Eco-responsibility and innovation are facing new challenges
From nylon to leather and skinwear, three case studies illustrate the industry’s latest moves towards a more responsible future.
On September 8th, three eco-responsibility players met at the Interfilière forum to discuss the future of the sector. As recent years have shown, the textile industry can no longer afford to pass on sustainable creation, a conversation that is now well established but requires constant updating and strict applications in order to pursue its road towards new dynamics and standards.
Eco-conceived nylon is ready to take the market
For Giovanni Henssen, Development and Sustainability Manager at Fibrant BV, a firm that developed responsible nylon EcoLactam®, the problem needs to be tackled at the source. “To improve the sustainability of nylon-based garments you have to work on knitting, finishing, transport etc, but if you want to make a big move, you tackle the base.” Meaning the very composition of the fibers, which at EcoLactam® are made from high-viscosity polymers. “Nylon is notorious for its technical properties and its high footprint. It represents 5% of the fibers produced worldwide, and the group to which we belong covers 25% of its global consumption. If we can multiply to the scale, we can have a real impact on the market.”
Tomorrow’s skinwear will be eco-sourced
For Serena Benedetti, founder of the skinwear brand Akimba, combining innovation and sustainability is both a challenge and a great opportunity. “We all need to find the right partners and do our part to understand and adopt new processes.” Akimba’s products are at the crossroads of bra and bralettes, made of a castor seed based fabric that offers as much support as any of its synthetic equivalents. She added an absorbing technology to the armpits, made of bamboo or beech wood. “We have to accept that nothing can be 100% sustainable. But if we want to keep this dynamic going, we have to tackle the technical fabrics.” That is to say the nerve of tomorrow’s fashion.
Akimba - The Fresh Bra ™ Iconic
A virtuous leather circle
Somewhere between the food and textile industries, leather is one of the most sensitive issues when it comes to sustainability. According to Jan Willem Richelmann, improving its carbon footprint will necessarily involve an in-depth discussion around local economies and animal welfare. At CBI, the Center for the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries, he works alongside 15 Ethiopian SMEs, supporting their transition to more sustainable standards in order to enter the European market. “We’ve identified many unique qualities in local highland sheep, he says. Their skin is fine, supple, very soft and strongly resistant. Until now, they were only bred for their milk and their meat. Using their skins not only improves the way they are treated – since the skins need to remain intact – but also implies a long-term support of a local business, 80% of which is ran by women. It is now ready to be exported globally.”
Three examples among many others, each in its own way illustrating one of the supply’s chain problems. And a proof that each side of the industry should work towards a more sustainable approach, simultaneously and, of course, without ever ceasing to innovate.
