Sustainable Textile and Fashion Value Chains: Drivers, Concepts, Theories and Solutions
By André Matthes, Katja Beyer, Holger Cebulla, Marlen Gabriele Arnold and Anton Schumann
Contents
Part I Designing Sustainable Fibers and Fabrics
1 Manmade Cellulosic Fibers (MMCF)—A Historical Introduction and Existing Solutions to a More Sustainable Production . . . . . . . . 3
Simone Seisl and Reiner Hengstmann
2 Natural Recycled Super–Fibers: An Overview of a New Innovation to Recycle Cotton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Luke M. Haverhals
3 Circular Design as a Key Driver for Sustainability in Fashion and Textiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Jonna Haeggblom and Ina Budde
4 Cruelty-Free Silk and Guilt-Free Fashion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Chandra Prakash and André Matthes
Part II Sustainable Sourcing in the Textile and Fashion Value Chain
5 Buying Practices in the Textile and Fashion Industry: Past, Present and Future. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Lisa Koep, Jonathan Morris, Nina Dembski, and Edeltraud Guenther
6 Sustainable Chemistry—Path and Goal for a More Sustainable Textile Sector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Lisa Keßler and Klaus Kümmerer
7 Input-Oriented Chemicals Management Along the Textile Supply Chain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Thomas Schäfer and Maren Herter
Part III Sustainable Production in the Textile and Fashion Value Chain
8 Textile Industry Effluent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Wolfgang Höhn
9 Wastewater Treatment of a Denim Washing Plant by Using Waste Pumice Stones to Recycle Wastewater and Reuse . . . . . . . . 151
Cem Bağıran, Ayşegül Körlü, and Saadet Yapar
10 Greening the Blues—How Jeans Have Stood the Test of Time by Adapting Innovative, Forward-Thinking and Sustainable Production Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Marina Chahboune
Part IV Sustainable End-of-Life Concepts and Strategies in the Textile and Fashion Industry
11 Textile Waste Management and Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Yves-Simon Gloy, Bernd Gulich, and Marcel Hofmann
12 Achieving a Circular Textiles Economy Facilitated by Innovative Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Jane Turnbull, Katy Stevens, Pailak Mzikian, Matteo Bertele, Franco Cavadini, Maurizio Crippa, and Mattias Bodin
13 Consumer Engagement and Roles for Sustainable Textiles . . . . . . . 237
Minhaz Uddin Ahmed
Part V Sustainable Business Models and Communication Strategies
14 Labels in the Textile and Fashion Industry: Communicating Sustainability to Effect Sustainable Consumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Jonathan Morris, Lisa Koep, and Matthias Damert
15 Enhancing Fashion Sustainability Through a Data Systemic Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Paolo Marco Tamborrini, Cristina Marino, and Chiara Lorenza Remondino
16 Sustainable Fashion Through Circular Business Innovations: New Business Models Reduce Waste. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
Nicole Bassett
Part VI Behavioral and Societal Aspects in the Textile and Fashion Value Chain
17 Slow Fashion—Mindset and Acceptability Among Indian College
Students of Tamil Nadu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
Rathinamoorthy
18 Sustainable Development in Textile and Ready-Made Garment Sectors in Bangladesh and Innovation for Poor Population in Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
Abu Bakr Siddique, Hosne Ara Begum, and Dominic Berndt
19 Circular Approaches and Business Model Innovations for Social Sustainability in the Textile Industry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341
Katja Beyer and Marlen Gabriele Arnold
Part VII Sustainability and Systemic Approaches in the Global Textile and Fashion Industry
20 Circular Textiles: Building Business Case Scenarios Through Stakeholder Dialogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377
Nicholas Hall and Valérie Julie Boiten
21 The Circular Apparel Innovation Factory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
Karan Kumar, Stefanie Bauer, Pranav Khanna, and Divya Jagasia
22 Corporate Governance and Corporate Responsibility . . . . . . . . . . . 421
Pamela Ravasio
23 Sustainability and Digitalization in the Global Textile Value Chain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437
Anton Schumann, Lorenz Wied, and Marcus Krahl
About This Book
Part I—Designing Sustainable Fibres and Fabrics—focuses on material innovations as they will fundamentally change textile processes. With the advent of synthetic fibres in the 1960s, such a transformation process was already completed.
The new manufacturing technologies and the changed properties of the fibre material forced the manufacturers of all subsequent processes to make extensive adjustments in the textile formation processes and, above all, in the finishing and dyeing area. In the new millennium, the challenge now is to develop new materials and design fibre combinations in such a way that healthy, safe and recyclable textiles are created that allow circularity. At the same time, this requires a deeper understanding of the interdependencies.
In their study, Seisl and Hengstmann give an insight into the different man-made cellulosic fibres (MMCF) and especially their manufacturing processes. This fibre group currently represents one of the most promising sources of sustainable fibre materials produced from renewable raw materials. MMCF, such as viscose/rayon, lyocell and modal, but also cupro and acetate, are the second most important group of cellulose-based fibres after cotton. The pulp used for MMCF production, however, currently mostly comes from controversial or illegal sources and is converted into fibres in a water-, chemical- and energy-intensive, multi-stage process using highly toxic chemicals. The authors argue for more sustainable procurement of raw materials for pulping and more sustainable production processes for MMCF, including wastewater, solid waste and air emissions. It presents approaches on how alternative raw materials, textile waste before and after consumption, but also non-textile raw materials such as agricultural residues or even liquid manure are used to produce cellulose.
The second contribution by Haverhals shows how a young start-up from the USA with a revolutionary idea is taking the demands for global circularity a step further. The new manufacturing platform uses renewable natural resources— including recycled cotton—to produce durable textiles that are superior to established petroleum-based synthetic fibres because they feel good on the skin. Particularly noteworthy is the fact that the patented closed-loop manufacturing solution offers low unit costs. They thus facilitate a new circular flow economy that (re)uses natural, sustainably produced inputs at regional levels. NFW is currently building a new textile factory near Chicago to prove that circularity and regional textile recycling are possible.
The third article presents Haegbloom and Budde’s most important drivers for the creation of a systemic change towards a genuine recycling economy in the textile sector. The aim of their company is to create a clever, innovative and responsible system in which resources are kept in circulation at maximum value for as long as possible. Recycling requirements must be translated into design strategies and material decisions to ensure fibre-to-fibre recycling and waste design from the outset. In order to achieve real collaboration on system changes, there should be collaboration between all stakeholders involved in the fashion supply chain. The Circular.Fashion system connects material suppliers, designers and brands, consumers and recyclers to ensure that every step positively influences the circular fashion systems.
The chapter concludes with a short practice report on the production of non-violent silk by Prakash and Matthes. It shows how an enduring commitment to a structurally weak region can foster the creation of sustainable silk products for the European market, thereby improving the living conditions of the simplest farmers in India and at the same time preserving the natural metamorphosis process for silkworms.
Part II—Sustainable Sourcing in the Textile and Fashion Value Chain—encompasses three contributions. The textile and fashion industry features complex structures and globally interlinked supply chains with multiple players. The increasing competitive pressure associated with the fast fashion business model has led to unsustainable practices along the supply chain, resulting in negative environmental and social impacts. In recent years, pressure has increased on the industry to address these issues, particularly on retailers and apparel brands. As a result, sustainable procurement practices have become increasingly important in addressing sustainability issues; and thus, the purchasers of multinational retailers now take into account not only price, delivery time and quality, but are increasingly obliged to take social and environmental considerations into account in their decisions. In their study, Koep et al. give an overview of traditional and sustainable purchasing practices in the textile and clothing industry. Proposals will be made as to which additional elements should be taken into account. Thereby, the authors call for a more comprehensive approach to sustainable procurement in the textile industry.
While the textile sector is growing and producing more and more articles, the quantities and variety of chemicals used as building blocks or functionalized as products are also increasing. This development has more than ever a global dimension. On the one hand, it leads to socio-economic development in the Global South. On the other hand, these processes are accompanied by major sustainability challenges across different spatial and temporal dimensions. The importance of chemicals for the textile sector and the current approaches to chemical risk management are presented and discussed in the article by Keßler and Kümmerer. The authors illustrate the specific characteristics of the sector that represent the current sustainability challenges related to chemicals in textile production.
A particular emphasis is put on the concepts of green and sustainable chemistry, which open up new perspectives for the production, use and management of chemicals in the textile sector. The properties of green and sustainable chemistry and their specific application potential in the field of textile chemicals are described and highlighted. Moreover, various green and sustainable chemistry practices show the current efforts of the sector itself and of science to provide concrete examples on the one hand and starting points for further innovations on the other.
The quantity, nature and processing conditions of chemicals have a significant impact on environmental performance as well as on occupational and consumer safety. For this reason, chemicals management should be focused on the essentials and approached jointly and in a coordinated manner. The contribution by Schäfer and Herter examines the extent to which input-oriented chemicals management represents a solution for the highly complex and apparently impenetrable global textile supply chain. The relevant stakeholders—chemical suppliers, textile manufacturers and brands—are defined by their tasks and interactions within the supply chain. In addition, instruments for chemicals management and their effectiveness are explained. Those tools can range from compliance with legal requirements to voluntary measures such as testing and a system-oriented approach. In particular, the study defines the basic elements of a system-oriented approach by assigning responsibilities to stakeholders for the selection and use of textile chemicals.
A positive list of the analysed and evaluated textile chemicals is introduced as an efficient tool. It becomes clear that the concept of ‘product responsibility’ and its consistent implementation throughout the textile supply chain is the key to an increasingly sustainable textile production. All players in the supply chain must be prepared to tackle alternatives and pursue a chemical management strategy that goes hand in hand with chemical change management and encourages companies to think one step further, reconsider and above all not think in the short term.
Dyeing processes or wet processes, in general, determine the sustainability balance of a textile end product to a considerable extent due to the heavy use of synthetic chemicals. Almost 20% of global wastewater is produced by the fashion industry. A large proportion of this is still discharged unfiltered into rivers in the producing countries. In particular, the contamination of process water with substances that are more or less harmful to humans as well as to animals and plants increases the risk of secondary diseases among the people living there and the extinction of species.
Part III—Sustainable Production in the Textile and Fashion Value Chain— focuses, as a small excerpt from the various production processes, on the particularly ecologically critical dyeing processes and the resulting wastewater treatment techniques: firstly, in the form of a general overview of the prevailing processes, and secondly, as a scientific study of the effectiveness of sustainable innovation.
Thirdly, the developments towards sustainable jeans production are illustrated. Höhn provides a systematic overview of the methods for avoiding, minimizing, reusing and purifying may in the textile finishing industry in his contribution. The focus is set on the purification of dyestuff wastewater. The article excellently shows the current state of the art and represents a clear addition to the conventional methods based on generally accepted rules of technology. Methods are presented, which may be used on a pilot or even laboratory scale. Furthermore, the article summarizes the current wastewater situation and the legal situation in Germany dealing with the criteria for small and medium-sized enterprises as well as indirect and direct importing enterprises. The used processes or combination of processes depend on the respective operating and wastewater situation. For a tailor-made solution, the specific technical, economic, environmental and legal aspects must be taken into account. This is the only way to achieve the goal of minimized wastewater costs and even positive amortization by suitable wastewater specialists after a thorough operational analysis.