Wednesday, November 25, 2015

A study on Eco Friendly Textile Fibres



ECO-TEXTILE

The textile industry has been condemned as being one of the world’s worst offenders in
terms of pollution because the textile industry is one of the most chemically intensive industries on earth, and the no.1 polluter of clean water for using as many as 2,000 different chemicals in the textile industry from dyes to transfer agents.
For these kind of ecological hazards, now a days the use of ecofriendly textile materials are increasing significantly.
Which types of textile fibers are very friendly with environment and have no hazardous impact on ecology those are called Eco Textiles.
There are many types of ecofriendly fibers which are used in the textile industry.
Here we are giving a briefly description on some of ecofriendly textile fibers below:

Bamboo

1. Bamboo is one of nature’s most sustainable resources; it’s 100% biodegradable and is naturally regenerative. Bamboo grows extremely fast, up to one foot a day.

2. Taken from the plant, bamboo is spun into yarns with no chemical modification by crushing the bamboo plant and then using natural enzymes to break the bamboo walls into a pulp so that the natural fibers can be mechanically combed out and spun into yarn. Bamboo fabric made from this process is sometimes called Bamboo Linen.

3. Bamboo fabric is naturally anti-microbial, hypoallergenic and thermal regulating. It is also resistant to mould. Bamboo breathes and wicks moisture away due to its porous nature.

4. Bamboo is naturally eco-friendly, not organic.

Hemp

1. Having the most eco-friendly potential, these plants grow quickly and densely which makes it difficult for weeds to hold on- no pesticides or herbicides needed. Hemp does not exhaust the soil and enables sustainability by leaving the soil in excellent condition for any succeeding crops.

2. Hemp is an extremely durable fabric. It is also very insulating, absorbent and improves over time with washing and wearing. It reveals a new surface becoming softer with every wash.

3. Hemp is also UV resistant, highly breathable, fast drying and nonirritating to skin.

Ramie

1. Ramie is a highly sustainable eco-friendly fiber. It is very strong and durable also 8 times stronger than cotton and even stronger when wet.

2.Ramie is a flowering plant, and once the flowers begin to bloom, that is when the fibers are extracted from the plant for spinning, it can be harvested up to 6 times in a successful year.
3. Ramie is naturally resistant to bacteria, mould and mildew as well as light damage, rot or insect attack.

Linen

1. Linen fibers are taken from the Flax plant.

2. Linen is eco-friendly because it is a natural fiber, meaning it takes little or no chemical fertilizer to grow. Also once it is harvested all parts of the plant can be used, making multiple by-products and nothing gets wasted.

3. Linen is cool and very absorbent, great for summer wear. It is also extremely durable and strong, the strongest of all natural fibers.

Reasons of increasing the use of Eco Friendly Textile fibers:

1. Social responsibility: Chemicals and pesticides invade drinking water and groundwater, polluting its fish and even reaching human consumption. Organic and eco fibers grow without any pesticides or chemical fertilizers.

2. Biodegradable: Eco and organic fabric biodegrade naturally over time. Synthetic fibers eventually become waste and let off harmful toxins when they degrade.

3. Health: Many people are allergic or dislike wearing synthetic textiles. Eco fabrics have all the properties of the new synthetic breathable fibers with added softness and drape. They feel better against the skin.

4. Absorption: Not only do its chemicals reach into our groundwater, conventional clothing is worn next to our most porous organ- our skin. Organic and eco-fibers are natural and do not contain irritating chemicals. Many of them are also considered hypoallergenic and naturally anti-bacterial.

5. Popularity: Organic foods have been around for a while and it is a natural evolution that organic and ecofriendly fabrics will also gain popularity. Eco and Organic fabrics once considered an alternative are now entering into the mainstream.

Finally, The sustainability has become an essential attribute of today’s textile and clothing industry, the process of transforming textile industry into more sustainable one is very sensitive, needs a lot of knowledge, skills and commitment. Use of Sustainable fibers in textiles is a part of this process and a step towards this milestone. These might be possible only by increasing the uses of Eco-Textile fibers.
So the future of Textile industry depends on that type of product which have no hazardous impact on environment and these product also can be found from ecofriendly fibers.

Based on this discussion we recommend to increase the use of these fibers in textile industries to reduce the environmental pollution of Bangladesh.



Md. Bakhtiar  Rana
B. Sc in Textile Engineering
City University Bangladesh
Email: bakhtiarrana007@gmail.com

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