Slides link: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/198ETLYYKEmfw-gvRuK8xV6XIXN7aCQVDHhfMdpfm9XQ/edit?usp=sharing
Group members: Samanta Shi and Mehr Un Nisa Javed
Textiles are an extremely broad topic, so our group decided to focus on different textile materials and their impacts on the earth. I worked on the textile industry’s environmental and social impacts, as well as innovative new textiles that aim to lessen the carbon footprint and waste generated. With the help of an extremely comprehensive report on the textiles economy that Samanta found, I was able to find eye opening facts about the serious effects of the fast fashion industry. It was shocking to me to find out how little clothing material can be recycled and that 100 billion USD is lost because of all the fabric waste. Previously when shopping at fast fashion stores, I only saw the finished product but never truly thought about what it costs to put it on the rack. Incredulous amounts of water and fossil fuels are used to produce the textiles, adding to drought and water and air pollution. Additionally, I was never aware that every time clothes are put through a washing machine, hazardous substances in the dyes and microplastics in plastic based materials are stripped from the clothing and end up in the ocean, furthering ocean pollution and threatening ocean life. People often point to car emissions and individual water usage as a large source of pollution, but the clothes we wear have an immense effect on the health of our planet as well. However, a chart in the report of future actions that could be taken to lessen these effects, including more thoughtful designs and increased recycling innovation, shows that the industry has potential to make a turn into the right direction.
Additionally, I was amazed by the new innovative fabrics that are currently being made, ranging from biofabricated leather to lotus fibers. Technology has come such a long way to turn food items into wearable fabrics. Not only are these fibers more sustainably sourced than popular materials today, they also have great benefits to the wearer, including temperature control and durability. Coffee ground, pineapple leaf, and banana fibers are sourced from waster products that farmers would throw away, which takes whole advantage of the product and lessens waste. While these fabrics may not be the most accessible or easily made, it shows that there is lots of room for new innovation to lessen textile effects on the planet.