Denim production in Pakistan: Environmental Impacts, Strategies, and Future Directions
Denim is one of the most popular and ubiquitous fabrics globally, and the fashion industry heavily relies on it. However, the production of denim has a significant environmental impact, from water usage to chemical pollution. Therefore, the need for sustainable denim production has become more pressing as the world moves towards more sustainable practices. In the last Premier Vision Denim fair in Milan we met many Pakistani realities selling denim. This article aims to explore the challenges faced by Pakistan in achieving sustainable denim production and the strategies employed to overcome them. Denim in Pakistan: A Blue Gold Rush Pakistan is the third largest preferred cotton-producing countries* in 2019/2020, after Brazil…
Microfibers and microplastics from textile materials: what are they and how to reduce them?
Thanks to two interesting studies*, reviewing the research on microfibres and microplastics, we try to shed light on a topic more and more preoccupying. The increase in the production of textile fibers in the last 20 years, in particular of synthetic ones, and the discoveries on the effects they have on man and the environment place more and more attention on the subject. Fiber fragments released from clothing and home textiles during washing, drying and use are considered a new source of environmental pollution and a health threat. What are microfibres? What size are they? “Microfibre” is a consolidated term in the textile industry to indicate fibers between 10 and…
Biodesign: the possible future of fashion
We are being urged to reconsider what we eat, how we travel, and what we buy to lessen our collective environmental impact, which is frequently marketed under the term “sustainability.” But shouldn’t sustainability be fundamentally incorporated into how things are designed and made if we’re going to drastically reduce climate impact on the scale necessary to stop climate change? What environmentally friendly way to create houses, clothes, cars, and food? Following nature’s blueprint and incorporating biological systems into the creation of objects, according to a growing community of designers and scientists, will help ensure that they are symbiotic with our planet rather than parasitic or polluting it. Let’s get deep…
What are our clothes made of?
What fibers make up our garments? What are the clothes of Zara, Mango, H&M and other fast fashion brands made of? How much are the clothes we throw away actually reusable and recyclable? About 550 kg of clothes were analyzed in the first ever study on fibers thrown into textile collection containers. Developed by INTEXTER * of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)) and student Beatriz Rodríguez of ESEIAAT **, the study is included in the report Análisis de la recogida de la ropa usada en España (Analysis of the collection of used clothing in Spain)***. Analyzing the composition of the textile products in the bins through an innovative methodology,…
- Companies / Aziende, Environment/Ambiente, Fabrics/Tessuti, Fashion/Moda, Modern slavery / Schiavitù moderna
The impact of leather and tanneries: what we don’t know and who is inside is scared of telling us
When I saw DW’s documentary on the dark side of fashion-luxury, I was sick for several days. It’s a punch in the stomach. I wanted to write about it in an article, but to do it in the best possible way I wanted to involve Francesco Gesualdi who in that documentary tells of a report made on leather and tanneries, hindered in several ways. With the aim of spreading what emerged even to those who do not have the patience to read the report to the end, I asked for his help to highlight the most relevant points, what we need to know: it is too important to be ignored…
H&M’s machine recycles used clothes in 5 hours: is this sustainable fast fashion?
The fast fashion Swedish brand H&M has found a way to avoid old clothes to be thrown away, but instead recycled to give them a new life. All of this, in just 5 hours! The brand will give the opportunity to clients to go to their Stockholm shop where they will be able to return their undesired clothes, which will then be sanitised and put inside a new machine called Looop. The machine will disassemble the fibres that will be reutilized to create new clothing items. H&M stated for CNN that these recycling process, developed together with the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA) and spinner company…
A new sustainable leather from eggplant peel: chef Omar Sartawi’s face masks
Italiano/English below Puoi ascoltare qui l’articolo: Dalla buccia di melanzane Con l’inizio della pandemia causata dal virus Covid-19, un nuovo prodotto è sotto i riflettori per via dell’impatto ambientale e la creazione di rifiuti: la mascherina per il viso. Per combattere l’utilizzo monouso delle mascherine chirurgiche, difficili da riciclare e inquinanti per l’ambiente, e il conseguente aumento di rifiuti, sono spuntate nuove e diverse idee per creare mascherine riutilizzabili e più ecosostenibili. Mentre cotone biologico e canapa sono le alternative più utilizzate, non avremmo mai pensato che una soluzione potesse arrivare dagli avanzi delle nostre cucine! Infatti lo chef giordano Omar Sartawi ha aggiunto un nuovo materiale nel mix dei prodotti…
- Companies / Aziende, Dove acquistare, Fabrics/Tessuti, Fashion/Moda, Modern slavery / Schiavitù moderna
More sustainable men’s T-shirts: 8 addresses where to find them and why choose them instead of traditional cotton ones
Italiano/English below Puoi ascoltare qui l’articolo: Magliette uomo Le giornate estive si avvicinano, tempo di maniche corte e di cotone. Si stimano però 2.500–2.700 litri di acqua necessari per produrre una maglietta, principalmente perché la coltivazione del cotone è ad alta intensità idrica, nella metà dei casi in aree in cui le precipitazioni piovane non sono sufficienti per la sua crescita. Oltre a sottrarre una preziosa risorsa agli essere umani, l’utilizzo intensivo di acqua sconvolge gli ecosistemi locali, con conseguenze sulle caratteristiche del suolo e sul mantenimento della biodiversità mettendo a rischio specie animali. Inoltre, la coltivazione di cotone è responsabile del consumo di fertilizzanti, pesticidi e insetticidi tossici, che…
Temperature blanket: colored threads to interpret the abstract concept of climate change
Italiano/English below pictures Puoi ascoltare qui l’articolo: Temperature blanket Un nuovo modo di diffondere il concetto di cambiamenti climatici si sta diffondendo: il progetto non convenzionale di maglieria e uncinetto Temperature blanket (coperta termica) lo traduce nella materia fatta di fili colorati. Josie George ha trovato un modo per visualizzare un concetto astratto come quello del cambiamento climatico. Mettendo a frutto la sua abilità a maglia, ha iniziato creando una sciarpa in cui ogni riga rappresenta la temperatura e il clima nella sua città. Un filo colorato indica la temperatura, una seconda riga mostra se un giorno particolare è stato nuvoloso, soleggiato, piovoso o nevoso. “Ho deciso che quest’anno, ogni giorno,…
- Circular economy, Climate change, Dress ECOde’s lifestyle, Environment/Ambiente, Fabrics/Tessuti, Fashion/Moda, Handicraft, Minimalism, Nature, Recycling/Riciclo, Responsible life / Stile di vita resp., Vintage/Second-hand
Audio-à-porter is born, the podcast of audio articles on sustainable fashion. And a contest is starting: you can participate to be a protagonist!
Italiano/English below Puoi ascoltare qui l’articolo: Audio-à-porter – Lancio e contest! L’idea nasce una sera, dopo una piacevole cena, facendo partire la ricerca di un nome appropriato relativo alla moda e alla possibilità di articoli pronti da ascoltare. Audio-à-porter è un progetto iniziato più di due mesi fa, pensando a chi dice che non ha tempo di leggere notizie e a chi desidera ascoltare e intanto informarsi mentre è in palestra, cammina, corre, si allena, viaggia, è sui mezzi di trasporto, cucina, si occupa delle faccende domestiche o nei momenti di relax. Abbiamo cominciato a inserire in ogni articolo la possibilità di ascoltarlo invece di leggerlo, semplicemente cliccando sul nome…
