Challenges and choices abound in modern-day society. As consumers we make decisions based on our own sense of values, ethics and moral perspectives. If something feels good we act on our positive senses.
If, as discerning consumers, we know that a garment is made from textiles produced without excessive pollution of the environment and a minimum of chemicals, energy and water, it will ensure a sense of comfort in our purchase decision.
The environmental impacts of textile production can be devastating and there are examples of this destruction of health and environment from many developing countries. Irrigation for cotton growing in the south west of Asia has created an enormous dust bowl and destroyed the fishing community on the Aral Sea. Blue and red rivers formed from textile dyes are occurring downstream of some manufacturers and affect the health of the surrounding communities.
We are pleased and proud that our South African legislation would not allow for such extremes, but assistance in reducing the environmental impacts of our Industry are always welcome. The Danida funded Cleaner Textile Production Project led by Karen Lundbo, started in this country in 2000 and quickly addressed the areas of greatest negative impacts, working with cotton growers and textile manufacturers.
The project used the principle of cleaner production which requires an ongoing preventative approach to processes and products to reduce and prevent pollution. In the cotton growing sector, working with 350 small scale and 50 commercial farmers and using integrated pest management practices, the project demonstrated the feasibility of significant reductions to the chemicals used during cotton growing.
In the textile manufacturing sector 36 manufacturers and 18 related organisations participated in a range of synergistic activites. By questioning their normal practices and thinking creatively the participants changed their organisation’s attitude to change and produced improvements beyond their initial imaginations. For example, following waste minimisation training with 16 manufacturers the companies showed savings of over R19-million in a year, from reductions in the usage of water, effluent, energy, chemical and waste.
In addition to the economic benefits, these companies gained marketing advantage from their environmental improvements and experienced greater employee motivation for further improvements as a result of their employees pride in these achievements.
To assist ongoing cleaner production in the textile industry, a special merit award has been presented for the past four years and hotly contested by the most actively participating companies. This has been won by Gregory Knitting Mills, Berg River Textiles and Team Puma, with Frame Spinning, Frame Finishing, and Ninian and Lester in the shortlisted entries.
In order to encourage the continuation of these efforts the project moved its objectives in 2003 to focus on the downstream operations in the textile pipeline. Cleaner production in clothing manufacture, together with increased knowledge and awareness of designers and retailers would create ongoing demands for cleaner textiles.
The major activity in 2004 was the running of the environmentally friendly design competition throughout the technikon fashion and textile design departments. Nearly 500 students and their lecturers attended workshops on environmentally friendly design run by Danish designer Helle Kruger and South African cleaner production expert, Claire Janisch. Entries from over 150 students were received and the finalists showed their creations at the ‘No Kak” fashion show at Cape Town fashion week.
Some of the South African ‘environmentally friendly fabrics” used in the competition were –
Cotton knit fabric from Gregory Knitting Mills who have qualified for the EU flower ecolabel.
Wild silk fabric harvested sustainably from indigenous cocoons.
Cotton Flax fabric developed at CSIR.
Cotton grown in South Africa ‘organically”. using no fertilisers, pesticides, or defoliants.
One major objective of the environmentally friendly design competition is the ongoing inclusion of environmental knowledge into tertiary textile and clothing design education. In addition to the workshops held at the technikons, copies of the Danish produced Guidelines – A Handbook on the Environment for the Textile and Fashion Industry were given to the lecturers to assist with their course preparation. We look forward to a whole new generation of fashion designers who are knowledgeable and aware of the environmental considerations to be considered at all times in their creative process.
The next step is to ensure an ongoing demand for these responsible creations and to work towards greater knowledge and awareness in the general public into the choices they can make in their textile purchases. Therefore the project has assisted retailers in including knowledge of environmental management and cleaner production considerations during textile manufacture and fibre production in their in-house training for their buyers and specifiers.
One of the challenges in our developing community is the enforcement of legislation and standards while still assisting the development of existing and new industries. Regulators need to be inventive in finding win-win solutions to this dilemma. The Cleaner Textile Production Project developed a Cleaner Production Guide for Regulators as companies working with cleaner production will be continually lessening their environmental footprints with reduced resource usage and reduced pollution. Together with the training of regulators by the project this enables the Local Authority Inspectors to work with manufacturers to assist them to make positive changes and improve their bottom lines while gaining a better public relations position and assisting them with compliance to the regulator’s environmental standards.
The National Cleaner Production Strategy is currently being finalised by our Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, and there is overwhelming support from industry, local, provincial and national government and civil society for the implementation of cleaner production initiatives. The majority of the case studies with examples of good practices and the effectiveness of well planned cleaner production practices have been drawn from the Cleaner Textile Production Project. The principles of cleaner production and reducing consumption at source apply to all industrial sectors and to agriculture and mining activities and even to the hospitality industry.
The National Cleaner Production Centre, based at the CSIR, has been established and looks set to become the cornerstone for further cleaner production efforts. We therefore look forward to widespread awareness and practice of cleaner production and the resultant reduction in resource usage, resulting in cost savings, excellent marketing opportunities and improved sustainability of our development.
Have you ever stopped to think . . .
How many minutes a day you are in contact with no textiles, the fabric of your sofa, bed linen, towels, clothing?
Or wondered how these things are produced, and what happens to them when they are discarded?
What colossal amounts of raw materials and energy it takes when clothing and textiles for us all have to be produced?
How much strain this inevitably places on the environment?
Tina Hjert, Helle Kruger and Drude Katherine Breds (Paradigm)