Cotton is a fiber that can most likely be found in the majority of items in your closet, seeing as it is the most used fiber on the planet. The problem that we face today with cotton is the production method. It can be expensive to produce and can create many problems in the environment. The key is to find the most sustainable way to produce it.
According to The sustainability of cotton: Consequences for man and environment, cotton is produced in over 100 countries. Of those countries 6 of them produce over 78% of all cotton, China being the top producer with 24% of the worlds total. Cotton can be a rather difficult crop to grow because it is sensitive to drought, low temperatures and attacks by various insects. Every country faces different climates so this can make the production easier or more difficult for certain countries. Water use and pesticide use create the most environmental problems in cotton production. Some countries can be more efficient in the production due to better technology. Another issue is whether organic or conventional cotton is more environmentally beneficial. A majority of cotton(80%) is produced under conventional farm management. But is that a good thing for our environment? Organic farming is a certified type of production, which can be beneficial because it is easier for retailers and consumers to understand the history of the produce and that causes them to make inferences about environmental impact. For some countries, like the USA and Australia, conventional farming can also be classified as organic but the pesticide use may still be high. However, for developing countries conventional farming is anything but sustainable. By increasing organic cotton in rain-fed regions, it will save on water use and no pesticides will be used. Our reading from last week, Fashion Sustainability and Textiles, talks about how more and more people are converting to organic farming and that organic farming can significantly reduce the use of water and pesticides in cotton growing. I think that increasing organic farming will be the most beneficial option for our environment but for best results it needs to be produced in the proper environment and climate.
The golden age of water is over, according to the video Cotton and Water: White, Blue and Green. In the video they focus on the environmental problems caused by the production of cotton specifically in terms of the lack of water access. The world's most precious natural resource, water, is becoming more precious than ever. The cotton industry is trying to discover inventive ways to use far less water in the production process in factories and the field. Cotton farming now has undergone a dramatic change within the last 8 years. Cotton farmers in the US have developed a new irrigation system where water is delivered directly to the soil unlike old sprinkler system. It has underground pipes that deliver the water to the cotton plat directly. This has saved a lot of water use but is creating other problems. Now, they have to figure out a way to pump less out of the ground because it is getting too expensive. The ultimate goal is to produce varieties of cotton that are far less thirsty and require half as much as they are using now. Scientists believe that you must set a high goal if you want a large impact. In factories, companies in china and india have created high tech textile manufacturing method that uses vibrating membranes that removes indigo moleules after dying so the same water can be used again and again. This system recycles at least 80% of the water and saves 20,00 gallons of water everyday. This video provides many solutions to cut back on water use in the field and in production. It also provides many ideas of ways that technology is still advancing to cut back more because water is becoming more and more limited so we must take action before it becomes a crisis.
Based on my professional opinion, I think that the cultivation of cotton can be sustainable if you do it the proper way. When it comes to organic or conventional farming I think each have their pros and cons but I think we should start seeing a shift more toward organic farming because it has more benefits for everyone. However, I think the key is putting these ideas and suggestions form the reading and video to action. If everyone does their part I believe we will see a significant improvement.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Friday, February 3, 2012
Natural's Not Always Best
People, especially designers, are becoming more and more aware of the issues we face with environmental sustainability in clothing production. The questions we face today are how to solve the problem? And is one solution better than the other? When it comes to using natural v. synthetic fibers there seems to be many different opinions as to which is better. I overheard a coworker explaining that she prefers to use natural fibers over synthetic because they are "natural" and inherently sustainable. I can see where she is coming from that because it is "natural" it has to be better for the environment, right? However, that is not always the case. Synthetic fibers have their perks as well.
I was unaware, as stated in Fashion Sustainability and Textiles, that cotton and polyester account for 80% of the textiles used worldwide today, which leaves us with very little diversity. Producing 1 kg of cotton uses as much as 8000 liters of water. In the past decade they have converted to using more organic cotton, to reduce pesticide and water use, rather than conventional cotton. Manufacturing 1kg of polyester consumes twice the energy needed to make the same amount of cotton. A shift from polyester to renewable and biodegradable fibers could bring benefits. Fibers such as wool and those made from materials like corn starch would reduce our oil dependency. The result would help reduce consumption but it would also create a more diverse and locally sensitive agriculture, more regional fibers, more healthy and socially robust environments and open up more job opportunities. While the production of cotton uses a great amount of water and pesticides, manufactured fibers also how their negatives. Manufactured fibers such as polyester nylon and acrylic use a lot of energy and chemicals that pollute the environment. Both natural and synthetic fibers have pros and cons, but the most impact lies in consumer care. It takes both changes in the production and the consumer to make a different in the environmental problems today.
In the video Textile Exchange, Charline Ducas makes some interesting opening points when discussing the environment and improving the production of fibers. She addresses six ways to be more sustainable including:
1. Reducing, recycling and upcycling
2. Renewable
3. Re-exploring naturals
4. Doing more for less
5. Water-less
6. New-ways
Ducas emphasized the most on "re-exploring naturals" and "doing more for less." In "re-exploring naturals" she explains how we like naturals, like cotton, because they are comfortable and no man-made fiber has been known to provide that kind of comfort. However, natural fibers might not always be the most efficient method. In "doing more for less" she explains how we can be more clever with the way we produce textiles. For instance, she talks about Clariant advanced denim and how it is a more efficient way to dye clothing. I do agree that there are definitely ways we can get creative with production methods to be more efficient.
I don't particularly think that one is better than the other when it comes to using natural or synthetic fibers. Both have proven to have their benefits and downsides. I think it all comes down to getting creative with better production methods from the use of technology and putting our minds together. I, as a designer, will continue to use both natural and synthetic fibers but I will try to think of more clever ways to produce the clothing to benefit our environment.
I was unaware, as stated in Fashion Sustainability and Textiles, that cotton and polyester account for 80% of the textiles used worldwide today, which leaves us with very little diversity. Producing 1 kg of cotton uses as much as 8000 liters of water. In the past decade they have converted to using more organic cotton, to reduce pesticide and water use, rather than conventional cotton. Manufacturing 1kg of polyester consumes twice the energy needed to make the same amount of cotton. A shift from polyester to renewable and biodegradable fibers could bring benefits. Fibers such as wool and those made from materials like corn starch would reduce our oil dependency. The result would help reduce consumption but it would also create a more diverse and locally sensitive agriculture, more regional fibers, more healthy and socially robust environments and open up more job opportunities. While the production of cotton uses a great amount of water and pesticides, manufactured fibers also how their negatives. Manufactured fibers such as polyester nylon and acrylic use a lot of energy and chemicals that pollute the environment. Both natural and synthetic fibers have pros and cons, but the most impact lies in consumer care. It takes both changes in the production and the consumer to make a different in the environmental problems today.
In the video Textile Exchange, Charline Ducas makes some interesting opening points when discussing the environment and improving the production of fibers. She addresses six ways to be more sustainable including:
1. Reducing, recycling and upcycling
2. Renewable
3. Re-exploring naturals
4. Doing more for less
5. Water-less
6. New-ways
Ducas emphasized the most on "re-exploring naturals" and "doing more for less." In "re-exploring naturals" she explains how we like naturals, like cotton, because they are comfortable and no man-made fiber has been known to provide that kind of comfort. However, natural fibers might not always be the most efficient method. In "doing more for less" she explains how we can be more clever with the way we produce textiles. For instance, she talks about Clariant advanced denim and how it is a more efficient way to dye clothing. I do agree that there are definitely ways we can get creative with production methods to be more efficient.
I don't particularly think that one is better than the other when it comes to using natural or synthetic fibers. Both have proven to have their benefits and downsides. I think it all comes down to getting creative with better production methods from the use of technology and putting our minds together. I, as a designer, will continue to use both natural and synthetic fibers but I will try to think of more clever ways to produce the clothing to benefit our environment.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Keeping Up with Fashion, While Keeping Up with Sustanability
People today have one main concern when it comes to fashion, and that is staying on top of the current trends. Everyone gets so wrapped up in the latest trends and looking good, that we forget to take other very important aspects into consideration. It is important that consumers and designers start looking at fashion in terms of sustainability. The way we produce, use and dispose of our clothing has got to see a change or it could cause some serious environmental problems, more than we already have. Luckily, Fashion Sustainability and Pricing Environmental Impacts: A Tale of Two T-shirts, gives us some great insight on how to make these changes.
Fashion Sustainability reminds us that these challenges we face in the clothing industry are not new but there are ways to improve them. This reading shows all of the stages of a typical item of clothing and explains how impacts can be reduces at each stage. Some of the main issues we face are pesticide and energy use in cotton growing, animal cruelty, fashion consumption, working conditions, unsustainable man-made fibers, energy consumed during clothing care and the disposal of clothing. Some great solutions to these problems are given, solutions that will work with the help of the retailer and consumer. Cotton has raised many issues lately. The use of pesticides and the amount of water it takes to grow cotton is causing many problems. One solution they have given is to produce organic cotton and use proper irrigation to limit the use of water and energy. The use of oil based materials have been used as a solution because they are more energy saving and durable but the downfall is they take a longer time to degrade. One of the main key solutions is to raise awareness of the issues we are facing. Many people have no idea about how much trouble we could soon be in if we don't make changes. By raising awareness consumers can be more conscious decisions and change certain habits. It is also very important to have a transparent supply chain so that everything is traceable back to the source. This will allow them to make sure high standards of sustainability are being enforced. In order to convert to sustainable practices along the supply chain support is needed to ensure that it will work. Ultimately, it is up to the designer. It is up to the designer to promote sustainable solutions and encourage consumers that is it desirable, comfortable and stylish. After all, the consumers main concern is keeping up with the latest trends.
Fashion Sustainability and ESMA "Promising Interventions" both offer valuable advice as to improving the way we care for clothing today. One issue that they both touch on is the use of water efficency. In the Fashion Sustainability reading it discusses how it takes millions of tons of water to produce enough cotton to make 1 pair of jeans. This is a total waste of cotton and energy. As a solution, they state that irrigating cotton can be useful when harvesting and drip irrigation are combined. While this is a good solution ESMA goes on to say that investment in science and technology could help increase water efficiency in growing agriculture. These two solutions go hand in hand. Another topic that both reading discuss is making people aware of the issues. ESMA talks about the importance of access to knowledge about the history of the eco system in order to effectively manage and take control of the issues. While Fashion Sustainability, states that raising awareness is key because there needs to be an understanding of the problem among the industry and consumers in order to make necessary changes. They both discuss that increased transparency is key. They both talk about how it will allow more participation and will be good for tracking information. The solutions in Fashion Sustainability contribute to ESMA in many ways and it was great to see how each of them looked at the issue a little bit differently.
In the reading Pricing Environmental Impacts: A Tale of Two T-shirts, they have discover a way to translate life-cycle analysis into monetary costs. The whole idea behind their method it to evaluate what the environmental cost on a product when producing it. They give a dollar amount to the impact the product had on the environment. I think this is a good method to use when comparing two similar products. This method considers externalities which is very helpful. Externalities are environmental costs that aren't under control of the manufacturer. These externalities allocate the cost to specific stages of a production cycle. In their comparison it shows that it is more cost efficient to produce and organic cotton t-shirt rather than conventional cotton. I think their costing method could actually be very beneficial and it is a tool that can be used by management under the right circumstance, like here, where they are comparing two like options.
I believe that these issues stated in Fashion Sustainability can bring real change with the help of consumers, retailers and brands. It will take effort from everyone to really bring about change.While these solutions are great, it takes people implementing the solutions to make an impact.
Fashion Sustainability reminds us that these challenges we face in the clothing industry are not new but there are ways to improve them. This reading shows all of the stages of a typical item of clothing and explains how impacts can be reduces at each stage. Some of the main issues we face are pesticide and energy use in cotton growing, animal cruelty, fashion consumption, working conditions, unsustainable man-made fibers, energy consumed during clothing care and the disposal of clothing. Some great solutions to these problems are given, solutions that will work with the help of the retailer and consumer. Cotton has raised many issues lately. The use of pesticides and the amount of water it takes to grow cotton is causing many problems. One solution they have given is to produce organic cotton and use proper irrigation to limit the use of water and energy. The use of oil based materials have been used as a solution because they are more energy saving and durable but the downfall is they take a longer time to degrade. One of the main key solutions is to raise awareness of the issues we are facing. Many people have no idea about how much trouble we could soon be in if we don't make changes. By raising awareness consumers can be more conscious decisions and change certain habits. It is also very important to have a transparent supply chain so that everything is traceable back to the source. This will allow them to make sure high standards of sustainability are being enforced. In order to convert to sustainable practices along the supply chain support is needed to ensure that it will work. Ultimately, it is up to the designer. It is up to the designer to promote sustainable solutions and encourage consumers that is it desirable, comfortable and stylish. After all, the consumers main concern is keeping up with the latest trends.
Fashion Sustainability and ESMA "Promising Interventions" both offer valuable advice as to improving the way we care for clothing today. One issue that they both touch on is the use of water efficency. In the Fashion Sustainability reading it discusses how it takes millions of tons of water to produce enough cotton to make 1 pair of jeans. This is a total waste of cotton and energy. As a solution, they state that irrigating cotton can be useful when harvesting and drip irrigation are combined. While this is a good solution ESMA goes on to say that investment in science and technology could help increase water efficiency in growing agriculture. These two solutions go hand in hand. Another topic that both reading discuss is making people aware of the issues. ESMA talks about the importance of access to knowledge about the history of the eco system in order to effectively manage and take control of the issues. While Fashion Sustainability, states that raising awareness is key because there needs to be an understanding of the problem among the industry and consumers in order to make necessary changes. They both discuss that increased transparency is key. They both talk about how it will allow more participation and will be good for tracking information. The solutions in Fashion Sustainability contribute to ESMA in many ways and it was great to see how each of them looked at the issue a little bit differently.
In the reading Pricing Environmental Impacts: A Tale of Two T-shirts, they have discover a way to translate life-cycle analysis into monetary costs. The whole idea behind their method it to evaluate what the environmental cost on a product when producing it. They give a dollar amount to the impact the product had on the environment. I think this is a good method to use when comparing two similar products. This method considers externalities which is very helpful. Externalities are environmental costs that aren't under control of the manufacturer. These externalities allocate the cost to specific stages of a production cycle. In their comparison it shows that it is more cost efficient to produce and organic cotton t-shirt rather than conventional cotton. I think their costing method could actually be very beneficial and it is a tool that can be used by management under the right circumstance, like here, where they are comparing two like options.
I believe that these issues stated in Fashion Sustainability can bring real change with the help of consumers, retailers and brands. It will take effort from everyone to really bring about change.While these solutions are great, it takes people implementing the solutions to make an impact.
Friday, January 20, 2012
In Our Hands
Today, the world is facing a serious problem. A problem that needs our help. An ecological crisis is well on it's way if we don't try to do something about it and one of the main concerns is deforestation. There have been several warnings about an ecological crisis for us, but nothing that has caught enough attention to make an impact. This is not new news though, this is something that has been going on for thousands of years but is increasingly becoming more and more of a problem in our world today. Now, it's our time to step in to stop this crisis before it's too late.
"The Lessons of Easter Island" by Clive Pointing is a great example of what can happen if we are not aware of this problem and work toward a solution. When Easter Island, a tiny remote island off the coast of South America, was discovered by Dutch Admiral Roggeveen, he stumbled upon something which was probably very unexpected. The island had turned into a rustic war-like environment and the few thousand of people left on the island had turned to cannibalism to survive. Years before, when the population was at it's prime, the island was an extraordinary place. People were intrigued by how socially and technologically advanced the island was. However, if you don't use your resources wisely it can create many problems, and this is what the people on Easter Island soon discovered. Deforestation is what caused the downfall of easter Island. They used the trees for everything from food sources to transportation and when there were no longer trees left there was a fight for survival. Today, we are facing the same type of problems and it is up to us to take control and use our resources wisely.
Another way deforestation an impact us today is in form of natural disaster. As stated in "Ecosystems Millenium Assessment" deforestation has a major impact on natural disasters such as floods and fires. These natural disasters have increased due to the fact that natural forests are diminishing. Also, as the human species is increasing, the number os species is decreasing which is creating problems that relate to the ecological crisis. Because the human population is increasing so is the demand for things such as food, water and timber. It is important that we use our resources wisely so we do not face an event like Easter Island.
However, there are ways that deforestation. The article"Benefits of Deforestation" from Edu.udym.com explains that "the forests are disappearing because people benefit from deforestation." Cutting down the forest helps to meet the needs of people in more ways than one. We need deforestation in order to get our supplies of lumber and wood products which greatly benefit our economy. Another reason it is a good thing is because it provides access to natural resources located beneath the mature trees and provides land for building homes and industry. Last, it creates many jobs that support the economy and people rely on these jobs to support their families. The world would be without many jobs without deforestation.
All of these stories and articles make great points but there has to be a balance. There has to be a way for us to balance this ecological crisis that we are facing because as stated, it does provide many benefits but it also has many negative effects. It is not necessarily deforestation that is causing this crisis, it is the way that we are handling it. We must be smart not use too much too fast. This is in our hands.
"The Lessons of Easter Island" by Clive Pointing is a great example of what can happen if we are not aware of this problem and work toward a solution. When Easter Island, a tiny remote island off the coast of South America, was discovered by Dutch Admiral Roggeveen, he stumbled upon something which was probably very unexpected. The island had turned into a rustic war-like environment and the few thousand of people left on the island had turned to cannibalism to survive. Years before, when the population was at it's prime, the island was an extraordinary place. People were intrigued by how socially and technologically advanced the island was. However, if you don't use your resources wisely it can create many problems, and this is what the people on Easter Island soon discovered. Deforestation is what caused the downfall of easter Island. They used the trees for everything from food sources to transportation and when there were no longer trees left there was a fight for survival. Today, we are facing the same type of problems and it is up to us to take control and use our resources wisely.
Another way deforestation an impact us today is in form of natural disaster. As stated in "Ecosystems Millenium Assessment" deforestation has a major impact on natural disasters such as floods and fires. These natural disasters have increased due to the fact that natural forests are diminishing. Also, as the human species is increasing, the number os species is decreasing which is creating problems that relate to the ecological crisis. Because the human population is increasing so is the demand for things such as food, water and timber. It is important that we use our resources wisely so we do not face an event like Easter Island.
However, there are ways that deforestation. The article"Benefits of Deforestation" from Edu.udym.com explains that "the forests are disappearing because people benefit from deforestation." Cutting down the forest helps to meet the needs of people in more ways than one. We need deforestation in order to get our supplies of lumber and wood products which greatly benefit our economy. Another reason it is a good thing is because it provides access to natural resources located beneath the mature trees and provides land for building homes and industry. Last, it creates many jobs that support the economy and people rely on these jobs to support their families. The world would be without many jobs without deforestation.
All of these stories and articles make great points but there has to be a balance. There has to be a way for us to balance this ecological crisis that we are facing because as stated, it does provide many benefits but it also has many negative effects. It is not necessarily deforestation that is causing this crisis, it is the way that we are handling it. We must be smart not use too much too fast. This is in our hands.
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