{"id":273907,"date":"2024-03-20T16:24:24","date_gmt":"2024-03-20T15:24:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/footbridge-impact.com\/?p=273907"},"modified":"2025-04-17T16:58:34","modified_gmt":"2025-04-17T14:58:34","slug":"why-is-the-textile-industry-so-polluting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/footbridge-impact.com\/en\/why-is-the-textile-industry-so-polluting\/","title":{"rendered":"Why is the textile industry so polluting?"},"content":{"rendered":"

When it comes to tackling the environmental impact<\/strong> of a garment, it’s essential to understand not only the major environmental issues in the textile industry<\/strong>, but also the reality on the ground at each stage of manufacture, use, and end-of-life. The textile industry<\/strong>, in particular, is one of the most polluting industries<\/strong> in the world, and to understand why, it’s essential to analyze each phase of its life cycle.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a complex issue because calculating a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is one thing (not so simple \u2013 we will come back to that). But just staying behind an Excel spreadsheet will never solve any problems. Doing better involves being on the ground, in contact with those who are skilled, and thinking together about how to improve the environmental footprint<\/strong> of the textile sector<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Currently, many believe that to be \u2018green,\u2019 one should use recycled materials\u2026 Of course, this is a promising avenue, but it\u2019s only one of the solutions to the pollution from the textile industry<\/strong>, for several reasons:<\/p>\n

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  1. It is indeed a major challenge of our decade. But as of now, there are no operational circular industries in Europe capable of handling large volumes in an optimized way to be economically viable and provide a good quality level. Numerous initiatives are underway, be it in mechanical recycling or clean chemical recycling, but we still need to be patient.<\/li>\n
  2. Recycling potentially toxic materials makes no sense unless we can address the problem during the recycling process, noting that this process must, of course, be clean.<\/li>\n
  3. Plastic bottle factories have been set up in China to reuse these new bottles and make recycled polyester yarn! So, when choosing a recycled material, it’s essential to trace the supply chain and identify the processes used.<\/li>\n
  4. Today, over 95% of the textile products sold are made with ‘virgin’ materials. So, if we truly want to tackle the problem, we must FIRST deal with the impact of raw materials.<\/li>\n
  5. In any case, the need for virgin raw materials will remain huge, even if circular industries develop.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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    Sommaire<\/p>\n<\/span><\/div>\n