In this conclusion to a three-part series, we present the final installment of our coverage of the NeoCon 2015 “Smart Textiles for Modern Environments” seminar led by Deb Barrett, a leading window fashion design expert, trend strategist, and principal of Window Dressings. Part I focused on the basics of fabric and fabric selection, while Part II provided a comprehensive guide to the newest cutting edge technologies being applied to create “smart” textiles, as well as examples of these new “smart” textiles. This week, we’ll address sustainability issues specific to the textiles industry.
Ever since the idea of sustainability entered into the public discourse, accurate and consistent terminology has been a problem. This is understandable, as all new issues of focus must come into clearer focus over time. Still, “green” textiles, “sustainable” textiles, and “organic” textiles, or green/sustainable/organic distinctions of any kind, are often tossed around so interchangeably that it can be difficult to understand the differences.
To put it simply:
Green textiles are perceived to be beneficial to the environment. [Source: Association of Contract Textiles (ACT)]
>Sustainable textiles incorporate or relate to a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged. A sustainable product is a product that has no negative impact on natural ecosystems or resources. [Source: Association of Contract Textiles (ACT)]
>Organic fabrics involve fertilizers or pesticides of animal or vegetable origin, as distinguished from manufactured chemicals.
Ms. Barrett outlined three major criteria that true “green” textiles incorporate to gain that “green” distinction: materials, process, and facilities.
>Materials: The raw material criterion can be met in one of two ways – by using energy saving recycled materials, or by manufacturing biodegradable fibers. If the raw material is a naturally grown fiber, it must be a quickly renewable resource and also be grown without or with minimal harmful pesticides, chemicals and fertilizers.
>Process: This refers to the series of actions needed to achieve a final textile as well as the environmental aspects of manufacturing. From yarn dying and spinning to weaving and finishing the fabric, no harmful chemicals are involved. The manufacturing facility must comply with environmental protection laws governing energy conservation, water treatment and chemical regulation.
>Facilities: Working conditions, public health, and implementation of green programs are examples of facility and social responsibility concerns. Manufacturers must comply with fundamental human rights laws for improved working conditions.
The facilities criteria also brings up an additional distinction, between organic fabric and fair trade fabric. While organic fabric is created from fibers which are produced and processed using purely natural methods, fair trade fabric has been produced by workers employed under good (fair) working and living conditions.
How do we know which products are truly organic and which ones are truly fair trade? Certification programs, of course! Designers looking for organic fabrics should look for products with the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), EU Ecolabel, and/or Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certifications. Fair trade certification standards are issued from the World Fair Trade Organization and Fairtrade International. These certifications programs come in addition to many other programs and organizations that measure sustainability, including: LEED, Green Globes, NAHB, FACTS, GREENGUARD, and MBDC Cradle to Cradle (C2C).
10 Questions to Ask Your Suppliers When Spec’ing Green:
- Does your company have an internal environmental policy?
- Is the finished product tested or certified by any third party certifiers or agencies? Which ones?
- What’s the product’s life expectancy?
- Does the product contain recycled content? If so how much is post consumer and post industrial?
- Can you provide performance statistics if the product consumes energy while functioning?
- Is scrap material from the process recycled or reused? Do you have programs to reduce other manufacturing waste and pollutants?
- Does the product negatively impact indoor air quality when installed?
- How is the product packaged? Is any of the packaging reused?
- How are the raw materials transported to the factory? How fast do they travel? Does your distributor use efficient shipping methods?
- Does your product foresee innovations in the product that will lower its environmental impact?
Aside from terminology confusion, an issue called greenwashing also plagues the sustainability movement. When sustainable issues first became concerning to the public, some corporations, not anxious to alter their operations, instead implemented the use of “green” marketing and advertising as a means to mask and soften their images.
Greenwashing, a term coined in 1986 by New York environmentalist Jay Westerfield, is the practice of pretending that a product or material is environmentally friendly when in fact it is not, and the link is very tenuous. Greenwashing often manifests in changing the name or label of a product to evoke the feeling of nature. An example would be the hotel industry’s practice of placing “green” placards in each room promoting reuse of towels to “save the environment.”
What many companies fail to realize, Ms. Barrett pointed out, is that they’re spending significantly more money and/or time on advertising being green rather than spending resources on environmentally sound practices. Still, its prevalence in advertising and public spaces of all kinds continues to dupe consumers. This is not to say that many companies aren’t now making great strides to truly environmentally positive practices; but, incidences of greenwashing are still on the rise.
One innovative way to spotlight particularly egregious examples, and to train your own eye to spot greenwashing techniques is by visiting the Greenwashing Index, a website that allows consumers to post ads that might be examples of greenwashing and rate them on a scale of 1 to 5. A 1 rating is a little green lie; 5 is an outright falsehood.
Ms. Barrett highlighted research indicating that consumers are content to simply “feel” more green as a result of greenwashing in advertising, and don’t actually feel compelled to pay more for more environmentally sounds products. In this way, many companies are winning with greenwashing-based strategies.
On the flipside, one positive manufacturing process many companies are using today is upcycling. Coined by William McDonough and Michael Braungart, upcycing refers to the re-use of waste materials by turning them into different and useful new products of higher value. Ms. Barrett referenced Modern Fabrics, an online shop for reclaimed high-end interior textiles created by James Powell, as a champion of this practice. Giving new meaning to dumpster diving, Modern Fabrics collects up to a hundred bolts of fabrics per week from furniture manufacturers. The online shop then lets interior designers and textile artists browse the site for surplus scores by such designers as Kravet, Pollack and KnollTextiles at highly discounted prices.
Interior designers do have some power over the types of products they’re specing, but the list of factors that can affect a fabric’s sustainability level can be overwhelming. When specing sustainable products, a few things to keep in mind include:
>What impact will the cloth have on the environment?
>Are the fibers replenishable?
>Was it processed with fewest chemical possible?
>How is it processed?
>How is it finished?
>What is its useful life span?
>Can it be recycled and reused?
>Is it biodegradeable?
>How will the fabric be fabricated, or applied to another product?
The sustainability movement will continue to grow both in prevalence and complexity. One of the best ways interior designers and architects can stay current in best practices and new product innovations is to get involved in the conversation; attend seminars, continue learning about new processes and new products, and strive to spec those products in their work.