How sustainable fashion and science are joining forces
Sustainability is a major trend that is changing the landscape of the textiles market, with several companies pledging to focus on this in the very near future. In recent years sustainability has taken centre stage as one of the earth’s most pressing issues, and few industries have needed to look at themselves more closely than the fashion industry.
The way we currently design, manufacture and use textiles is wasteful and polluting to our planet. Large amounts of non-renewable resources are being extracted to produce clothes that are often used for only a short period of time, after which the materials are incinerated or sent to landfill. The industry also uses large amount of freshwater to process, dilute, dye and transport good, which results in releasing more and more wastewater and pollution into our oceans and rivers.
The textile manufacturing industry produces vast quantities of Wastewater, containing high levels of organic chemicals and colouring agencies, which have low biodegradability and high salinity. It comprises highly toxic chemicals and heavy metals, which are left untreated and discharged into the environment, causing severe contamination of surface and underground water.
Filling landfill with clothing and textiles costs the UK alone an estimated £82m annually, and fashion waste is predicted to cost the UK economy £4.48bn by 2050 unless recycling efforts are significantly improved. To combat the effects of waste from fast fashion, there is a need for an innovative system, to break down toxic components, including those used for dyeing clothing.
Rising freshwater demand is driving the recovery and recycling of wastewater and so water pollution arising from energy-intensive and high polluting industries, is expected to face stricter environmental regulations for industrial wastewater discharge.
17 partners will be supporting the Waste2Fresh campaign, to help combat climate change, pollution and the decline in biodiversity, which is a global priority. The need for fashion and science-based industries to join forces is stronger than ever, with collaboration between the two offering the opportunity to disrupt tomorrow’s fashion through materials innovation and enable a sustainable future.
Waste2Fresh will bring together leading textile manufacturing companies and relevant SMEs from across Europe, along with supporting Industry Innovation and Research & Technology Organizations to accelerate and de-risk the development of an innovative solution for addressing freshwater resource scarcity and industrial water pollution.
Waste2Fresh have an innovative solution which will integrate catalytic degradation approaches with highly selective separation and extraction techniques to deliver a closed loop cluster to ensure a near zero discharge. This encourages manufacturers to reduce their current usage of freshwater resources and considerably increases the recovery of water, energy and other resources including organics, salts, and heavy metals. The system will therefore increase resource and water efficiency and ultimately lead to considerable environmental gains weighted against RU and global environmental footprints.
Waste2Fresh understand that sustainability is a major trend that is changing the landscape of the textiles market, with a growing number of companies pledging an increased focus in this area. This high demand for sustainable fashion, is evident across both designer and high street brands. It is this which drives Waste2Fresh to spread their greener and environmentally friendly wastewater system into the market.
The Stella McCartney brand has a policy of never using leather in their products and supports the use of innovative and more sustainable materials for the manufacture of shoes and bags.
Luxury conglomerate Kering (owner of Alexander McQueen, Saint Laurent, Balenciaga and Gucci) have a Materials Innovation Lab that invests in identifying sustainable raw materials that meet the high standards of quality required by luxury goods and have eradicated PVC from 99.8% of their products while creating an extensive library of sustainable materials.
By 2030 H&M is aiming to use 100% recycled or other sustainably sourced materials, and by 2040 aims to have a net positive impact on the climate.
Social media is driving the demand for sustainable fashion further, as platforms such as Instagram and Twitter can engage and influence consumers, promoting a more sustainable lifestyle and increasing supply chain transparency and brand awareness. Waste2Fresh will be promoting its work on social platforms, to encourage a following of likeminded bodies who agree that something needs to change within the textile industry.
Although the textile industry shows great promise there are still a number of challenges to overcome to enable new technology to become mainstream across the manufacturing process. Waste2Fresh are hoping to lead the way and encourage manufacturers to implement this ground-breaking new system into their processes to ensure clean and resourceful organisations, to ensure for a more sustainable future