Ecodesign in the Textile Sector - ecosign-project.eu

Ecoinnovation Skills for European Designers, Project number: 562573-EPP-1-2015-1-SI-EPPKA2-SSA.Disclaimer: The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible forany use which may be made of the information contained therein

Ecodesign in the Textile Sector

UNIT 01: UNIT 1 –MATERIALS: NATURAL AND MAN-MADE FIBERS

considerations on ecological aspects of raw textile materials

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2| Ecodesign in the Ecodesign in the Textile Sector, Unit 01: Natural an Man Made Fibres - considerations on ecological aspects of raw textile mate

NATURAL VS MAN MADE FIBERS

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Synthetic fibers are commonly seen as ‘bad’ and natural fibers as ‘good’

But it is not always trueMain factors that influence the Environmental Impacts are:• Sustainable raw materials• Biodegradability, • Production technologies, • Pollution,• Use of chemical agents,• Water, energy, soli and resources consumption

.Every fiber can have both good and bad environmental impacts

3| Ecodesign in the Textile Sector, Unit 01: Natural an Man Made Fibres - considerations on ecological aspects of raw textile mate

NATURAL FIBERS:COTTON

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Cotton is one of the most important fiber used in all the world.

In order to obtain 1 Kg of fiber, the traditional cultivation requires: 2100 liters of water 15 MJ Primary Energy DemandPesticide, fertilizers and other chemical

• The use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers is avoided • Natural methods are used to control pests• The toxicity of materials drops to zero• Water use reduced to 91%• Primary Energy Demand reduced to 62%

OGANIC COTTON


NATURAL FIBERS:WOOL

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Pesticides are used in the wool production, butthe applied quantities are less than for cotton cultivation.

Scouring produces an effluent (wool grease sludge) with high suspended-solids content and a high pollution index.

Waste water can be used as addictive for other production (lanoline, bricks ….)

More attention to animals careSome brands guarantee quality and respect for the environment

Some sheep rearing are focused on the production of superior quality wool (ex. Merinos, Cashmere…)

Wool is usually a secondary product of sheep farming


NATURAL FIBERS:SILK

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Selected mulberry trees require fertilizer and pesticides applications, although far less than cotton plants, as the worms are extremely sensitive to the fertilizers and pesticides.

Climate conditioning for the rearing of the silkworms increases energy consumption.

The wastewater is usually discharged to ground water acting as a low-level pollutant.

Not great information about the environmental effects of silk cultivation are available.

The surrounding environment influences on silkworm rearing

«Peace silk» is a «cruelty free» silk because it avoids killing the worms


NATURAL FIBERS:FLAX

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The cultivation of flax uses less agricultural chemicals than cotton cultivation, especially fertilizers and pesticides to control weeds.

Its cultivation takes place in temperate and humid climates, but it does not require extensive irrigation. Its overall environmental impact is lower than cotton one.

The highest environmental impact of the flax cultivation occurs during the maceration phase which can generate polluted wastewater, even if low impact techniques exist.

Bast fibres grow well on land unsuitable for food production and may help

recultivate soils polluted with contaminants such as heavy metals.

In some cases they can make cultivable highly polluted soils (ex. with high levels of heavy metals).

Bast fibers (or liberian fibers) can be grown in land not suitable for food production


BAST FIBERS: HEMP, BAMBOO, NETTLE

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It grows very rapidly, naturally smothering weeds and controlling pests.It improves the structure of the soil and prevent erosion; it has a high yield and it can be grown in cool climates without pesticides and fertilizers.

BAMBOO grows naturally without pesticides or fertilizers, the products are 100% biodegradable. Bamboo can be also used as raw material for viscose

NETTLE Herb is resistant and it does not need fertilizers; it requires low quantity of water. Its fibre is hollow and it can be spun with cotton and used in traditional fabric process

The Hemp cultivation is one of the crops with the lowest environmental impact

There are other Liberian fibers, each with its own characteristics

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MAN-MADE FIBERS PETROLEUM-BASED:GENERAL CONSIDERATION

The first issue concerns the fact that Petroleum is a non-renewable resource.

In general, the water consumption is much lower than natural fibers, while energy consumption is much higher

The polymers synthesis and production process takes place in a closed cycle, avoiding contamination with the external environment.

However, if the used agents were to be discharged directly into the environment there would be serious environmental damage.The risk concerns the contamination of groundwater and the emission of gases containing high amounts of heavy metals (cobalt), manganese salts, sodium bromide, antimony oxide and titanium dioxide.

The environmental issues of fibers petroleum Petroleum-based are quitecommon, with regard to the impacts and risks linked to the molecularsynthesis process.

Ecodesign in the Textile Sector, Unit 01: Natural an Man Made Fibres - considerations on ecological aspects of raw textile mate

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MAN-MADE FIBERS:POLYESTER, POLYAMIDE AND ACRYLIC

Polyester is the most widely used fiber in the world, mainly in clothing production.In order to obtain 1 Kg of Polyester fiber, the amount of energy consumed is 109 MJ:• The material product of 46 MJ,• Energy need for process is 63 MJ

To produce 1 Kg of polyamide fiber (used both for clothing and technical use), 150 MJof energy are required.The production cycle also emits nitric oxide emissions.

The acrylic fiber, which is generally mixed with Wool, consumes 140 MJ of equivalentenergy, and it requires more water than Polyester.

From the environmental point of view, the differences among the variousclasses of polymers are minimal, they are mainly linked to theconsumption of resources, energy and possible emissions of chemicalagents


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MAN-MADE FIBERS FROM OTHER SOURCES:VISCOSE

Viscose, and other similar fibers are formed by a process of cellulosedissolution, a subsequent re-polymerization and extrusion into continuousfilaments.

Cellulose is a natural polymer and can derive from different sources:• Cotton scraps from traditional textile processing• Forests (with high-yield plants) (Lyocell)• Scraps from wood processing (Lenpur) or other types, such as bamboo• Scraps of food production (ex. oranges) (Orange Fiber)

cellulose is defined as "Carbon Neutral" because the growth phase of the sourceabsorbs at least the same amount of carbon of the material itself. If it does not providewastewater treatment, the production process can have serious environmentalimpacts: the gaseous emissions include sulfur, nitrogen oxides, carbon disulfide andhydrogen sulfide; emissions in water have high levels of biodegradable substances,organic matter, nitrates, phosphates, iron, zinc, oils and fats.


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MAN-MADE FIBERS FROM RENEWABLE SOURCES:BIOPOLYMERS

POLYLACTIC ACID (PLA)

It is a biodegradable and bioactive thermoplastic polyester, derived from renewablecrops: corn starch, tapioca roots and biomassThe advantages compared to petroleum fibers are: energy savings, lower emissions inair and water and use of renewable resources.The negative aspects are: the replacement of food production in favor of theproduction of raw materials; gaseous emissions of methane due to intensiveagriculture.

SOYBEAN FIBERS (Soyobean)

It derives from regenerated proteins of natural origin: the two main sources areanimals (as from milk, fibre name casein) or vegetables (soybean).The Soy protein is a globular protein and it is spun by a wet spinning process, usingnon-toxic agents; furthermore, once the protein has been extracted, the waste can beused as a feed for breeding.The main impact of production is the same as the Lyocell and PLA.


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OTHE FIBRES:RECYCLED FIBRES

The recycled fibers are those with the lowest environmental impact

The most significant advantages are the low environmental impact, the lowconsumption of energy used in the processing processes, and the low use of chemicalproducts and, indirectly, by the reduction of consumption of virgin material and thetransfer of waste to landfill.

The two main processes are:

Mechanical process: open the fabric and broken it down into fibers that will be whenre-spun into new yarn, fabric or non-woven textiles which are reintroduced into thetraditional textile cycle to produce new yarns to be used in the weaving, knitting ornon-woven processes

Chemical process: some synthetic fibers (polyester and nylon), are dissolved andsubsequently re-polymerized into new threads. Quality is better than the mechanicalprocess, but energy consumption increases.

The topic of fiber recycling is discussed in Unit 08 of this course.Ecodesign in the Textile Sector, Unit 01: Natural an Man Made Fibres - considerations on ecological aspects of raw textile mate

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Ecodesign in the Textile Sector

UNIT 01: UNIT 1 –MATERIALS: NATURAL AND MAN-MADE FIBERS

considerations on ecological aspects of raw textile materials

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Ecodesign in the Textile Sector - ecosign-project.eu