Sustainability Assessment of Cotton-Based Textile Wet Processing

Abstract

The textile and fashion industries account for a significant part of global business. Textile wet processing (TWP) is a crucial stage in textile manufacturing. It imparts aesthetics as well as functional appeal on the textile fabric and ultimate products. Nevertheless, it is considered as one of the most polluting industries and threatens sustainability. There have been different approaches to transform this polluting industry to a sustainable industry. Many researchers have found this challenging, as sustainable, eco-friendly, green or cleaner wet processing might not be always applicable and relevant from the perspective of industrial applications. The present work helps us understand the current state of research of cotton-based textile processes including proposed sustainable approaches. It also examines the achievement of the degree of sustainability of those proposed processes with the lens of the triple bottom line (TBL) framework, identifies existing limitations, and suggests future research scopes that might pave ways for young researchers to learn and undertake new experimental and theoretical research.

Mapping environmentally sustainable practices in textiles, apparel and fashion industries: a systematic literature review

“…Textile wet processing includes washing, dyeing and finishing. These processes are water, chemical and energy-intensive, require significant resource utilisation and generate high levels of air and water pollution (Kabir et al , 2019). Harmful dyes and chemicals used in production processes should be restricted, whilst harvesting rainwater, water-saving technologies, stewardship and reusing treated wastewater help to protect the water resource (Kabir et al , 2019).…”

“…These processes are water, chemical and energy-intensive, require significant resource utilisation and generate high levels of air and water pollution (Kabir et al , 2019). Harmful dyes and chemicals used in production processes should be restricted, whilst harvesting rainwater, water-saving technologies, stewardship and reusing treated wastewater help to protect the water resource (Kabir et al , 2019). Hussain and Wahab (2018) critically reviewed water conservation practices in textiles processing and classified conservation efforts into key categories of waste water treatment and reuse, machine innovations, material and process, advanced water analysis and water saving tools.…”

“…Manufacturers such as Arvindo, Vintage Denim and Denim International have produced eco-friendly denim with approximately 12.5% less water and 67.5% less chemical consumption by combining laser and ozone technology and using certified eco-friendly chemicals (Ozturk et al , 2016; Samanta et al , 2017). There is broad scope to adopt innovative technologies and practices in apparel washing and dyeing but firms with poor environmental performance may face technology adoption challenges due to their lack of awareness, technical knowledge and human resource skills (Kabir et al , 2019).…”

“…Growing awareness of the fashion industry's environmental footprint in terms of water and chemical use, carbon emissions and textile waste (Niinimäki et al , 2020), natural resource consumption (Hiller Connell and Kozar, 2017), use of toxic chemicals, waste generation (Shirvanimoghaddam et al , 2020), energy usage (Muthukumarana et al , 2018), carbon emissions and water pollution (Hossain et al , 2018) have focused international attention on sustainability issues in textile, apparel and fashion (TAF) industries (Kabir et al , 2019; Niinimäki et al , 2020). Significant environmental impacts occur in the multiple processes of fibre production, knitting, weaving, dyeing, sewing, printing, washing and finishing stages (Resta et al , 2016) and there is increasing pressure on brands, designers and manufacturers to implement sustainable practices into operations at various product life cycle stages (Khan and Islam, 2015; Choi and Li, 2015; Moretto et al , 2018) as well as more broadly into strategic management and marketing approaches (Binte Rab and Hoque, 2017; Nath et al , 2019).…”

The Bioprocessing Quick Wins from Avocado Fruit in Uganda

“…Both natural and synthetic dyes have been used. However, natural dyes are gaining an advantage over synthetic dyes since they are less-toxic, non-carcinogenic and biodegradable [50] [51] [52]. There is a growing need for eco-friendly, and less toxic coloring solutions [51].…”