5.2 Back-end approach

Within the context of this article, this is referring to sustainability initiatives which aim to minimize the environmental impact of the product and processes at the end of the textile product life cycle, e.g., at disposal. A prime example of this is exemplified in the now widespread initiatives of post-consumer textile recycling.

#### Figure 9.

Water footprint of clothing in the UK (m3) in 2012 and 2016, comparing life cycle stages. Source: Waste and resources action programme [14].

## Sustainability Initiatives in the Fashion Industry DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87062

cellulosic fiber, bearing a hefty water footprint in the harvesting process, and with petrochemical-based synthetic fibers such as polyester and nylon bearing a hefty carbon footprint in the manufacturing process [20], regenerated cellulosic fibers can prove advantageous. They have the benefit of being biodegradable and derived from natural renewable resources (i.e., Lyocell is derived from wood pulp and Seacell is derived from seaweed) via a closed-loop manufacturing process, thereby consuming far less water and energy than traditional cotton, polyester, and nylon. Both Lyocell and Seacell also naturally carry antibacterial and fast-drying proper-

A limitation of a front-end approach in tackling environmental impact is that it is still feeding more product in the fashion pipeline which will eventually end up at the end of the textile life cycle as waste by-product (even if it is biodegradable byproduct) which needs to be managed accordingly. Therefore, in the following section, we will look at an approach which tackles the by-product end of the textile

Within the context of this article, this is referring to sustainability initiatives which aim to minimize the environmental impact of the product and processes at the end of the textile product life cycle, e.g., at disposal. A prime example of this is exemplified in the now widespread initiatives of post-consumer textile recycling.

Water footprint of clothing in the UK (m3) in 2012 and 2016, comparing life cycle stages. Source: Waste and

ties, which is why they are ideal for lingerie and activewear product.

Fashion Industry - An Itinerary Between Feelings and Technology

product life cycle.

Figure 9.

14

resources action programme [14].

5.2 Back-end approach

The reason recycled textiles have become so prevalent as a strategy to minimize environmental impact is not only because of the exponential supply of textile waste driven by intensified clothing consumption but more strategically because research has shown that the fiber production stage (extraction and processing) of the textile product life cycle has the greatest environmental impact in terms of water and carbon footprint, as shown in Figures 9–10 [14]. Therefore, by recycling postconsumer textile waste back into the textile supply chain enables bypassing the heavy environmental toll of the fiber production stage.

There has been a great deal of research invested into textile recycling, from both the industry and academia. One notable advancement in textile recycling is exemplified by Garment-to-Garment (G2G) Recycle System, a closed-loop garment recycling retail concept supported by technology which enables the recycling of blended post-consumer garments, developed by HKRITA, in partnership with H&M and Novetex [21]. The Garment-to-Garment (G2G) Recycle System brings garment recycling to the retail level, therefore paving the way for garment recycling to be more accessible to the everyday consumer.

There are also several notable recycling initiatives which, instead of relying solely on post-consumer textile products, are derived from various kinds of postconsumer plastic waste. REPREVE is one example of this. Produced by the company Unifi, REPREVE is a brand of polyester fibers made from recycled post-consumer plastic waste (e.g., plastic bottles) [22]. The ability to convert various forms of

#### Figure 10.

Carbon footprint of clothing in the UK (t CO2e) in 2016, by process. Source: Waste and resources action programme [14].

plastic waste into usable polyester textile fibers has the benefit of resourcefulness. Even though the conversion from post-consumer plastic waste to fiber requires energy and water input for the manufacturing process, according to Unifi, it is reportedly much less than that required for virgin polyester (energy consumption is 45% less, water consumption is almost 20% less, and over 30% less greenhouse gas emissions).

Over the past decade, there have been many encouraging advancements which have expanded back-end approach sustainability initiatives such as textile recycling. However, there remain limitations in the current textile recycling technologies. For example, due to the need for comprehensive shredding in breaking down postconsumer textile waste, the tensile strength of recycled cotton yarns is less than that of virgin cotton [23]. Furthermore, as recycled yarns are composed of a mixture of fibers which may have undergone different dyeing and finishing processes in their last life, even after cleaning and bleaching processes, they may not be able to achieve the same hand-feel and color vibrancy possible with virgin fibers, therefore limiting its design versatility. These are some examples of limitations which could be preventing a greater adoption of textile recycling in the industry.

## 6. Conclusion

This article has attempted to provide a current and overarching view on the most concerning environmental impacts of the fashion industry today, the leading global sustainability campaigns and benchmarks and tools established to help empower the fashion industry toward concrete action and, last but not least, examples of sustainability initiatives being implemented in the industry. The fashion industry's large-scale wave of movement toward sustainability is evident; however, there remain questions and challenges to be addressed, one being how successful the "2020 commitment" goals will be, with 2020 just around the corner, and considering how potentially disruptive any kind of change is in an industry which is built on long-established processes and practices and adheres to an inflexible, tight calendar. Furthermore, as discussed in this article, the array of benchmarks and tools available for measuring environmental impact can result in a convoluted process and conflicting, inconclusive information. Such challenges may deter a company from successfully achieving concrete changes toward sustainability.

Even if companies are able to navigate through the intricacies in evaluating environmental impact of a textile product or process, it is important to remember that the textile product life cycle is never impact-free (at least not in the foreseeable future), as it relies on the environment to provide various inputs and outputs. With this reality in mind, companies may find that making small but carefully holistically considered steps in the right direction can be much more effective than larger uninformed leaps when it comes to sustainability.

Author details

17

Jennifer Xiaopei Wu and Li Li\*

Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong

Sustainability Initiatives in the Fashion Industry DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87062

provided the original work is properly cited.

\*Address all correspondence to: li.lilly@polyu.edu.hk

© 2019 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium,

## Acknowledgements

This work was funded by the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel Limited (HKRITA), grant ITP/001/18TP. We would also like to thank the team at Tory Burch LLC for sharing their insight and ideas regarding existing industry sustainability initiatives, which helped inform some of the references in this work (but are not accountable for any potential errors found in this work).

Sustainability Initiatives in the Fashion Industry DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87062

plastic waste into usable polyester textile fibers has the benefit of resourcefulness. Even though the conversion from post-consumer plastic waste to fiber requires energy and water input for the manufacturing process, according to Unifi, it is reportedly much less than that required for virgin polyester (energy consumption is 45% less, water consumption is almost 20% less, and over 30% less greenhouse gas

Fashion Industry - An Itinerary Between Feelings and Technology

Over the past decade, there have been many encouraging advancements which have expanded back-end approach sustainability initiatives such as textile recycling. However, there remain limitations in the current textile recycling technologies. For example, due to the need for comprehensive shredding in breaking down postconsumer textile waste, the tensile strength of recycled cotton yarns is less than that of virgin cotton [23]. Furthermore, as recycled yarns are composed of a mixture of fibers which may have undergone different dyeing and finishing processes in their last life, even after cleaning and bleaching processes, they may not be able to achieve the same hand-feel and color vibrancy possible with virgin fibers, therefore limiting its design versatility. These are some examples of limitations which could

This article has attempted to provide a current and overarching view on the most concerning environmental impacts of the fashion industry today, the leading global sustainability campaigns and benchmarks and tools established to help empower the fashion industry toward concrete action and, last but not least, examples of sustainability initiatives being implemented in the industry. The fashion industry's large-scale wave of movement toward sustainability is evident; however, there remain questions and challenges to be addressed, one being how successful the "2020 commitment" goals will be, with 2020 just around the corner, and considering how potentially disruptive any kind of change is in an industry which is built on long-established processes and practices and adheres to an inflexible, tight calendar. Furthermore, as discussed in this article, the array of benchmarks and tools available for measuring environmental impact can result in a convoluted process and conflicting, inconclusive information. Such challenges may deter a company from successfully achieving concrete changes toward sustainability. Even if companies are able to navigate through the intricacies in evaluating environmental impact of a textile product or process, it is important to remember that the textile product life cycle is never impact-free (at least not in the foreseeable future), as it relies on the environment to provide various inputs and outputs. With this reality in mind, companies may find that making small but carefully holistically considered steps in the right direction can be much more effective than larger

This work was funded by the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel Limited (HKRITA), grant ITP/001/18TP. We would also like to thank the team at Tory Burch LLC for sharing their insight and ideas regarding existing industry sustainability initiatives, which helped inform some of the references in this work (but are not accountable for any potential errors found in this work).

be preventing a greater adoption of textile recycling in the industry.

uninformed leaps when it comes to sustainability.

Acknowledgements

16

emissions).

6. Conclusion
