Written by Tricia Carey
Whether you are working in the apparel industry or just a concerned consumer, it is important to be aware that there is a group tackling the environment issues related to textile materials and striving to reduce the environmental impact of textiles. The primary goal of Textile Exchange, a non-profit organization formerly called Organic Exchange, is the education and promotion of organic cotton, which is 1% of total cotton production. Last year, Textile Echange recognized that organic cotton supply is not large enough to meet the total textile needs of the global population and decided to act. Their scope expanded to included “sustainable” textiles, such as cotton with better farming practices, recycled polyester, and regenerated cellulosics. There is no perfect option for sustainable textiles, but there are degrees of better choices.
As a new board member of Textile Exchange, I want to give you a peek into the players and discussions of the three–day conference that was held in Barcelona, Spain this September. It is really of who’s who of brands and retailers including: Adidas, Disney, Eileen Fisher, H&M, Lululemon, Marks and Spencer, Nike, Nordstroms, Patagonia, Puma, REI, The North Face, UnderArmour, VF, Willams- Sonoma, Woolworths SA, and more. They were able to convene with suppliers from around the world including Anvil Knitwear, Egedeniz, Esquel, Geensource, Hermann Buhler, Huntsman, Kowa, Lenzing, Orta Andolou, Polartec, Pratibha, Syntex, PT Indorama, Sanko, Tejiodos Royo, Unifi, and more.
Once you have the right people in the room, you get some very interesting dialogue. There is a level of transparency and a feeling that “we are all in this together.” Companies will share information for the greater good of the planet and industry. For example, Nike launched the Green Xchange this year as a means of accelerating sustainable innovation through sharing intellectual property. Where else do you see competitors sharing information?
The conference opened with the charming Tiziana Dominguez, CSR Director from Adolfo Dominguez, who gave a welcome to Barcelona speech and a personal story of her experience with “green fashion” and the utilization of Textile Exchange resources. Seminars ranged from sustainable vision to green chemistry, certifications and integrity to toxics and emissions of the textile chain.
The conference also allowed a “place and space” for other industry groups to educate and provide a forum to discuss the tough questions of the industry. There are other groups working on different and interrelated aspects of sustainable product development who also participated in Textile Exchange. Greenpeace presented their “Detox Campaign” which is work to clean the water supply in China. They have committed retailer and brands: Puma, Adidas, Nike, H&M and engaged brands: Uniqlo, PVH, Lacoste, G Star to have “zero discharge.”
The Sustainable Apparel Coalition, formed this year, also presented their work. Members include Adidas, Arvind Mills, ASICS, C&A, Duke Center for Sustainability and Commerce, Environmental Defense Fund, Esprit, Esquel, Gap Inc., H&M, HanesBrands, JC Penney, Kohl’s Department Stores, Lenzing, Levi Strauss & Co., LF USA, a division of Li & Fung Limited, L.L.Bean, Inc., Marks & Spencer, Mountain Equipment Co-op, New Balance, Nike, Nordstrom, Otto Group, Outdoor Industry Association, Patagonia, Pentland Brands, Pratibha Syntex Limited, PUMA, REI, TAL Apparel, Target, Timberland, USA DuPont, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Verité, VF Corp, Walmart. This organization is committed to a common approach for measuring and evaluating apparel and footwear product sustainability performance that will spotlight priorities for action and opportunities for technological innovation.
The Textile Exchange annual conference certainly engages the industry to reflect current issues and work together towards making changes. After being involved with this organization for five years, I can look back and see the changes the industry is making and the role Textile Exchange plays in accelerating that change. While retailers and brands can bring more sustainable products with better materials to market, it is the consumer who needs to actively purchase the right product. The much larger issue of educating the consumer or influencing the reduction of consumer consumption could be the battle for future generations to tackle.
(Source: www.ecofashionworld.com )