Social, Environmental And Environmental Issues In The Textile Lifecycle

Fashion and textile industry is very huge and diverse which includes a variety of processes that cause pollution in the environment throughout different levels of the supply chain. As consumers’ social and environmental concerns have grown in the last decade, so has interest in eco-fashion. Behind fast-changing fashion trends, the apparel industry generates substantial environmental and resource depletion problems throughout the textile lifecycle (Gam & Banning, 2011). Every stage in a garment’s life threatens our environment and society in one way or the other with so many different chemicals, dyes, raw materials, labor ethics, and many more in the process of making a finished product. Nevertheless, the industry and the consumers

Behind fast-changing fashion trends, the apparel industry generates substantial environmental and resource depletion problems throughout the textile lifecycle. To respond to these trends, fashion designers and merchandisers have been motivated to practice sustainability in design and production. Some sustainable options are available, such as organic fibers and environmentally safe dyes. Still, there are challenges for apparel designers and merchandisers when trying to realize sustainability (Gam & Banning, 2011). Primary practices involve replacing harmful chemicals with environmentally friendly materials, and reducing amounts of waste and resource consumption through apparel recycling. A more recent sustainable movement in the industry is slow fashion. It is a socially conscious movement that shifts consumers ' mindsets from quantity to quality, encouraging people to buy high-quality items less often (Fletcher, 2012). Slow fashion encompasses slow production and consumption (Jung & Jin 2014). Another solution can be C2CAD, it is a sustainable apparel design and production model- cradle to cradle apparel production model, which can be useful for both apparel designers and manufacturers to overcome a few production issues of sustainable apparel (Gam, Cao, Farr, & Heine, 2009). It is very important to document current challenges the apparel industry experiences

It is also very important to analyze the development, achievements, and challenges of corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices in the textile and apparel industry. While forward-looking companies are already taking CSR into account in their daily operations and strategic plans, some resistance to the execution and enforcement of CSR-related laws and regulations have been witnessed. However, from a long-term perspective, the CSR movement will benefit towards upgrading the industry and the healthy growth of economy, and contribute to the sustainable global textile and apparel supply chain. ( Chi,