Resource Efficient and Cleaner

Production in Textile Sector

C. Visvanathan
School of Environment Resources and Development,
Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand
Water Consumption in Textile Industry

• No. 1 polluter of clean water (after agriculture).

• More than 3600 individual textile dyes are being manufactured by
this industry today.
• More than 8000 chemicals are used in various processes of textile
manufacture
• Relatively low Tech Industry; slow advancement of technology
development;
• Low investment on sectorial R& D;
• Globalization poses incentives to invest in R&D, advanced
production technologies, and new organizational concepts.

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Cloth Production

More than 70% of world cloth production is from Asia/Oceania

World cloth production in ‘000 metric tonnes

Asia/ Ocenia 7196

Europe 1043

Africa 231

Western Hemiphere 1414

Others 230

0 2500 5000 7500 10000

3
Textile Labor Cost Comparison

Textile labor cost in developing countries is much lower than in

developed countries
Labor Cost Comparison[per Hour], (in US $)

30
25.6
25 Developing
18.5
Countries
20
15.7
15 12.4 11.9
10.7
10

5
1.4 [VALUE].0 0.5 0.5 0.4
0

4
Source: Werner International Managing Consultants
Specific Electricity Consumption
Integrated, dyeing and finishing and man-made fiber mills

Min Max

0.6
Man-made fiber
Textile subsectors

2.9

0.28
Dyeing and finishing
12.6

0.37
Integrated textile mills
1.2

0 5 10 15
Specific electricity consumption (MWh/ton)

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Energy and Environmental Issues in Textile
Industry
Energy Consumption In Textile Processing
Wet Processing

16% Spinning
48%

Stats remain same

Source : Chandran et al , SITRA, 1997

Weaving
36% Textile industry retains a record of the lowest
efficiency in energy utilization and is one of the major
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energy consuming industry.
New Technology: Energy Consumption

•Supercritical Dyeing Technique

1. Innovative technique,
2. Conserves thermal energy
3. Fabric is dried as at end of process CO2 is released in
gaseous state

•Ultrasonic Assisted Wet Processing

1. Ultrasound equipment installed in existing machines
2. Offers improved performance
3. Fabric preparation and dyeing without impairing properties of
processed materials

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 Cleaner Production Approach

A Textile Processor has to be Lean, Efficient and Innovative

Lean Good housekeeping, Conservation,

Control

Efficient “Right in First Time”

Approach, Mechanical/ Chemical/ Water/
Energy/ Audits, Optimization/
Rationalization.

Innovative Reuse, Recovery, and Recycle Initiative

Process Change,
“Informed” Equipment Selection.

Productivity and Environmental consideration will remain Inseparable

 Recent Improvement in World Textile
Industry
• Selection of Dyes
New brands requiring less energy and having high exhaust
properties….. (Metal content…market request are broadening)
Lab/R&D investigation needed
• Recipe
Size
Dye
Use of catalysts has been one initiative to minimize consumption of
chemicals

Computer Based Selection, Expert System, Databases, Factsheets

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 Recent Improvement in World Textile
Industry (cont’d)
“De-Facto” Emergence of process standards
E.g. Parcom recommendations
Starch-PVA/CMC………..?
CL2 Bleach-Peroxide Bleach………..
Recovery of caustic in merceriser
Low MLR Dyeing (Ultra Low)…………?
Recovery of chemicals in stentors………….?
Avoiding of Harmful Substances
PCP
Formaldehyde
Benserine Based Dyes
Substitution of non-biodegradables to degradable’s
………Sandoz RDT dyes 10
Recent Improvement in World Textile
Industry (cont’d)
Game of Eco-Labelling Textile, Trade and Environment
• Carpet
Govt-label, Belgium/Europe

•Textile products
OKO-TEX-Lable (100), Austria
MST: German Standard
STE/LMANN: Germany
MVT: Germany
Red List: UK/EEC

Cleaner Fashion: “Criteria for buying conditions”

 Comparison with Benchmarks: Thermal
Energy Consumption
Specific fuel consumption for
dyeing and finishing process
Country/institutions (GJ ton/Product)

Quantity

UKa 1.5 -20

UNIDOb 14-63
Tong-Niu (with old dyeing machine) 93
Tong-Niu (with new dyeing machine 8.2

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Source: aETBPP(2000), bUNIDO(http://www.unido.org)
 Technology Breakthrough….
Dyeing- “Air Dyeing Technology”. --- Currently used only in US
Air Dyeing Technology is a dyeing process that uses air instead of water to dye
•
garments, allowing companies to create garments with vivid designs and colors,
without polluting water and environment
Benefits of Air Dyeing Technology.

250000 1400000 70000

60000

Energy (Mega joules)

Water (gallons)

1200000

Greenhouse Gas
200000
1000000 50000
150000 40000
800000
100000 600000 30000

400000 20000
50000
200000 10000
0
0 0

(a) (b) (c)

Wet Dye Air Dye
Comparison of Air Dyeing and Traditional Wet Dyeing process for 25,000 medium men’s t-shirts.
(a) Water (gallons);(b) Energy (Mega joules);(c) Greenhouse Gas (kg Co2 equivalent emissions).
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No future for cotton.. Alternative and
better fibers
• High Risk, New Options” centers on
assumption that scarcity of resources is a
serious problem.

• Potential scarce resources crucial for clothing

production include water, energy, natural
fibres and oil for production of artificial fibres.

• A shortage in natural fibres can be caused by

rivalry in production between textile fibres,
bio-fuel and food.

• Alternative fibers such as bamboo and hemp

are coming into greater use in so-called eco-
fashions.

• Smart Materials… nano fabrics 14

 Progress in Recycled Polyester
• Recycled plastic bottle fleece for men.
• Made from an average of 10 plastic bottles
• Chopping up used plastic bottles into flakes
• Melting them and then squeezing them are collected
Used
through tiny holes to make a polyester yarn Plastic washed and
Bottles sorted Smashed into
• Yarn is then woven into fleece fabric. tiny flakes
• Recycled polyester is part of M&S Plan A
commitment to ensuring that key raw
materials come from most sustainable
Achievement:
M & S have recycled 37 Million plastic
bottles into polyester for clothing and home
wear
Which are made
And turned into an into polyester
M&S fleece fiber
then spun into yarn
to be woven and
knitted 15
 That’s it !
It’s Question Time!!

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