Eco Textile | Application or Uses of Eco-Friendly Textile

Last Updated on 19/11/2022

Eco-Friendly Textile | Application or Uses of Eco Textile

Bhavdip Paldiya
Dept. of Textile Technology
Sarvajanik College of Engineering & Technology, Surat, India
Cell: +91 9662020909
Email: bhavdipk9009@gmail.com

 

ECO-TEXTILE:
Any textile product, which is produced in eco-friendly manner and processed under eco-friendly limits. ECO-TEXTILE is also known as Ecotech, Okeotech and Eco friendly textile. Oekotech or Ecotech segment refers to use of technical textiles in Environmental Engineering.

For new clothes, if you can find clothing made out of organic cotton, hemp, bamboo, recycled polyester, or Tencel (made from wood pulp) — these are the more eco-friendly fabrics.

eco textile
Fig: Eco textile

The various geo-synthetic products used are Geotextiles, geo-synthetic clay liners, geo grids, geomembranes and various specialized geo composites.

Other potential Oekotech application areas of geosynthetic products such as landscaping (golf courses, ponds, etc.), mine rehabilitation, tunnel linings, etc. do not represent recurring usage currently in India.

USES AREAS OF ECO FRIENDLY TEXTILE

  1. The primary segment in this is Landfill waste management which refers to the use of Geo-synthetic products to secure landfills against leakage of municipal or hazardous waste.
  2. Other areas include secondary protection in chemical/oil industries (ground covers and the like around process tanks for secondary containment).
  3. Floor sealing, erosion protection, air cleaning, prevention of water pollution, water cleaning, waste treatment/recycling, depositing area construction, product extraction, domestic water sewerage plants, etc…

NEED FOR ECO-TEXTILE

  1. Need to believe in environmental sustainability taking incremental steps in supply chain processes to make it happen.
  2. Need to be aware about the social, economical and ecological benefits of environmentally sustainable product development processes.

Use of Eco Textiles Fibers – Related Industries

  1. Fashion and Apparel Industry
  2. Home Furnishing and Textile Industry
  3. Hygiene and Health Care Industry
  4. Packaging Industry – “Eco Packaging” an Important Feature
  5. Growing Recycling Industry- Generating Rural Employments
  6. Medical Textiles Industry – Growing Opportunities‘

You may also like: Ecotech or Oekotech (Ecological Protection Textile)

CLASSIFICATION – Eco Friendly Textile Fibers

Classification of ecotextile
Fig: Classification of ecotextile

Other Eco friendly Fibers – New Innovations

  1. Bamboo
  2. Corn Fiber
  3. Soy Bean Fibers
  4. Pinapple Fibers
  5. Banana Leaf Fibers
  6. Black Diomand Fibers
  7. Lyocell

Bamboo Fabric

  • Bamboo: Bamboo receives lots of eco-buzz because it’s easy to grow without pesticides and is quick to replenish itself.
  • It’s when the processing starts that it potentially loses its eco status: “Bamboo can be beautiful, and is a very soft fabric, but there’s a chemical component to the manufacture that’s pretty toxic,” says Grand.
bamboo fabric
Fig: Bamboo fabric

SOY FABRIC

  1. Soy fabric is made from the by products of soy oil processing and is a good option for underwear and bras because its long fibres make it soft and silky.
  2. Just make sure your soy fabric is certified organic, sustainable, and eco-friendly. Also check you aren’t getting a less-eco “soy blend” that includes polyester and inorganic cotton in the mix.
Soy Fabric
Fig: Soy Fabric

Important environmental concerns related to textile wet processing:

  • Chemical intensive wet processing – scouring, bleaching, mercerizing, dyeing, printing etc.
  • Heavy metals – iron, copper, lead etc, found in dyestuffs auxiliaries, binders etc.
  • Residual dyestuffs, chemicals in water: due to poor fixation of colors.
  • PVC and phthalates: used in plastisol printing paste.
  • Formaldehyde : found in dispersing agents, printing
  • Paste and colorant fixatives.

ECO-FRIENDLY MATERIAL FOR CONSTRUCTION

ECO-FRIENDLY MATERIAL
Fig: Ecofriendly material for construction

MARKET SIZE OF ECO-TEXTILES
The current market size of Oekotech segment is estimated at Rs 68 Crore. The market is expected to grow based on spends on municipal waste disposal in accordance with Municipal Solid Wastes (Management & Handling) Rules, 2000, as well as greater awareness and government activity on Hazardous Waste in accordance with Supreme Court Guidelines.

Market of ecotextile
Fig: Market of ecotextile

Technical textiles consumption under Agrotech in India is estimated at around Rs 487 crore. Fishing nets constitute over 90% of the Agrotech technical textiles usage valued at Rs 442 crore in 2007-08 and are expected to grow at 5 % year on year for the next five years.

You may also like:

  1. Sustainable Fashion: Is It Really Sustaining
  2. Promising Strategies in Sustainable Textiles and Clothing
  3. Impacts of Sustainability in Apparel Retail Supply Chain
  4. Environmental Impact of Fast Fashion Industry
  5. An Overview of Eco-friendly Fashion
  6. Green Chemistry and Its Application in Textile Industry

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