Textile Industry

Current Issues

There are several sustainability issues facing the textiles industry, including:

1. Environmental sustainability: There is a great demand on water in the textiles industry for processes such as dyeing and finishing fabrics. Having enough water to manufacture textiles also requires a greater use of energy and creates environmental issues such as toxicity in contaminated water. Otherenvironmentalconcernsare:

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  Use of unsafe pesticides and chemicals
  
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  Animal welfare issues, from sourcing raw materials
  
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  Pollution through air and water transmission
  
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  Waste products ending up in landfills
  
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  Packaging that is not recyclable or biodegradable
  

2. Material sustainability: Companies like denim giant Levi Strauss are working toward sustainability throughout their manufacturing, including the use of sustainable fibers from which they can make garments. Levi's has started using recycled plastic to make their world-famous jeans. Theyandothercompaniescanalsoconsiderthefollowing:

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  Blending cotton with other fibers to reduce its environmental footprint.
  
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  Using hemp, which is durable and uses less water to produce.
  
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  Consideringsynthetic, eco-friendlyfibers
  
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  Seeking out recycled fibers or recycling their own