About Sustainable Textiles

Despite the trend factor being green is these days, there is no denying the fact that sustainability is the future of textile production. Organic production and green materials are on the rise in the design world. Many showrooms, like Pollack, are working towards earning LEED accreditation for some of their patterns. What does this mean, though? What is LEED and how are "organic" textiles different than non-organic?

Surprisingly, one of the most environmentally detrimental aspects of textile production is the processes of shipping materials and generating ideas. Concepts for patterns do not just happen and in a month's time woven into yards of fabric. They take years of mailing colorways, weaving methods, printing processes, and samples. This is not to mention that once a pattern is finalized, the cost of production and shipping to designer's offices and then onto upholstery houses and on down the design line adds up quickly. Aside from transportation and it's environmental impact, the processes of dying fabrics is having a negative impact as well. Synthetic materials such as polyester, nylon, rayon, acrylic, and carbon fibers are costly to produce and do not biodegrade well.

There are three pillars that must remain in balance on the road towards sustainability: people, profit, and planet. It would appear that profit has been the culprit of the unbalanced system of production, with people following in step, and the planet in last place. What companies are working towards today is to equal out these three elements of textile production. Below are some steps the industry is taking to balance the pillars.

• Cultivating cotton organically (minimal pesticide use)
• Recycling cotton and polyester
• Incorporating Bamboo fibers within the textile
• Incorporating organic wool and silk, corn and soy bean fibers, and hemp
• Reducing the use of wet processing (dying method)
• Bio Processing (adding a materials natural living organisms to process
• Creating textiles and wallcoverings that do not require backings or special aftercare treatments
• Europe has one of the strongest environmental protection program set up in the world, although it is expensive to ship to and from, the textiles produced there are heavily monitored for green design.
• Designing using the Cradle - to - Cradle guidelines

Another method - and one that is both good for the environment and local economy - is to outsource local artisans and materials. What materials can be found here in New York State and the country as a whole?


Below are links to government sites regarding organic outlines and strong green design textile lines:

http://www.usgbc.org/

Here you will find information on what it takes to get LEED certified. In 2004, the LEED CI certification was established for commercial interiors.

http://www.contracttextiles.org/

bluesign is a green production monitor that begins before the production on the textile begins.  They essentially walk alongside the production line keeping a close eye on how things are being done and stepping in when methods turn environmentally dangerous.

Textiles with the made in Green symbol are free from harmful pesticides and materials. The method of production was environmentally safe and the workers who labored over the textiles were treated fairly.

Textile Lines:

True Textiles
Climatex
Mod Green Pod
O ECOTEXTILES
Harmony Art
Green Sage Store
Live Textiles
Hable Construction



References:
http://smartextiles.co.uk/overview/application/sustainability/
http://knol.google.com/k/environmental-friendly-textiles-a-road-to-sustainability#


-Hayden Manders