Advancing life cycle sustainability of textiles through technological innovations

Abstract

Throughout their life cycle, textiles produce 5-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions and consume the second-largest amount of the world's water with polluting microplastics and chemical agents released to waterways. Here we examine the state-of-the-art technology developments meant to solve these problems in a cradle-to-grave fashion. We analyse their impacts with respect to the Sustainable Development Goals in the United Nations Agenda 2030, particularly those concerning the deployment of natural resources, energy and environmental impacts. We follow a systematic analytical framework that identifies and elucidates impactful technologies. We further discuss future directions along which the green transformation of textiles could be accelerated.Textile products have a global market valued at US$961.5 billion, with major sectors in apparel (~75%), technical textiles (~12%) and household goods (~9%) 1 . Approximately 90 billion articles of clothing, or 62 Mt, are manufactured and sold each year 2 . Apart from meeting essential clothing needs, the textile supplier chain provides ample employment opportunities, fuels economic and social developments, and improves well-being and life quality, especially in developing countries.The life cycle of textile and apparel products involves different stages and players because the product supply chain is long, highly branched and globalized, as shown in Fig. 1. The life cycle begins with making or harvesting raw materials for textile fibres, originating from plants, animals and petroleum, among other sources, thus involving the agriculture and chemical industries. Fibre production routes vary greatly, from harvesting from plants or animals to fibre forming through methods such as melt spinning, dry spinning and wet spinning. At the textile conversion stage, fibres or fibre blends are used to make yarns and fabrics with the desired tenacity, durability, colour, pattern and hand feel. Products such as garments require further processing to realize the final forms to be used by consumers. The distribution stage involves logistics, wholesalers and retailers. Product cleaning and care are normally conducted at home as laundry at the usage stage. The disposal stage has several branches; the used products may be sent to landfills or incinerators or alternatively recycled or reused. Since the suppliers of This is the Pre-Published Version.

Porous Conductive Textiles for Wearable Electronics

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