This article is written by Shatarupa Majumdar.
Introduction
Sustainable development is the pathway to the future we want for all. It offers a framework to generate economic growth achieve social justice, exercise environmental stewardship, and strengthen governance.
Sustainability in the textile sector is all about reducing environmental impacts, improving working conditions, supply chain ethics, and sustainable product designs. The main motto of sustainable development is to focus mainly on development that doesn’t compromise with the environment.
As of textile industries are concerned they release a lot of effluent including chemicals and treated water thus may have an impact on the environment. Thus in order to reduce the impact on the environment we need to treat the materials before releasing them to the environment. Moreover, the leftover materials can also be reused in any of the usable forms thus stepping more towards sustainability.
The cleaner production methods not only help in bringing environmental gains but also improve the economic goals.
The textile industry in general is highly responsible for a huge volume of chemically treated water, as well as the disposal of toxic metals in the soil, the air, and the water. Thus sustainable development aims to reduce these major causes to reduce the impact on the environment.
Starting with the chemically treated water, before releasing the water into the environment should be cleaned and treated to release harmful chemicals from the same. The toxic metals shouldn’t be openly dumped into the soil and there should also be filters for the releasing of the smoke. Not only the outer environment but the inner environment that is inside the Industry should be set of filters for the gases the chemicals release specifically in the chemical processing areas.
Recent conferences state sustainable development as the expansion that meets the current needs without impairing the potential of future generations.
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Three major pillars of sustainability
Sustainability can be classified into 3 major parts and they are –
- Environment
- Economy
- Society
They are also in other words referred to as Profit, People, and the Planet.
These categories help way long for the companies and brands to take measures and hence work accordingly.
Now let me explain each of these in a bit more detail.
Environmental sustainability:
When we talk about environmental sustainability the first question that arises is what this environmental sustainability basically is.
So environmental sustainability states that humans should use as much as natural resources as nature can replenish. This category is one of the most important ones. Thus manufacturing units all over the world are now focusing on this category to work upon and are trying hard to reduce the carbon footprint, packaging waste, water usage, and their overall effect on the environment. Renewable source utilization not only helps in improving this but also helps in reducing the overall expenditure of the production house.
Social sustainability
Coming to the next, Social sustainability is a noble term and encompasses the support and approval of its employees, stakeholders, and the community as a whole it increases the total ethics and internal morale and employee engagement, improving management and unlocking new opportunities.
Economic Sustainability
The last category that is talked about is Economic Sustainability. Now this category ensures economic sustainability in practice that supports long-term economic growth, without hampering social, environmental, and cultural aspects of the community. This sustainability also includes the risk management factors in concern.
Sustainability in Textile Manufacturing
Sustainable textile means the production process that will be environmentally friendly in all regards starting with the materials and to the processes as well. The inputs and the output on the other hand should be safe for the people and the environment in all the stages of production.
It may include renewable and recycled sources that not only help to reduce the negative impacts towards the environment but also support a lot of workers to earn fairly globally also contributing towards economic and social sustainability.
Major challenges of implementing sustainability in the textile industry
The main challenges of sustainability in the textile industry are –
#1. There has been an over-exploitation of natural resources over the last few years. Hence the textile industry is leading to decreasing natural resources. Thus we should use the resources judicially.
#2. Chemicals used in the Textile Industry have an alarming effect on water pollution which is a major cause of water scarcity now and in the near future.
#3. Textile manufacturing plants consume a huge amount of fossil fuels during their wet treatment as a result it not only leads to their over-exhaustion but also leads to the high carbon dioxide release thus increasing global warming in the world.
So it’s our moral responsibility to overcome these challenges and hence move more towards sustainability.
How these challenges could be resolved are as follows –
#1. There should be judicial use of natural resources and hence we can switch to other sources that will neither over-exploit the natural resources nor affect the environment and hence will help us to move more towards sustainability.
#2. The chemicals used in Textile Industries can be chosen such that they are more bio-based resources and also these chemicals shouldn’t directly be released and mixed with the water bodies in any form. In other words, the chemically treated water shouldn’t be released into the environment directly but should be well treated before its disposal.
#3. Textile manufacturing plants can switch to better renewable sources rather than using fossil fuels. This move will not only help in improving environmental sustainability but also will have greater impacts on economic sustainability.
The measures maintained above will not only improve sustainability but will have further gains towards production and impacts on the environment. Here are some ideas for souring sustainable fabrics.
Conclusion
In this article, we learned about Sustainable Development in Textile Industry starting with the major pillars of sustainability followed by (1) sustainability in textiles and (2) the challenges faced in the textile industry concerning sustainability.
We have further learned about how to overcome the challenges and hence bring about the changes to improve sustainability thus leading to the overall development of the company.
About the Author: Shatarupa Majumdar is an avid learner and aspiring professional in the realm of textile technology. She is committed to contributing innovative solutions and pushing the boundaries of this ever-evolving industry. With a profound interest in the intricate world of textiles, she is dedicated to exploring the diverse facets of this field, aiming to combine technological advancements with creativity.