Change is Possible by Nabila Brache

Stella McCartney is one of the most influential change agents in the fashion industry and started the first luxury brand with a sustainability base. Her brand is truly committed and devoted to finding new ways of being sustainable without being afraid to experiment for the good of our planet.

One of her commitments is to minimize greenhouse gas emissions since the making of textiles and apparel consume significant quantities of fossil fuel, accounting for approximately 15% of the total global carbon impact.

Fashion companies can use alternatives in fibers and textiles that do not require the use of fossil fuels, and can also work with suppliers to reduce energy used and wasted in textile manufacturing. Below are several technologies and actions that companies can implement to meet this commitment.

Reducing Water Consumption:

Water is used extensively throughout textile processing operations. Almost all dyes, specialty chemicals, and finishing chemicals are applied to textile substrates from water baths. A way to reduce water consumption is by recycling cooling water.

Cooling water is relatively uncontaminated and can be reused as make-up or rinse water. This will also save energy, as this water will not require as much heating.

Reducing Energy Waste:

As with water conservation, reductions in energy use can result in substantial savings and lower emissions from boilers or generating plants.

There are several sources of clean energy, including water energy, methane capture and use, and windmills.  

-Hydropower is the leading renewable energy source used to generate electricity in the United States. Suppliers can include the use of hydropower in their factories in one of these ways:  A hydroelectric dam captures energy from the movement of a river. Dam operators control the flow of water and the amount of electricity produced. Wave power is another way of capturing energy from waves on the surface of the ocean using a special buoy or other floating device, and finally tidal power captures the energy of flowing waters with the help of turbines as tides rush in and out of coastal areas.

-Methane capturing works by using trash decomposes (or rots) in landfills that create methane gas, which rises to the top of landfills. This is then collected in pipes and is used to produce heat or used electricity.

-Suppliers that are located in areas that have large open space can install windmills as their main energy source. As the wind blows over the blades of a wind turbine, it causes the blades to lift and rotate, and then the rotating blades turn a shaft that is connected to a generator. Finally, the generator creates electricity as it turns.

Reducing Toxicity:

A way to reduce toxicity is to reduce the amount of salt in the effluent by optimizing recipes, using low-salt dyes, reusing dye baths and optimizing dyeing temperatures. Also, by using biodegradable surfactants such as linear alcohol ethoxylates.

As Stella McCartney mentioned in her BOF interview, no matter how small your change is or how little you start being sustainable, you are making a difference. All companies need to find the way to start making these changes.

Waste minimization in textile industry. (2017, August 13). Retrieved March 21, 2018, from https://textiletoday.com.bd/waste-minimization-textile-industry/

Technologies-Global Climate Change. (n.d.). Retrieved March 21, 2018, from https://archive.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/solutions/technologies/index.html