TEXTILES.ORG
Textiles have typically been an industry with high energy consumption. In some circumstances it can be highly labor intensive and show lower productivity, depending on the level of modernization. The industry over the past many years has been addressing these issues, and it now has opportunities to be more climate friendly, while diversifying and increasing the production of functional textile products.
Climate supportive initiatives
The textile industry globally is a priority sector as it employs many people with both college degrees and technical qualifications. For example, in India the textile sector is the second largest employer next to agriculture, employing about 45 million people, while supporting the livelihood for over 110 million people—with a majority from rural areas. For this reason alone, it is important to have a viable and sustainable industry, which can progress.
Of necessity, the industry needs to focus on “the 3 E’s:” economic sustainability, environment sustainability and energy sustainability. Economic sustainability includes raw materials, manufacturing and human resources, all of which influence the overall sustainability of the industry. A balanced approach to the 3Es is vital to climate sustainability. Given the amount of data available, it is evident that the textile industry must prioritize areas that enable it to be sustainable and climate friendly.
The industry is addressing issues such as the use of renewable energy, using recycled raw materials, and skill enhancement. A report from the European Environment Agency notes that, from a consumption perspective, the textile sector has the third highest impact on water usage and fifth highest in raw materials consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
An historical perspective
Historically, the textile industry has been a pioneer in industrial evolution and growth, and therefore has made great contributions to society’s modernization. The backbone for this growth has been energy derived from coal and water. The use of these energy resources has improved living standards from an economic standpoint, but coal-fired plants are known to have a negative impact on climate and the health of the surrounding community.
Climate change, health concerns and regulations are some crucial reasons to look for renewable sources. In the textile sector particularly, value-added processes, such as dyeing, finishing and printing, are energy consuming. Also, electric power, steam and water are consumed in quantities which impact economics, as well as the environment.
These issues may be more proximate to the conventional textile sector than advanced textiles industry. However, using energy efficient processes, reducing energy consumption, and working on improving production are helpful for both conventional and more advanced textile sectors.
Energy and raw materials
Energy is key in potentially reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Reducing consumption and the types of energy sourced both need to be considered. Proper maintenance of energy transmission lines, avoiding leakages and using proper conduction will improve energy efficiency. Routine machinery maintenance, mechanical maintenance such as in gears and belts, and cooling transformers in oil are a few mechanical handling tasks that will help with energy efficiency.
In major textile manufacturing countries like India, coal-fired plants are common—and, as noted, they are not climate friendly. To increase margins, in the spinning sector awareness has grown about renewables. “Renewables helped to keep plants running when the demand was low,” says Velmurugan Shanmugam, general manager of Aruppukkottai, India-based Jayalakshmi Textiles. This company is a 100 percent cotton fine-yarn mill, which has its own power generation using wind and solar sources.
Captive consumption in their windmill enables them to save 3 rupees per 1 kWh, Velmurugan says. As a case in point, one unit (1 KWh) in the state of Tamil Nadu where the mill is situated costs 9 rupees, whereas power from renewables works out to be 6 rupees per unit of power. He agrees that the initial capital investment is high for establishing windmills, but proper utilization will enable a return on investment in six years, after which the power cost will be about 4 rupees per unit.
A comparable situation is possible for the textile sector in most countries where the power cost may be reduced by half, and it could also lead to lower GHG emissions. The results at Jayalakshmi Textiles show that a renewable energy source, like wind, increases margins by reducing the cost of production.
Next to energy use in manufacturing sectors, the raw materials used can directly impact climate change concerns. The textile industry uses natural fibers, synthetics and blends in developing products appropriate for different applications. Particularly in advanced textiles markets, as functionality is critical, synthetic fibers occupy a primary role. Raw materials producers understand this has an impact on the environment and are taking a multi-pronged approach to reduce GHG emissions.
Reduce, reuse, recycle
The 3Rs have been in practice in the manufacturing industry for some time. To realize the fullest potential of the 3Rs concept, logistics—including securing availability of recycled precursors—are getting streamlined with support from fiber producers, recyclers and brands. “In the textile ecosystem, circularity is relatively a new economy, and it has to be scaled up to create value,” says Prof. Brenden Kelly of the Dept. of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University.
A major issue has been that most post-consumer goods end up in landfills. Overflowing landfills are a burden on the economy and environment, and streamlined procedures are needed which will separate textiles from other products in an efficient manner. While there has been some success in this area, the bottleneck lies in categorizing textile waste, as well as removing toxic chemicals, such as PFAS.
The industry must take responsibility for sustainability and through its Corporate Social Responsibility processes mitigate climate change dangers. However, two key issues will influence the effective adaptation of the 3Rs: availability of resources and cost. At present, brands are leading efforts to promote sustainable practices in sourcing and manufacturing. A feasible supply chain of recycled textiles is one area that must be scaled up.
Another area that needs strengthening is promoting increased consumer awareness about a green economy. This could include programs for collecting used goods, and incentives for both consumers and vendors to participate in adopting the 3Rs.
Major textile groups like India-based textiles producer Vardhman Group, provide premium-to-quality cotton, and such practices have become commonplace in the fiber-to-fashion supply chain. PET bottle recycling and using it as precursor for melt-spinning into recycled fibers, has become more widespread. But the technical textiles industry has a long way to go in utilizing recycled fiber without compromising the functional aspects of its final products.
Technical textiles recycling
Because the advanced textiles sector is synthetic fiber-based, the cost of recycling and the environmental burden is higher than the natural fiber-based industry. Among the different sub-segments of the technical textiles sector, the defense textiles industry occupies a prominent place, and government must regularly spend on procuring antiballistic materials, flame-resistant materials and personal protective equipment (PPE). Functionality of these products is, of course, paramount.
The use of recycled materials in this sector is in its infancy. Quebec-based General Recycled is endeavoring to change this landscape by recycling flame-resistant meta- and para-aramids to develop products that can be used by oil and gas sectors, and the energy industry.
Highlighting the opportunities in recycling and reusing advanced textiles, Dave Kasper, vice president of sales at General Recycled says, “Some companies do not see value in recycling.” General Recycled has its manufacturing facility in Val-des-Sources in Quebec and uses renewable hydroelectric power, making the operation carbon neutral. The company’s operating philosophy is “closed loop,” enabling major multinationals to reduce their carbon footprints.
“Consumers know textiles end-up in landfills. They must be encouraged by incentives to reuse and recycle used textile goods,” says Prof. Kelly. The textile sector needs a “scalable circular economy” approach, he adds.
Learning from the natural fiber industry
To be economically viable, the natural fiber industry has been at the forefront in adopting climate friendly processes. U.S. Cotton Incorporated has been funding basic research and applied projects to look at best agronomic practices, such as efficient irrigation, fertilization and drought tolerance, as a way of mitigating global warming.
In agronomy, the manufacture and the application of nitrogen fertilizer impacts global warming. In the U.S., cotton production has been showing a downward trend in pound of CO2 per pound of fiber. According to Cotton Inc., a 4R concept has been adopted in fertilizer application: Right usage of chemicals, at the right rate, the right time, and in the right place.
In addition to reduced use of chemicals, positive climate supportive measures, such as increasing soil carbon and reducing overall energy in production, are all being adopted in the agriculture industry.
Sustainable production methods, such as supplemental irrigation and no-till practices, have been proven to reduce GHG emissions. According to Cotton Inc., if 20 percent of cotton producers globally practice a no-till method, GHG emissions reduction would be equivalent to removing 760,000 vehicles from the roads per year.
The natural fiber sector has invested time and money to streamline sustainability approaches. Given that the synthetic fiber sector is petroleum-based, energy reduction, as well as conserving chemicals and additives, can be followed—apart from recycling plastics.
Promising technologies
In textiles, a 3R approach can be adopted for energy use: the right energy source, at the right cost and the right level in order to reduce GHG emissions. In the technical textiles industry, in addition to reducing GHG emissions, at the final product level weight reduction can be attempted without affecting the final end-use and functionality.
As a case in point, the nonwovens industry has successfully brought down the GSM of layers in hygiene products to as low as 5-7 GSM. Such weight reductions reduce the cost of the product and reduce landfill burdens.
New processing technologies must be scaled up, which will support green manufacturing. Low pressure and atmospheric pressure plasmas offer tremendous advantages and are environmentally friendly, using less water and chemicals. Inert gases are predominantly used to generate plasma energy.
Another promising technology, which the electronics sector has successfully adapted to its advantage, is supercritical fluid processing. This technology, if scaled up, could help make the textiles sector more environmentally friendly. The garment textile finishing segment has started to realize the potential in this area.
Industry collaboration has enabled the launch of supercritical CO2 for waterless dyeing. India-based Arvind Ltd. has collaborated with Deven Supercriticals and H & M Group to bring the technology to production in Ahmedabad, India. They claim, in the case of garment dyeing, the waterless process provides 76 percent water savings and 67 percent energy reduction.
The advanced textiles industry should explore inorganic and natural compounds to functionalize and develop a new range of products, thereby reducing its dependence on petroleum-based formulations. This area has not been explored much and will be a game changer for the industry. In this regard, University of Liberec in the Czech Republic has been a pioneer, for example, exploring basalt rock particles for developing fibrous materials.
Government support
The U.S. government is supporting sustainability through major initiatives in some areas, such as reducing resources in manufacturing, and green manufacturing of chemical fertilizers. The funding has resulted in industry-institute consortiums, such as the Sustainable Manufacturing Innovation Alliance led by the Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, N.Y.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has supported a major initiative on a Nitrogen Circular Economy with the establishment of the Center for Advancing Sustainable and Distributed Fertilizer Production at Texas Tech University. In addition to conducting research, outreach and engagement is needed to support the manufacturing sector in taking advantage of such initiatives.
A unique program at this Center is a summer fellowship for schoolteachers to conduct research and support ongoing projects. As science teachers gain firsthand knowledge on projects in sustainable production, information can be relayed to middle school and high school students. Training young students in sustainable manufacturing will be a good initiative for moving manufacturing in a more environmentally conscientious direction.
Climate friendly manufacturing
Global geopolitical scenarios, availability of resources, global pollution, and an uncertain economy all demand that manufacturing needs to be advanced and agile. Additionally, 3Es need special attention, focusing on energy, economic and environmental sustainability.
The textiles industry has realized the need for balanced and strategic approaches toward sustainability. The advanced textile sector specifically has difficult challenges ahead to address all aspects of sustainability, due to its being heavily dependent on petroleum-based materials. However, there are opportunities for the industry to reduce GHG emissions.
The advanced textile sector can look to natural materials to develop products and formulations and explore biomimetic approaches. Processing technologies that are emerging and/or established in other disciplines, such as chemistry, physics and engineering, could be tailored for developing industrial textiles.
This sector is in a good position to be a pioneer by its active engagement with school students who will be a next-generation workforce. Such early engagement will lead to innovative ideas, which will benefit the industry in the future.
Dr. Seshadri Ramkumar is a professor in the Department of Environmental Toxicology and The Institute of Environmental and Human Health, Texas Tech University, and a regular contributor to Textile Technology Source.