ECO-FIBRES AND ECO-FRIENDLY TEXTILES

R.B.CHAVANDEPARTMENT OF TEXTILTECHNOLOGY

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

HAUZ-KHAS, NEW DELHI 110016

PRESENT CONCEPTPOLLUTERS MUST PAY

CRADLE TO GRAVE NOT ONLY FINAL PRODUCT BE ECO FRIENDLYRAW MATERIALS, PRODUCTION PROCESSES, PACKAGING, ECO FRENDLY EVEN AFTER DIPOSALMEET EMS 14000 AND SAS 1800 STANDARDSECO FRIENDLY PRODUCTS INDENTIFIED BY ECO LABLESWOMB TO TOMB

•GREEN MINDED CONSUMER PREFER ECO PRODUCTS EVEN AT HIGH COST

THREE ECOLOGIES

•PRODDUCTION ECOLOGY

•USER ECOLOGY

•DISPOSAL ECOLOGY

USER ECOLOGY

•USER ECOLOGY REFERS TO

• AESTHETICS

•PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS

•EFFECTS OF TEXTILES ON HUMAN BODY.

DISPOSAL ECOLOGY

DISPOSAL OF TEXTILES AFTER USE

RECYCLING,

COMPOSTING,

DUMPING,

INCINERATION

LEAST POSSIBLE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT .

PRODUCTION ECOLOGY

COMPRISES OF

•CULTIVATION AND HARVESTING OF NATURAL FIBRES

•THE MANUFACTURE OF REGENERATED AND SYNTHETIC FIBRES

• SPINNING, WEAVING, KNITTING

•TEXTILE CHEMICAL PROCESSING

•GARMENT MANUFACTURE

•PACKING

ECO FIBRES

–CONVENTIONAL COTTON–CONVENTIONAL COTTON IS NOT ECO

FRIENDLY– USE OF FERTILIZERS, PESTICIDES AND

VARIOUS CROPS RELATED CHEMICALS DURING COTTON CULTIVATION.

–INHALATION DURING HANDLING AND SPRAY APPLICATION-HEALTH HAZARDS

–PRESENCE OF THESE CHEMICALS AS RESIDUE ON COTTON BOLLS

–WASHED AWAY DURING PREPARATORY PROCESSES

–WATER POLLUTION

Major Cotton Pesticides and Herbicides

Chemical Name

Agri. Use Long Term Toxicity

Environ. Toxicity

Chlorpynfos Insects Brain and fetal damage, impotence, sterility.

Bees, birds, crustaceans,&mollu

sks

Cyanazine Weeds Birth defects,

cancer. Bees, birds, crustaceans, & fish.

Dicofol Mites, insecticide.

Cancer, reproductive damage, tumors

Aquatic insects, birds, & fish

Ethephon Plant growth regulator

Mutations. Birds, bees, crustaceans, & fish.

PESTICIDES – HEALTH HAZARDSSOME FACTS(US Study)

• Number of pesticides in the market 400

• Major source of ground water contamination• Number of different pesticides documented by

the E.P.A. to be present in groundwater 74

• Pesticide-related illnesses among farm workers in U.S.A. each year: approximately 300,000

• Harmful impact on birds, aquatic life and soil fertility

Pesticides in developing countries

• Developing countries are the fastest growing pesticide markets, where health and environmental regulations are extremely limited, and a great deal of the poisonings take place.

A young Mexican girl

drinking water from an

empty pesticide

container.

This picture strongly

demonstrates the lack

of education about the

dangers of pesticides in

rural areas of the

developing world.

KING COTTON

COTTON BUD

COTTON

FLOWER

It takes one pound of chemical fertilizers and pesticides to

conventionally grow the three pounds of cotton needed to

make a T-shirt and a pair of jeans.

beneath cotton's natural fiber lies a long chain of chemically-intensive,

"unnatural" processes. 

To bring this delicate plant to harvest, it is heavily sprayed - 8 to 10 times a

season - with pesticides so poisonous

they gradually render fields barren.  And that's just the beginning. 

To create finished goods, fabrics are often colored with toxic dyes and

finished with formaldehyde.  

Need for organic cotton

So much is made of the economic advantages of pesticides by chemical

companies interested in sales But little is said of the hidden costs, the contamination of soil and ground water,

as well as the negative effects on farmers, farm workers and wildlife.

Organic agriculture offers the choice to

Because the hidden costs of conventional agriculture will eventually surface

COTTON CULTIVATED WITHOUT USING

FERTILIZERS PESTICIDES AND OTHER CHEMICALS

(ORGANIC FARMING) RESIDUE OF THESE CHEMICALS REMOVED DURING

FIRST TWO SEASONS OF CULTIVATION COTTON FROM THIRD SEASON ONWARDS IS ECO

FRIENDLY INDENTIFIED BY LOGOS ORGANIC COTTON GREEN COTTON NATURAL COTTON

ECO FRIENDLY COTTON

ORGANIC COTTON CULTIVATION

CLEANER APPROACH•Organic farmers use biologically-based rather than chemically-

dependent growing systems to raise crops.

Soil •Organic farming starts with the soil. Compost, frequent crop rotations and cover crop strategies replace synthetic fertilizers to keep the soil healthy and productive. Fields must be free of synthetically-derived

chemicals for three years to achieve organic certification.

Weed Control •Weeds are controlled by innovative farm machinery, hand labor or

flame devices rather than herbicide applications.

Organic cotton certification

INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION FOR ORGANIC AGRICULTURE MOVEMENT [IFOAM]

has formulated standards and guidelines for

organic cotton cultivation and are

followed by many labelling agencies to certify

organic cotton and other farm produce.

BioFach América Latina Development of organic markets

The domestic markets for organic food in Latin America are presenting strong development. Brazil's 50% annual rate growth is an example of this promising market.

Brazilian Minister of Agriculture Roberto Rodrigues installs the “Sectorial Chamber for the Organic Agriculture Production Chain” .

March 15, 2004 was the date on which the “Sectorial Chamber for the Organic Agriculture Production Chain” was installed.  According to Minister Rodrigues, “organic agriculture in Brazil is a sector, not only a production chain”.

2003 BioFach Conference in Brazil surpassed all expectations!

The 2003 Biofach Conference, held on September 25 and 26, at Hotel Glória, Rio de Janeiro, surpassed all expectations. 600 people were expected but a total of 1,200 attended the event!

WHY ORGANIC FARMINGLarge retailers are profitably marketing garments made of organic cotton

Consumer preference for environment friendly products

Forthcoming regulations to ban toxic agriculture chemicals

Environment leadership to gain market advantages

Cleaner approach : Each T-shirt made from organic cotton saves one third of pound of harmful synthetic fertilizers and farm chemicals

Future generation: Our farming and manufacturing methods can no longer compromise the environment we pass on to our children and grandchildren

Organic cotton body wear

Organic cotton apparel

Earth Friendly Fashions

Simplify Life, Relax Your Mind, Calm Your Soul, Open Your Heart.

Experience Fisher Henney Naturals

Organic T shirtorganic sweat

shirtorgnic terry robe

Organic fashion wear

Organic night gown

Organic slippers

Organic cotton apparels

World Organic Cotton Production 1992-1997 (in tons)

Country 1992 1993

1994 1995

1996 1997

Argentina 2 120 126 132 70

Australia 479 500 750 400 500 400

Benin 5

Brazil 2 9 1 5 5

Egypt 38 141 598 600 650 630

Greece 450 500 475 400

India 206 268 398 928 900 900

World Organic Cotton Production 1992-1997 (in tons)

Country 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997

Israel 100 100 50

Mozambique 90 90 50

Nicaragua 16 20 20 20

Paraguay 100 75 50 50 50

Peru' 400 700 924 1516 1500 650

Turkey 2 20 30

Tanzania 33 100 100 200

World Organic Cotton Production 1992-1997 (in tons)

Country1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997

Uganda 16 150 250 300 800

USA 2155 4274 5365 7425 3396 2852

Zambia 35 30 30

Zimbabway 5

Total 3408 6201 9498 12864 9028 7967

NATURALLY COLOURED COTTON

COTTON THAT GROWS WITH NATURAL COLOURS DURING CULTIVATION

BOTH WHITE AND COLOURED COTTONS KNOWN SINCE TIME IMEMORIAL

IN INDIA

NON POPULARITY OF COLOURED COTTON

LOW YIELD

SEED AVAILABILITY

LOW FINENESS, LOW STAPLE LENGTH

LOW STRENGTH

POOR SPINNABILITY

LOW YARN AND FABRIC QUALITY

LIMITED COLOUR RANGE

CONTAMINATION OF WHITE COTTON

ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION WAVE

IMPETUS TO THE CULTIVATION OF NATURALLY COLOURED COTTON

SHADES

PISTA GREEN AND ALMOND BROWN MOST COMMON

OTHER SHADES

CREAM

PINK

MAUVE

COUNTRIES

INDIA

USA

ISRAEL

CHINAPERU

MEANS TO OVERCOME TECHNICAL PROBLEMS

LOW STRENGTH AND POOR SPINNABILITY

BLENDING 30-50% OF WHITE COTTON WITH COLOURED COTTON

CHANGE OF SHADE ON LAUNDERING

ON LAUNDERING SHADE BECOMES DEEPER

ALKALINE SCOURING STABILIZES THE SHADE CHANGE

POOR BLEACHING FASTNESS

DO NOT BLEACH

Rocklea spinning Mills in collaboration with Australian farmers introduced range of yarns from brown and green

varieties of cotton

Blending of coloured cotton with white cotton in diffferent proporations produce shade

varieties

Australia

NATIVE COLOUR COTTON PROJECT

PERU

•COMMENCED IN 1984 TO DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY TO SUPPORT

INDIGENOUS FARMERS AND TRADITIONAL ARTISANS

•15000 FARDMERS CULTIVATE COLOURED COTTON

•50000 WOMEN INVOLVED IN TRADITIONAL HAND SPINNING AND

HAND WEAVING•COLOURED COTTON IS PRODUCED WITHOUT THE USE OF SYNTHETIC

FERTILIZERS AND PESTICIDES•COTTON PLANT GROWS UP TO 5

METERS HIGHYIELD 10 KG PER PLANT

•REMARKABLY RESISTANT TO PEST AND DISEASES

•THRIVES IN MARGINAL SOILS WITH LITTLE OR NO RAIN FALL

SIX PRINCIPLE COLOUR

VARIETIES

CREAM

Pista green

MEDIUM BROWN

REDDISH BROWN

CHOCOLATE BROWN

MAUVE

Brown verities possess anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties

COFFEE FILTERS MADE FROM CERTIFIED ORGANIC COLOURED COTTON FREE FROM

PESTIFCIDES, BLEACHES ANDSYNTHETIC COLOURS

Natural coloured yarns and fabrics are certified by SKAL, Dutch certifying agency

Slivers of coloured cotton

Naturally coloured yarn for Kniting and Weaving

Coloured cotton fabrics

Sally Fox in 1982 took on the challenge of improving an ancient agricultural art.

Fox successfully bred and marketed varieties of naturally coloured cotton she calls FoxFiber ®.

Today, Sally Fox designs fabrics with her cotton and continues research.

Fox has received a patent and three Plant Variety Protection Certificates for her naturally colored cottons which, in addition to browns, she now grows in reds and greens.

Her invention has been so popular it has sprouted two successful companies -- Vreseis, Ltd. and Natural Cotton Colours, both operating in Arizona.

Sally Fox is associted with Athena Mills Arizona

Athena Mills is recognized as a leader for two environmentally descriptive trademarks - Colorganic® and Colour-By-Nature®.

Both marks ensure the final product's color is from naturally colored cotton.

Colorganic additionally ensures certified organic growing practices for all of the cotton fibers in the final product.

Fox Fibre offers consumers an ecological alternative in cotton: today's purchase for tomorrow's environment

ECO LABELS

Eco-labels are product labels that

inform consumers about the environmental impact of a

product. They encourage producers to switch to environmentally sound production

process methods (PPMs) for advantage in the marketplace. Eco-labels allow producers to

differentiate their products from products that are less

environmentally friendly and

thus to reach environmentally conscious consumers. 

ECO LABEL CRITERIA

ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLINESS OF THE ENTIRE LIFE CYCLE OF THE PRODUCT

CRADLE TO GRAVE ASSESSMENT

1. Production of raw materials

2. Production of the end product

3. Packaging and transport of raw

materials and the finished product

4. Use of the product by companies and

consumers

5. Disposal of the product

e.g. assessment of a T-shirt starts in the

cotton field and ends in the incineration

plant.

ECO LABEL CRITERIA

•As little use as possible of chemical substances harmful to the environment

•No or very few heavy metals in the product

•Energy conservation during production and use

•The lowest possible amounts of harmful

substances in wastewater

•Requirements which ensure that the product works well and will last long

Opportunities for recycling/reuse

•The product should be as unproblematic as

possible in terms of waste

POTENTIALLY HARMFUL SUBSTANCES

pH

Formaldehyde

Heavy metals (As, Pb, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Ni,

Hg)

Pesticides Chlorinated phenols

Dyestuffs (specific classifications)

Chlorinated organic carriers

Boicidal finishes

Flame retardent finishes

Colour fastness

Emission of volatiles

Odours

Republic of China–TaiwanGreen Mark

Thailand (Thai Green Label

Korea Environmental

Labelling

Japan Eco Mark

India Eco MarkAustralia/New Zealand Environmental ChoiceEuropean Union Eco-label “Flower”

scheme

Nordic Countries (Nordic Swan )

Austrian Eco-label

Croatia (Environmental Label)

Netherland Ecolabel Foundation

From Timber to Wood pulp

Lyocell manufacturing

process

Lyocell: Environment friendly award

Polyester from Corn

Biodegrabiligy of Corn fibre