WORLD OCEAN DAY AND JUST HOW DOES THE TEXTILE INDUSTRY SHAPE UP? CURRENTLY POLLUTING 20% OF THE WORLDS WATER
“Across all industries and throughout the global manufacturing community, legacy production continues to pollute our precious water sources, regardless of where production resides, and we are all in some way accountable, even if only by consumption” - Debbie McKeegan CEO
World Ocean Day and How the Textile Industry shapes Up!
This week marked World Ocean Day, a worldwide event focussed on raising social and commercial awareness. Exposing the environmental impact that we are collectively making on the worlds oceans.
How does this have anything to do with Textiles you might ask?
Water is an essential component for Textile manufacturing, its consumed in high volumes across the world within traditional manufacturing supply routes. By 2030 its estimated that the fashion industry alone will consume 158 billion cubic metres of water per year. In China one third of the countries rivers are now classified as “too polluted for direct human contact”. From Fibre to Fabric water is utilised, to grow, harvest, clean, weave, prepare, dye, print and finish every single metre of cloth, and every item of clothing that we hang in our wardrobes, or decorate our homes with.
We all utilise textiles in our daily lives but have been ignorant of their true impact on the environment for too long.
Across all industries and throughout the global manufacturing community, legacy production continues to pollute our precious water sources, regardless of where production resides, and we are all in some way accountable, even if only by consumption.
The issues of over consumption, and the devastating realities of climate change have brought the facts into the worlds sphere of consciousness. Textiles are directly linked to pollution and climate change. If we want to have a Blue Planet we have to adopt sustainable technologies. We must act to protect our vital H20.
Water! A couple of interesting facts:
60% of the Human body is made up of water.
60% of all Clothes manufactured are made from Polyester derivatives.
How are they connected?
Read on >>
Let’s take a look at waste and the environmental damage inflicted at the end of a polyester garments use - Synthetic fabrics, which can take between 20-200 years to decompose slowly leach from landfill as they breakdown and drain into the ocean. As they do so, trillions of tiny micro beads, are released into the water table as these fabrics slowly degrade, every second of every day….and eventually the micro-beads become ingested by marine life, and then - Humans!
By example - Polyester is only one part of the problem. Cotton production it’s argued uses more water in its life-cycle than synthetic fibres, it takes 10,000 litres of water to make 1KG of cotton fabric alone, and let’s not get started on pesticides. Then factor in a myriad of onward production processes in every thread that we weave, print or sew…the cumulative impact of the Textile Industry is significant.
Second only to Energy and responsible for 20% of the worlds waste water, of which 8% comes directly from the traditional print industry alone.
I could go on but my point is that if we are to become truly sustainable we have to re-configure the beginning of the story. We have to reduce the use of water throughout the Textile supply chain, remove the toxins, and where we do use water, recirculate and clean up the effluent.
Innovations along the Digital Textile supply chain offer the potential for a sustainable future. From the certified Inks and Chemicals used in production, to the waterless green technologies for digital textile printing, the impact of Textiles on our environment can be reduced, and we can make a sustainable impact.
