- Many companies in the textile industry innovate to lower their environmental footprint and improve their income. Ikea and Nike are amongst those that aim to reduce water consumption.
- The current demand on product sustainability pushes brands to explore circular economy.
- Reusing and recycling are concepts that are gaining momentum. Hence, the entire industry is going for sustainable models from the very start of the production cycle.
Keywords: sustainable fashion, textile industry, innovation, sustainability.
VIPO GROUP
It is important to know how sustainability is having an impact on how the world produces and consumes. About 16 million tons of residues are generated in Europe alone within the textile industry. The worrying matter is that most of them ends up incinerated or in landfills, yet they could have a different use.
Companies such as Resyntex, which recycles close to 100 tons of textile residue every year, show that sustainability is possible. Present in 10 countries, Resyntex focuses on a circular economy model, which is based on the three Rs: reducing, reusing and recycling.
Hence, Resyntex applies chemical and industrial processes to the textile residue to deliver new materials. Afterwards, said materials are used to create bonding agents for wood and cellulose fibers involved in the production of bio-ethanol. Furthermore, polyamide and polyester (PET) are used in the production of plastic bottles.Innovation in this case aims to create a solid chain of value, based on the textile industry residue, while achieving a sustainable fashion model.
Going for less contamination
Another successful innovation in the industry was highlighted in the World Economic Forum. Based in the Netherlands, DyeCoo company created a dyeing process that does not require water or any chemical products other than dye.
DyeCoo applies highly pressurized carbon dioxide to dye. Experts state that “dye is dissolved to penetrate the deepest corners of the fabric. Carbon dioxide evaporates, then recycled and ultimately reused.”
The fact that the fabric does not need to be dried, makes the process faster, less energy-consuming and cuts costs. You don’t need to be a technician to notice that this innovation is a clear example of circular economy.
Their strategy has lead the company to forge alliances with Nike and Ikea, given that 20% of water-related industrial contamination comes from dyeing and finishing processes in clothing manufacturing.
Sustainable sales
A third example of sustainability is seen in fashion stores that use artificial intelligence. The technology from VIPO uses interactive screens to guide the customer in their purchase. This interaction generates data that can determine how many clothes are needed per size and which type of garment.
In other words, VIPO’s state-of-the-art technology can predict the demand and determine which garments have more chances of being purchased by customers. As a consequence, this innovation strategy assures that many clothes are incinerated or buried in garbage disposals. Hence, accounts are balanced, processes are optimized and the textile industry earns in sustainability.
Collective conscience
According to Textile Exchange (2017), 24% of the fashion companies use circular economy in their production materials. Additionally, 57% are currently in the process of heading towards it. Therefore, “sustainability will become the cornerstone of innovation in the fashion industry over the coming years”, as stated by McKinsey.
Nonetheless, the contribution of companies is not enough given that customers must also gain awareness. A research from the Universidad Complutense in Madrid shows that price, brand and quality are some of the most valued features during a purchase. Meanwhile, the least valued attribute is the sustainability of the fabric.
Recent polls show that 75% of people admit that they have never owned a sustainable clothing item. In fact, only 10% thinks that they would be able to recognize when a garment is sustainable. This proves that there is still a long way ahead for circular economy to effectively permeate the collective conscience of customers.
Storing older clothing in proper containers or looking for sustainability tags while shopping could be helpful. These simple actions do not require much effort but can significantly reduce the environmental impact of the textile industry.
CRM TEAM
VIPO Group
