engleski

Textiles and ecology

Global textile manufacture has been growing at an ever-increasing rate. Enormous amounts of water, chemicals, dyes and auxiliaries are used in textile finishing and texile care processes, resulting in considerable load to the environment and possible toxic harmful impact upon the workers in textile mills and end-users (consumers). This is why the possibilities of substituting hazardous chemicals with less aggressive and biodegradable ones have been investigated for years, while much more strict regulations have been implemented regarding the use of the above products. Numerous chemicals have been banned from use or restricted in the amount to be used. Recycling and recuperation in the textile finishing and care reduce energy and water consumption, as well as the consumption of chemicals, which results in considerable savings and promote environment conservation. New solvents and procedures as alternatives to perchlorethylene in dry-cleaning processes are introduced as well. The best ecological perspective has been exhibited by liquid carbon dioxide. Textile design can also have a significant impact in this field. Products should be designed so as to use processes and raw materials in its manufacture and care that have a minimum impact on the environment, Environment protection has become a key factor in selection of textile finishing and care agents. Labels exhibit symbols denoting the care to be applied, textile product quality, while eco-labels indicate that the product does not contain any harmful substance, being manufactured in an environmentally friendly manner.

textiles; design; ecology; finishing; textile care; water; energy; toxicity; chemicals; eco-labels

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