Fiber traceability and its' importance

            The environment is impacted greatly by the apparel industry, mostly negatively. However, the apparel and textile industry is not all bad; it is one of the largest growing and changing industries in the world. As a designer, though, many factors need to be considered when choosing what items come in to the store. Factors to be considered relating to the environment include: the amount of greenhouse emissions that are polluting the air due to the production, how much water is used in the production process, can the item be recycled or is it biodegradable, how much energy is used during production, are there use of toxic-pesticides, and more. Those people associated with the textile and apparel industry must take these considerations in to account because the effect on the environment can be very damaging. As the Sustainable Fashion and Textiles book explains the pros and cons of a few natural fibers verse manufactured products.

            Natural fibers, like wool for example have many great attributes, however, despite popular belief, this fiber is not perfect. Wool is biodegradable, because it is made from materials like corn starch, therefore it will not end up in a landfill. Although, there is a downside to wool; farmers use a pesticide on sheep and that pesticide is extremely dangerous to the environment. While, there are alternatives, industries can insist on buying from factories with strict treatment protocols, which expel is use of pesticides. Silk has many of the same implications as wool. Another “great” natural fiber is cotton; cotton seems “great” because it is pure and comes from the earth. However this idea is very wrong; cotton, as the Sustainable Fashion and Textiles book explains, “reduces soil fertility, pollutes water, has pesticide-related problems including resistance, and causes severe health problems relating to exposure to acutely toxic pesticides” (Fletcher, 8). Due to the immense negative impacts on the environment by cotton, individuals in the textile and apparel industry have looked in to organic cotton and hemp for cotton alternatives. If consumers switch to organic cotton the “overall toxicity is reduced by [a massive] 93%” (Fletcher, 19).Nonetheless, there is a catch; there is a limited supply of organic cotton and the production process is slower and more costly than that of regular cultivated cotton.

            When looking at manufactured fibers, the same basic problems are brought up, biodegradability, water, and pesticide intensive, and the use of petrochemicals. Polyester is constantly brought up as a great alternative for cotton, however, although it is not water intensive, like cotton, it uses a massive amount of energy to produce, nearly twice the amount to be exact. An alternative is using fabrics that lack catalytic agents. Other manufactured textiles that damage the environment are nylon, viscose, and acrylic, which all release greenhouse gases into the air.

            So, as you can see, all fibers have pros and very bad cons, so choosing just one is difficult. Sustainable Fashion and Textile intelligently notes, that we, as textile consumers need to “focus on product lifecycles, which include cultivation, production, manufacturing, distribution, consumer laundering, reuse and final disposal” (Fletcher, 5). Further on, increases overall awareness of the fiber like where it came from, and how exactly it was made and needs to be cared for is very important information for not only the manufacturers, but also the retailers and even end consumers. Charline Ducas stresses the importance of, what she calls, “traceability”, which has the same idea.

            So, in conclusion, looking at a product in ‘tunnel vision’ has damaging consequences on not only you, as a designer, but on the environment as a whole. We, as fashion innovators must think about all aspects of an apparel item, from even before it is cultivated to how it gets to the store.

Fletcher, Kate (2008). Material Diversity. Sustainable Fashion and Textiles, 1-38.