Eco friendly textiles part-2

ECO-FRIENDLY
TEXTILES
PART-2
By Prof. (Dr.) Deepali Singhee
Kolkata

Environmental Protection & Clean Technologies
is a Universal Concern Today

Eco-friendly product would involve:
● No damage to environment.
● No impact on human health.
● Conservation of natural resources (water/energy).
● Use of toxic-free (organic) or recyclable raw materials.
What does Eco-friendly mean?

Any textile product,
which is
Produced
in eco-friendly
manner and
Processed
under eco-friendly
environment
is known as
Eco-Textiles

Eco-Textiles is also known as
● Sustainable Fashion
● Eco-Fashion
● Eco-Tech

A sustainable textile is one that meets
the needs of the present without compromising the
ability of future generation to meet their needs and desires
Definition of Sustainability recommended by the
World Commission on Environment & Development
“
”

● Made from a Renewable Resource
● Have a Good Ecological Footprint
● Not Use Any (or Little) Chemicals while Growing &
Processing
For a textile to be sustainable, it should:

● Procurement of raw materials does not create a negative
impact on land & water resources (natural fibres), or the
adversely impact the fossil fuels resources (synthetic
fibres).
● Production considerations do not create adverse impact
on sources of water and energy.
● Added chemicals do not affect the health of textile
workers as well as consumers.
● The end-of-life of the textile product is smooth
(biodegradable) and it allows reclamation of the
infrastructure required to sustain further production.
Factors that a Sustainable Textiles Must Fulfill:

From ‘Cradle to Grave’
To ‘Cradle to’ Cradle’
Cradle to grave is used in reference to a
firm's perspective on the environmental
impact created by their products or
activities from the beginning of its life
cycle to its end or disposal.
Cradle to cradle is a phrase invented by
Walter R. Stahel in the 1970s and
popularized by William McDonough
and Michael Braungart. This framework
seeks to create production techniques
that are not just efficient but are
essentially waste free. In cradle-to-cradle
production, all material inputs and
outputs are seen either as technical or
biological nutrients. Technical nutrients
can be recycled or reused with no loss of
quality and biological nutrients
composted or consumed.
By contrast, cradle-to-grave refers to a
company taking responsibility for the
disposal of goods it has produced, but
not necessarily putting products’
constituent components back into
service.

Ways in which the
Textile Industry can go
Green…..

HOW CAN TEXTILE INDUSTRY GO GREEN?
Using Renewable Resources that can
be replenished easily and in a short
time.
1

Following
Fair Trade Practices2

Reducing Ecological Footprint or
demand on natural resources like land &
water.
3
Ecological footprint (EF) is a measure for the amount of productive land, sea (water)
and natural resources one needs to produce the resources it consumes and to dispose
of its waste. It is the measure of human demand on the Earth’s ecosystems

Reducing the Carbon Footprint by
reducing/substituting chemicals required to
grow/process the textile material.
4
A Carbon Footprint is measured in carbon dioxide equivalents and
gives the total amount of greenhouse gases emitted.

Going Organic
Using Sustainable Processing Methods
Recycling / Upcycling
Chemical Substitution
Chemical Recovery
Process Modification
HOW CARBON FOOTPRINT CAN BE REDUCED?
1
2
3
a
b
c

Organic clothing is clothing made
from materials raised or grown in
compliance with organic agricultural
standards - Global Organic Textile
Standard (GOTS)
GOING ORGANIC
Reducing Carbon Footprint
(a)

● Comprises of minimum of 70% organic fibers.
● Fibres made through environmentally & socially responsible
manufacturing.
● All chemical & auxiliaries used meet environmental & toxicological
criteria.
● Dyes are either natural or are environmentally low impact dyes.
● Heavy metals or harmful chemicals have not been used in the dyeing.
● Accessories selected is in accordance with ecological aspects.
● A functional waste water treatment plant is involved in all wet-processing.
● All processes have complied with minimum social criteria & fair trade
practices.

BENEFITS OF ORGANIC
TEXTILES
Grow without any pesticides or chemical fertilizers and so have no
impact on marine and aquatic life
Biodegrade naturally over
time
Breathable fibers
Added softness and drape
Hypoallergenic
Naturally antibacterial
Helps to improve land,
prevents water contamination
and conserves bio-diversity

ORGANIC COTTON
Highly
Absorbent
Non-
Irritant
Non-
Allergic
Without Pesticide / Fertilized
No Health Hazard
Fair Trade
Free for Allergies
Produced as per IVN BEST Guidelines
Durable

ORGANIC WOOL
Durable Absorbent
More
Elastic

JUTE
Silky
Texture
High
Tensile
Strength
Heat &
Flame
Resistant

FLAX
Cool &
Dry to
Touch
Absorbent
& Release
Water
Quickly
Softer on
Washing

HEMP
Durable
& UV-
resitant
Absorbent
Hypo-
Allegic

RAMIE
Wrinkle
Resistant
8 times
Stronger
than
Cotton
Resistant
to
Microbial
Attack
Harvested up to 6 Times in a Year
Without the use of Pesticides or
Herbicides

BAMBOO
Silky Feel
& Good
Drape
Wicks
Moisture
Resistant
to
Microbes

NETTLE
Longest
Bast
Fibre
High
Tensile
Strength
Hollow -
Natural
Insulation
Obtained from Brennessel Plant

PINEAPPLE
Silky &
High
Luster
High
Tensile
Strength
Low
Elongatio
n

BANANA
Absorbent
High
Tensile
Strength
Light
Weight

SAMATOA/LOTUS
Soft &
Light
Water Proof
Wrinkle Free
& Stain
Resistant

COCONA
Light
Weight
Stretchable
Resistant
to UV--
Light

CORN
Softness
& Good
Drape
Resilience
Flame
Retardant

SOY SILK
Soft &
Silky
Good
Drape
Good
Option for
Underwear
& Bras

TENCEL / LYOCELL
Absorbent
&
Breathable
High
Tensile
Strength
Shrink
Resistant

BIODEGRADABLE
DYES
LOW-IMPACT
DYES
AZO FREE
DYES
METAL FREE
DYES
ECO-
FRENDLY
DYES

NATURALDYES?
Natural dyes are colorants or pigments that are obtained from plant,
animal or mineral sources with or without any chemical treatments
Plant Sources Animal Sources Mineral Sources

Roots& Barks
AL ROOTS MADDER ROOTS TURMERIC
FUSTIC CATECHU LOGWOOD

Leaves
BIRCH EUCALYPTUS
WOAD CARROT TOPSHENNA
INDIGO

Flowers
TANSY
DAHLIA
CORAL JASMINE
GOLDEN RODS
FRENCH MARIGOLDHIBISCUS
TESU
GULMOHAR

Fruits and Berries
MYROBOLAN POMEGRANATEONION
WALNUTALMONDANNATTO

Animal Origin
KERMES COCHINEAL LAC

Animal Origin
LITCHENS
WEILD & MUSHROOMS

MINERAL Origin
Orpimat Red Oxide Malachite Cinnabar Carbon Black

Herbal powder, vegetable powder, parsley vegetable powder, rosemary vegetable
powder, brown mica oxide powder, yellow mica oxide powder
MINERAL Origin

HISTORY OF NATURALDYES
 In Egypt, mummies have been found wrapped in madder dyed cloth.

 It is well known that the green eye-shadow was also used by the Egyptian
women and it came from lead, oxidized copper, ochre, ash, malachite,
and chrysocolla (a blue-green copper ore).

 It is well known that Egyptian women lined their eyes and eyebrows with Khol
that is a dark-colored powder made of crushed antimony,
burnt almonds, lead or any combination thereof
Woman would apply khol, a black dye kept in a jar or pot, to line
her eyes and eyebrows, using an "brush" or "pencil" made of a
reed

 It is well known that the lipstick used by Cleopatra, the famous Egyptian
queen came from the bixa tree.

ADVANTAGESOF NATURALDYES
Obtained from Agro Renewable Resources are biodegradable.

Application of natural dyes has potential to earn carbon credit by
reducing consumption of fossil fuel (petroleum) based synthetic dyes.
Carbon Credit is a permit that allows the
holder to emit one ton of carbon dioxide.
Credits are awarded to countries or
groups that have reduced their green
house gases below their emission quota.
Carbon credits can be traded in the
international market at their current
market price.
One carbon credit = one metric tonn of CO2
/ CO2 equivalent gases
Example -, if an environmentalist group plants enough trees to reduce emissions by
one ton, the group will be awarded a credit. If a steel producer has an emissions
quota of 10 tons, but is expecting to produce 11 tons, it could purchase this carbon
credit from the environmental group.

Some of its constituents are anti-allergens and safe for body contact

Bleed but do not stain other fabrics, turmeric being an exception

Natural Dyes from Agricultural Waste
Waste rests of eucalyptus, aguaribay trees,
sunflower seed shells, parsley, olive, laurel,
and lemon trees
Since only the leaves of the tobacco
plants are harvested, stalks and other
agricultural waste are transformed into
vibrant, non-toxic dye

Does not pollute as the synthetic dyes
The Jian River flows red after being polluted
with dye from an illegal workshop

The dye waste may become an ideal fertilizer for agricultural fields
Indigo waste used to irrigate the tomatoes
The waste
water pH it’s
good for
water lily
plantation
Waste from
barks /
leafs used
in dyeing
in Bali

The Sanskrit word, ‘ayur’ means life and ‘vastra’ means cloth or dress.
It is based on the Ayurvedic Principles of Medicine which believes that
regular contact with cloth made from yarns
infused with extracts of organic herbs and medicinal plants
will cure metabolic disorders & promote healthy living

These herbal clothing
● Helps to restore balance within the body's systems
● Strengthens the immune system
● Helps in reducing the spread of diseases
● Exhibits anti-microbial & anti-bacterial properties

These herbal textiles are often used in making
● Garments used close to the skin
● Undergarments
● Towels
● Sleepwear
● Bed Coverings
● Mattresses
● Coir Mats
● Door Mats
● Carpets

The most effective time to wear Ayurvedic clothing is when
the body is at rest – Sleep & Relaxation / Meditation

Ayurvastra are made from fibres like certified organic cotton, natural
cotton, silk wool, coir, linen, jute, hemp, bamboo and their blends.

More than 200 herbs extracts can
be mixed in the dye-bath while dyeing
fabrics; hence they play a dual role in
providing magical healing
quality and imparting soothing
colours

● Diabetes can be controlled by a combination of the herbal dye
● Saffron is believed to control Heart Diseases
● Fenugreek is said to control Cholesterol
● Fabrics dyed with curry leaves extract are beneficial in curing Arthritis
● Sandalwood, turmeric, aloevera, onion, chirayata & neem dyed fabrics can cure Skin
Diseases
● Brazil wood, henna and Indian mulberry can be used as Blood Purifier
● Indian madder helps in Removing Blood Impurities
● Haritaki and indigo can be used for their Antiseptic Properties
● Amla can be used for its Anti-fungal, Anti-bacterial & Anti-septic Properties
● Chitosan, which show Antimicrobial Properties
● Castor oil helps in Maintaining Body Temperature

Textile wet processing adds maximum value to the textiles by
improving its Aesthetics, Comfort and Functional properties.
SUSTAINABLE TEXTILE PROCESSING
The large amount of water used
during the processing operations
gets contaminated with unfixed
dyes, chemicals & auxiliaries and is
discharged as effluent. The cocktail
of chemicals present makes it
difficult to treat the effluent waste
water or biodegrade it. This creates
pollution problems and leads to
increased demand for good-quality
water for processing.
(b)

Thus challenges in sustainability of textile wet processing
operations mainly relate to the
● Water Consumption
● Energy
● Chemicals
● Discharge of Unexhausted
Chemicals

To overcome these issues, a large number of sustainable
practices has been implemented by various textile
processing industries

By adopting Products & Appropriate Technology
that are Energy Efficient
Production Costs can be lowered and Profits
improved

Strategies for Waste Minimization
1. CHEMICAL SUBSTITUTION
Chemical Substitute
Acid (Mineral) Desizing Enzymatic Desizing
Synthetic Detergents Soaps
Sodium Acetate (Neutralizing of Scoured
Goods)
Soda Ash
Ammonium Sulphate (pH Adjustment) Acetic Acid
Gum Thickening Emulsion Thickening
Acetic Acid (Oxidation of Vat Dyestuff) Sodium Bicarbonate

2. CHEMICAL RECOVERY
Water (through Treatment)
Caustic Soda (from Mercerization using Recuperation)
Sizing Ingredients (PVA, CMC from Desizing Bath)
Reuse of Liquors (Desized, Caustic Scour, Mercerized & Bleach)

3. PROCESS MODIFICATION
Use of Lower Liquor Ratios
Use of Foam for Dyeing, Printing & Finishing
Hot Mercerization
Combined Desizing, Scouring & Bleaching
Dyeing Cum Sizing of Denim Warp
Single Stage Dyeing of Blended Fabrics

● Enzyme Technology
Bio-processing also offers the potential for new industrial processes
that require less energy, less water and less effluent problems with
effective results.
Enzymatic Textile Processing (ETP) - Enzymatic desizing, enzymatic
scouring, enzymatic bleaching, bio polishing and enzyme based
softeners are few examples of bio-processing of textiles.
ECO-FRIENDLY PREPARATORY PROCESSES

Fiber Treatment Enzymes Substrate Degree of
Development
Cotton Desizing Amylases Starch Available
Scouring Pectinases Cotton fiber Available
Bleaching Lacasses, Glucoseosidase Lignin, Glucose Emerging
H2O2 killer Peroxidases H2O2 Available
Bio-polishing Cellulases Cellulose Available
Bio-stoning Celluloses Cellulose Available
Soaping Special enzymes Reactive dye Emerging
Wool Scouring Lipases Lanolin Emerging
Anti-felting Special enzymes Wool fiber Emerging
Silk Degumming Sericinases Sericin Emerging
Jute Bleaching Xylanases Jute fiber mat Emerging
● They are proteins that act as bio-catalysts
● They are substrate selective
● They allow less energy & water consumption - no impact on environment
● They are biodegradable and inherently non-hazardous

● Less Water Technologies
Low MLR, Foam and Microwave
ECO-FRIENDLY DYEING PROCESSES

● Waterless Technologies such as
Supercritical Carbon Oxide, Plasma & Nano Particle Technologies

● DyeCoo has commercialized the first
“waterless” dyeing machine using
Supercritical CO2.
● Machines implemented on a production
scale at factories in Thailand and Taiwan
● Nike and Adidas have supported this
project & fabrics made from this process
are marketed as AirDye and DryDyeTM
● High capital investment & extended
ROI
● Process carried out at 260- 280 bar;
hence needs special design & safety
● Control devices required to monitor
CO2 conc in air
● Limited to PES dyeing
● No use of water
● CO2 used is fully
recovered & recycled
● No effluent discharge
● No need for drying
ADVANTAGES LIMITATIONS

ADVANTAGES LIMITATIONS
● Machines speeds are slow (15
meters/m v/s 40 meters/m in rotary
printing)
● High cost of inks (now going down
with increased consumption)
● High capital investment
● No need for engraving rollers or screens
● Extremely short delivery times (from
sampling to production)
● No effect on effluent
● Huge savings in water
● Reduction in waste
● High quality products

EXAMPLES OF
ECO-FRIENDLY
PROCESSING

● Selection of Sizes with Minimum Pollution Loads: Sizes
from natural sources that are biodegradable.
ECO-FRIENDLY SIZING
● Recovery of Synthetic Sizing Materials : Expensive polyvinyl
alcohol and poly acrylics can be removed by simple treatment with
hot water and recovered by ultra filtration.
● Reuse of Sizing
Polymer: Recovered
modified starch, polyvinyl
alcohol and poly acrylics
can be reused reducing the
pollution load by 50%.

● Use of Easily Degradable Organic Stabilizers in peroxide
bleaching.
● Replacing Nonyl Phenol Ethoxylate Based Surfactants with
fatty alcohol ethoxylates, fatty alcohol polyglycol ethers, hydroxy
mix under sulphates.
● Selection of Suitable Softeners and Preservatives: Using
environmentally acceptable NAVDEECIDE D-12 instead of PCP and
sodium silico-fluoride.
● Single-Bath Desizing & Scouring: Oxidative desizing using
hydrogen peroxide with or without the addition of persulphate.
● Using Pad Steam (Batch) Systems to minimize the residual
NaOH in waste water.
● Chlorine-free Bleaching: This involves the use of hydrogen
peroxide (eco-friendly alternative to chlorine bleaching).
● Eco-bleach: Use of natural phosphates and silicates mixed in cow
dung combined with sunlight to achieve whitening of natural fabrics.
ECO-FRIENDLY SCOURING & BLEACHING

● Avoiding Chemicals: Cu and Zn salts used as after-treatment agents, catalysts
or reducing agents; chromium salts in dyeing with acid dyes; urea and its
substitutes; halogenated organic carrier for dyeing with disperse dyes; sodium
sulphide for dyeing with sulphur dyes; dye fixing agents with free formaldehyde
● Selecting More Efficient and Less Harmful Chemicals: Cation-active agents
for the after treatment of reactive dyes; alkaline organic carbohydrate base
reducing agent like hydrol in suphur dyeing.
● Cold or Low Temperature Dye Processes
● Foam Dyeing
● Solvent Dyeing
● Cationization for Salt-Free Dyeing
● High Fixation Reactive Dyes with Reduced Salt
● Dyeing in Ionic Liquids
● Super Critical CO2 Fluid Dyeing
● Dyeing Using Ultrasound Technologies
● Right First Time (RFT) Dyeing
● Pad-Batch and Continuous Dyeing.
● Proper Storage of Dyes and accurate weighing

● Waste Water Recycling: Waste water recycling is the use of
tertiary treated waste water in the dye-baths for irrigation purposes. It
can save millions of gallons of water

● Dye-bath Reuse: Recycling the water used in dye-baths for
subsequent baths (Standing Baths) helps in conserving is substantial
and 10-50% of unexhausted dye can be recycled.

● Dry Finishes are generally considered environmentally preferable
and consumer friendly as they are applied mechanically and use
machinery and heat rather than chemicals.
● Wet Finishes, such as antimicrobial and stain-resistant can be
beneficial to the sustainability of a garment, as they reduce the need
for laundering, conserving water and energy and reducing the amount
of chemicals released to the environment.
● Reducing the Levels of Released Formaldehyde by using
modified N-methylol type reactant resins having low free as well as
released formaldehyde or substituting 1/3rd of such reactants with
nitro alconol reactant modifier, the addition of formaldehyde
acceptors (carbohydrazide, glucols) to the bath and the spraying of
5% solution of urea on the hot fabric as it comes out of the curing
chamber.
ECO-FRIENDLY FINISHING PROCESSES

● Aqueous Acrylic Thickeners having low BOD used in place of
the kerosene oil based thickeners for pigment printing.
● Ink-jet Printing: It is considered the most eco-friendly and
efficient method of printing due to its lower water usage, water
wastage and energy consumption (Dry-heat fixation).
ECO-FRIENDLY PRINITNG PROCESSES

According to
the
Environment
al Protection
Agency an
estimated
12.4
million
tons
of textiles
were
generated in
2008
RECYCLING / UPCYCLING
(c)

Most of the clothing that is disposed
of each year is still very wearable,
but it is thrown out simply because
it is out of style, old, or we are just
tired of it. At least 50% of them are
recyclable.

Textiles ending into Landfills

These sites pose a threat to local ground water supplies which gets contaminated
and can be up to 200 times as toxic as raw sewage.

Recycling / Upcycling
of textiles involves
re-working of old
textiles and updating
them to match the
prevailing
fashion/styles thereby
increasing the life of
the cloth and
eliminating the
pressure on the
farmlands to grow
huge amount of cotton

Environmental Benefits Recovery & Recycling
Reduces the Need for Landfill Space
Synthetic (man-made fibres) products do not decompose
Woollen garments produce methane gas on decomposing
1

Reduces Pressure on Virgin Resources2
By re-using existing fibres and textiles,
pressure to produce more raw materials is reduced

Results in Less Pollution & Energy Savings
This saves on the energy used and pollution caused
during manufacturing processes
3

If everyone in the UK bought one reclaimed woollen garment
each year, it would save an average of 371 million gallons of water
and 480 tonnes of chemical dyestuffs.
Poncho made from reclaimed
wool sweaters

Many Fashion Businesses are choosing to incorporate
Recycled Fibres, Fabrics or Clothes in their
collections.

Armani Jeans developed
new materials using 60% recycled
wool and recycled cross dyed cotton
Using Fabric Composed of Recycled Fibres
WAYS TO RECYCLE FASHION

Example using unwanted factory surpluses, off-cuts or materials
which would otherwise be thrown away.
Recycling Textile Fabric (Upcycling)
Some companies like From Somewhere use fabric waste
generated during the manufacturing process or material that has been
designated as unusable due to minor faults to create their collections.

FORTREL EcoSpun
Soft &
Warm
Durable
Weather
Resistant
Plastic
bottles
Bottles are
chopped up
into chips
Chips are melted
down & extruded
into fiber
Yarn is knit,
dyed, sewn into
product

Using Fabric Composed of Recycled Products
Patagonia , North Face

Re-fashioning or repairing second hand clothing for a second life.
Recycling or Customizing Clothing

Consumers can also contribute by recycling by re-styling existing
clothes, swapping clothes with friends or choosing to invest in
quality rather than quantity when buying clothes.

STRATEGIES FOR
ECO-FRIENDLY PROCESSING & CLEAN PRODUCTION
Drop a procedure or product in favor of
dramatically improving the environmental situation.
Reduce pollutant load (saving of water and energy) by
bringing exhaustion and fixation of dyes close to
100%.
Reuse of the dye-bath
Recycling of the fibers (for natural it is limited but
possible for synthetic fibers).
AVOID
REDUSE
RECYCL
E
REUSE

The Greenpeace DETOX Campaign….

In 1987, the Danish Company, NOVOTEX A/S
was the first to introduce an eco-collection, ‘Green Cotton’
for which they were awarded the Environment Prize by the ECC.

Today ecological and toxicity factors are gaining prime importance.
Pollutants, allegan & carcinogens are now being severely restricted
in the manufacturing of consumer goods sold all over the world.

Sustainable methods and techniques need to be adopted by
textile industries in order to save

Let our progress be not synonymous with an assault on nature.
Higher standards of living must be achieved but without depriving
nature of its beauty, freshness and purity, which are essential to life.

Prof. (Dr.) Deepali Singhee
Principal, J.D. Birla Institute, Kolkata
deepalisingheejdbi@gmail.com

Eco friendly textiles part-2

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