, and BC was compatible with traditional hat-making techniques. A further study challenged secondary school students, based on an experiential learning model, to grow their own BC biofilm, exploring this as a sustainable apparel fabric. Initial attitudes of reluctance developed into acceptance once engaged in the practical activity. This study illustrates that with appropriate communication and education strategies, the principles of sustainability in fashion, and the acceptability of novel materials, can be engendered in different audiences.

Optimizing Aluminum Oxyhydroxide Vapor Phase Infiltration for the Vapor Phase Mordanting of Natural Dyes to Polyester Fabrics

Industrial textile dyeing and finishing processes are a significant environmental concern producing large quantities of wastewater that require significant treatment to remove unused synthetic chemicals. Polyester fabrics in particular utilize high temperatures and chemical carrier agents in their dyeing processes. In this work, we present a method for attaching natural dye materials derived from madder root to polyethylene terephthalate fabrics via the introduction of aluminum oxyhydroxides through vapor phase infiltration. Vapor phase infiltration (VPI) is an emerging polymer modification technique that exposes a polymer to metalorganic precursors that diffuse into the polymer and become entrapped as inorganic clusters. The resulting hybrids have unique properties of both organic and inorganic materials. The VPI process has found significant use in modifying the properties of textile materials including their mechanical and optical properties. Here, without VPI treatment, the PET fabric cannot be dyed with this natural dye. This talk will discuss how controlling the inorganic loading of hybrid AlOx-PET fabrics infiltrated with trimethylaluminum (TMA) and co-reacted with water vapor at 80 ˚C and 140 ˚C can optimize fabrics for dyeability while minimizing impact on key fabric mechanical properties. At low temperatures (80 ˚C) the resulting hybrid contains inorganic clusters not strongly bound to the polymer chain while at high temperatures (140 ˚C) the inorganic is chemically bound via the carbonyl group. Inorganic loading was controlled by varying the dose pressure of TMA (moles of TMA) and fabric mass (moles of carbonyl functional group) during VPI and quantified using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The resulting hybrid AlOx-PET fabrics had various inorganic loadings from one weight percent aluminum oxyhydroxide to above twenty weight percent. The hybrid fabrics were then dyed with Alizarin (derived from madder root) and the dye absorbance was quantified with UV-Vis spectroscopy. At low inorganic loadings for both temperatures, the strength of color varied with inorganic content, but a steady-state absorbance was reached at around 1.8 percent inorganic loading. At these low inorganic loadings, the hybrid fabrics maintain key mechanical behaviors such as stiffness (as measured by drape) which is seen to increase significantly with additional inorganic loading. In addition to optimizing strength of color and fabric stiffness, the time to dye saturation was also explored by varying dye times and quantifying with UV-Vis. By exploring dye saturation curves for different inorganic loadings and infiltration temperatures, kinetic information was gathered to further optimize this dyeing process for industrialization. Overall, using VPI as a vapor phase mordanting process to fix natural dyes to PET fabrics illustrates the impact that even small quantities of the vapor deposited inorganic can create enough of a base for dye to adhere to, highlighting the practical use of these fabrics in the field of textile sustainability.

COVID-19 and sustainability in textile, apparel and fashion use: An assessment of trends

Apart from the many social and health problems it has caused, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a severe impact on most sectors of the economy worldwide. One of the areas where such impact is noticeable is the textile, apparel, and fashion (TAF) industry. The lockdowns and limited access to retailer outlets resulted in a considerable drop in consumption, creating problems related to the excess of stock, the decrease of sales, and the disposal of non-used items. This paper outlines the implications of the COVID-19 on the TAF sectors and European retailers. It analyzes how the current supply chains exacerbated stock control problems, and it reports on the changes in consumption during the pandemic. The worldwide restrictive measures implemented to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic were responsible for significant profit losses. Also, the decrease in consumption, caused by several geographically wide lockdowns, prompted a subsequent reduction in orders and sales, resulting in a significant number of constraints. The implementation of more environmentally friendly processes, including sustainable circularity as a competitiveness source to keep the TAF sectors in the loop and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, may help address the problems associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in the sustainability context, as reported in this paper.

Progress toward Circularity of Polyester and Cotton Textiles

Millions of tons of textile waste are landfilled or incinerated in the world every year due to insufficient recycle value streams and the complex composition of textile end products. The goal of this review is to highlight pathways for simplifying and separating textile wastes into valuable raw material streams that will promote their recovery and conversion to useful products. The discussion focuses on advances in sorting, separation, decolorization and conversion of polyester and cotton, the two most common textile fibers. Sorting processes are gaining automation using spectroscopic methods that detect chemical composition differences between materials to divide them into categories. Separation, through dissolving or degrading, makes it possible to deconstruct blended textiles and purify polymers, monomers and co-products. Waste cotton can produce high quality regenerated cellulose fibers, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) or biofuels. Waste polyester can produce colored yarns or can be chemically converted to its starting monomers for the recreation of virgin polymer as a complete closed loop. The current strategies for decolorization are presented. Life cycle assessment (LCA) studies found that recycling polyester/cotton blended fabrics for subsequent uses is more sustainable than incineration, and research on producing biomass-based poly-ester also offers feasible avenues for improving textile sustainability and promoting circular processing.