Green Designs

R.B.CHAVANDepartment of Textile Technology

Indian Institute of TechnologyHauz-khas, New Delhi 110016

E-mail rbchavan@hotmail.com

Green Designs

Designing with eco-friendly textiles

Environment awareness in India

Environment control agencies

Ministry of Environment and Forests

Assisted byCentral pollution control boardState pollution control boards

Stringent environment rules and regulations on Paper

Very Poorly applied in practice

Result

Environment pollution

Environment

Effect of day to day activities and all manufacturing activities on

Water

Air

Noise level

Human being

Aquatic life

Plants

Earth etc.

Background

German Ban

Ban on export of textiles dyed with dyes containing carcinogenic amines

Introduced in 1992

Implemented in india April 1996

Extended list of banned chemicals

Pesticides

Formaldehyde

Chlorine bleaching agents

Heavy metals like chromium

Chlorinated stain removers

Pentachlorophenol

PRESENT CONCEPTPOLLUTERS MUST PAY

CRADLE TO GRAVE OR WOMB TO TOMB

NOT ONLY FINAL PRODUCT BE ECO FRIENDLY RAW MATERIALS, PRODUCTION PROCESSES, PACKAGING, ECO FRIENDLY EVEN AFTER DIPOSAL MEET EMS 14000 AND SAS 8000 STANDARDS ECO FRIENDLY PRODUCTS INDENTIFIED BY ECO LABLES

•GREEN MINDED CONSUMER PREFER ECO PRODUCTS EVEN AT HIGH COST

THREE ECOLOGIES

•PRODUCTION ECOLOGY

•USER ECOLOGY

•DISPOSAL ECOLOGY

USER AND DISPOSAL ECOLOGY

• USER ECOLOGY REFERS TO• AESTHETICS

• PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS • EFFECTS OF TEXTILES ON HUMAN BODY.

• DISPOSAL ECOLOGY REFERS TO • DISPOSAL OF TEXTILES AFTER USE

• RECYCLING, • COMPOSTING,

• DUMPING, • INCINERATION

• LEAST POSSIBLE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT .

PRODUCTION ECOLOGY

COMPRISES OF

• CULTIVATION AND HARVESTING OF NATURAL FIBRES

• THE MANUFACTURE OF REGENERATED AND SYNTHETIC FIBRES

• SPINNING, WEAVING, KNITTING

• TEXTILE CHEMICAL PROCESSING

• GARMENT MANUFACTURE

• PACKING

ECO FIBRES

–CONVENTIONAL COTTON–CONVENTIONAL COTTON IS NOT ECO

FRIENDLY– USE OF FERTILIZERS, PESTICIDES AND

VARIOUS CROPS RELATED CHEMICALS DURING COTTON CULTIVATION.

–INHALATION DURING HANDLING AND SPRAY APPLICATION-HEALTH HAZARDS

–PRESENCE OF THESE CHEMICALS AS RESIDUE ON COTTON BOLLS

–WASHED AWAY DURING PREPARATORY PROCESSES

–WATER POLLUTION

KING COTTON

COTTON BUD

COTTON

FLOWER

Major Cotton Pesticides and Herbicides

Chemical Name

Human Toxicity

Environ. Toxicity

Chlorpynfos Brain and fetal damage, impotence, sterility.

Bees, birds, crustaceans,&mollu

sks

Cyanazine Birth defects,

cancer. Bees, birds, crustaceans, & fish.

Dicofol Cancer, reproductive damage, tumors

Aquatic insects, birds, & fish

Ethephon Mutations. Birds, bees, crustaceans, & fish.

Major Cotton Pesticides and Herbicides

Chemical Name

Human Toxicity

Environ. Toxicity

Metam Sodium

Birth defects, fetal

damage, mutations Bees & fish.

Methyl Parathion

Birth defects, fetal damage, reproductive & immune system.

Birds, bees, crustaceans, & fish.

Profenofos Eye damage, skin irritant.

Birds, bees, & fish.

Prometryn Bone marrow, kidney, liver, testicular damage.

Bees, birds, crustaceans, fish, & mollusks.

It takes one pound of chemical fertilizers and pesticides to

conventionally grow the three pounds of cotton needed to

make a T-shirt and a pair of jeans.

beneath cotton's natural fiber lies a long chain of chemically-intensive, "unnatural"

processes. 

To bring this delicate plant to harvest, it is heavily sprayed - 8 to 10 times a season -

with pesticides so poisonous

they gradually render fields barren.  And that's just the beginning. 

To create finished goods, fabrics are often colored with toxic dyes and finished with

formaldehyde.  

Need for organic cotton

Organic food now symbolizes the highest and freshest quality available.

Suppliers of organic cotton are not far behind. 

If we are really concerned about environmental issues today,

our ideas of excellent product design must include impact on the earth. 

COTTON CULTIVATED WITHOUT USING

FERTILIZERS PESTICIDES AND OTHER CHEMICALS

ORGANIC cotton INDENTIFIED BY LOGOS ORGANIC COTTON GREEN COTTON NATURAL COTTON

ECO FRIENDLY COTTON

Organic cotton certification

INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION FOR ORGANIC AGRICULTURE MOVEMENT [IFOAM]

has formulated standards and guidelines for

organic cotton cultivation and are

followed by many labelling agencies to certify

organic cotton and other farm produce.

Merits of organic cotton cultivation

Environmentally Friendly Technology

Reduction in Cost of Cultivation

Management of Insecticide Resistance

Organic cotton in IndiaFive to seven decades ago, most of the cotton cultivated in the country was ‘eco-friendly’ with little or no use of toxic

chemicals in its production.

Even today, there are many pockets in India, where it is produced without the use of agrochemicals, e.g.,

areas growing Wagad cotton in Gujarat, Y-1 desi cotton of Khandesh region of Maharashtra,

Maljari in Madhya Pradesh,

part of areas growing Jayadhar and Suyodhar in Karnataka

Nandicum in Andhra Pradesh and

parts of cotton areas in north eastern hill region.

Vidarbha organic farmers Association(VOFA

1993 Visit of Envirnmental Protection Encouragement Agency (EPEA) Hamburg Germany to Central Cotton Research Institute, (CICR) Nagpur

EPEA confirmed organic cotton in Vidarbha

• 1994 Organization of 135 farmers from five districts Nagpur, Wardha,

Yavatmal, Amravati and Akola

• 1995 commitment of 12,00 hectares land for organic cotton cultivation

1995 Formation of Vidarbha Organic Farmers Association

1996 Bumper crop of organic cotton

Present status of VOFA

205 Members

90 Practicing organic farmers

3500 Acres area under organic cotton farming

Purchaser: Fare Trade Company Japan

Maikaal bioRe Ltd.

Madhya PradeshMaikaal bioRe Ltd, which claims to be the largest organic

cotton venture in the world,

in Bheelaon, Madhya Pradesh

has over 1,000 farmers involved in organic cotton production

The production of organic cotton started in 1991 as a private

initiative of Mrigendra Jalan, Managing Director of the spinning mill,

Maikaal Fibres Ltd, and

•Patrick Hohmann, Managing Director of the Swiss cotton yarn trading company, Remei AG

Organic cotton production in India

14-15 lakh bales of uncertified organc cotton (Cotton

corporation of India)

Estimated certified organic cotton 1000

Total world production 8150

15% of total world production

37% Asian countries production

ORGANIC COTTON REDUCTION IN AGROCHEMICALS

World Organic Cotton Production 1992-1997 (in tons)

Country 1992 1993

1994 1995

1996 1997

Argentina 2 120 126 132 70

Australia 479 500 750 400 500 400

Benin 5

Brazil 2 9 1 5 5

Egypt 38 141 598 600 650 630

Greece 450 500 475 400

India 206 268 398 928 900 900

World Organic Cotton Production 1992-1997 (in tons)

Country 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997

Israel 100 100 50

Mozambique 90 90 50

Nicaragua 16 20 20 20

Paraguay 100 75 50 50 50

Peru' 400 700 924 1516 1500 650

Turkey 2 20 30

Tanzania 33 100 100 200

World Organic Cotton Production 1992-1997 (in tons)

Country1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997

Uganda 16 150 250 300 800

USA 2155 4274 5365 7425 3396 2852

Zambia 35 30 30

Zimbabway 5

Total 3408 6201 9498 12864 9028 7967

Organic T shirtorganic sweat

shirtorgnic terry robe

Organic fashion wear

Organic night gown

Organic slippers

Earth Friendly Fashions

Simplify Life, Relax Your Mind, Calm Your Soul, Open Your Heart.

Experience Fisher Henney Naturals

Organic cotton body wear

Organic cotton apparel

Organic cotton apparels

NATURALLY COLOURED COTTON

COTTON THAT GROWS WITH NATURAL COLOURS DURING CULTIVATION

BOTH WHITE AND COLOURED COTTONS KNOWN SINCE TIME IMEMORIAL

IN INDIA

NON POPULARITY OF COLOURED COTTON

LOW YIELD

SEED AVAILABILITY

LOW FINENESS, LOW STAPLE LENGTH

LOW STRENGTH

POOR SPINNABILITY

LOW YARN AND FABRIC QUALITY

LIMITED COLOUR RANGE

CONTAMINATION OF WHITE COTTON

ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION WAVE

IMPETUS TO THE CULTIVATION OF NATURALLY COLOURED COTTON

SHADES

PISTA GREEN AND ALMOND BROWN MOST COMMON

OTHER SHADES

CREAM

PINK

MAUVE

COUNTRIES

INDIA

USA

ISRAEL

CHINAPERU

IMPORTANT ASPECTS

EARLIER

LOW FIBRE LENGTH, POOR SPINNABILITY

YARN SPINNING OF 10 TO 12s COUNT

RESEARCH INPUTS

IMPROVED FIBRE QUALITY

POSSIBLE TO SPIN YARNS OF 30 AND 40s COUNT

SUITABLE FOR WEAVING AND KNITTING

IMPORTANT OBSERVATIONS

GREEN VARIETY TURNS BROWN IF NOT HARVESTED ON RIPENING

BROWN VARIETY DARKENS WITH AGE AND EXPOSURE TO LIGHT

GREEN AND BRWON DARKEN ON LAUNDERING

NOT FAST TO BLEACHING

COTTON CORPORATION OF INDIA AND CENTRAL COTTON RESEARCH INSTITUTE NAGPUR

1996-97 INVESTMENT Rs. 80 LAKHS

CULTIVATION OF COLOURED COTTON AT

KHANDWA, MADHYA PRADESH

DHARWAD, KARNATAKA

PROJECT DID NOT SUCEED DUE TO POOR MARKET RESPONSE

DEMAND OF HIGH PRICE BY FARMERS

MAJOR PROBLEM

CONTAMINATION OF WHITE COTTON FIELDS

NECESSARY TO HAVE SEPARATE AREA FOR COLOUR COTTON CULTIVATION

MEANS TO OVERCOME TECHNICAL PROBLEMS

LOW STRENGTH AND POOR SPINNABILITY

BLENDING 30-50% OF WHITE COTTON WITH COLOURED COTTON

CHANGE OF SHADE ON LAUNDERING

ON LAUNDERING SHADE BECOMES DEEPER

ALKALINE SCOURING STABILIZES THE SHADE CHANGE

POOR BLEACHING FASTNESS

DO NOT BLEACH

Rocklea spinning Mills in collaboration with Australian farmers introduced range of yarns from brown and green

varieties of cotton

Blending of coloured cotton with white cotton in diffferent proporations produce shade

varieties

Australia

NATIVE COLOUR COTTON

PROJECT PERU

•COMMENCED IN 1984 TO DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY TO

SUPPORT INDIGENOUS FARMERS AND TRADITIONAL

ARTISANS•15000 FARDMERS CULTIVATE

COLOURED COTTON•50000 WOMEN INVOLVED IN

TRADITIONAL HAND SPINNING AND HAND WEAVING

•COLOURED COTTON IS PRODUCED WITHOUT THE USE

OF SYNTHETIC FERTILIZERS AND PESTICIDES

SIX PRINCIPLE COLOUR

VARIETIES

CREAM

Pista green

MEDIUM BROWN

REDDISH BROWN

CHOCOLATE BROWN

MAUVE

Brown verities possess anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties

COFFEE FILTERS MADE FROM CERTIFIED ORGANIC COLOURED COTTON FREE FROM

PESTIFCIDES, BLEACHES ANDSYNTHETIC COLOURS

Natural coloured yarns and fabrics are certified by SKAL, Dutch certifying agency

Slivers of coloured cotton

Naturally coloured yarn for Kniting and Weaving

Coloured cotton fabrics

COTTON CLOTHES in naturally occurring colors are produced in Peru

Sally Fox introduced to colored cotton while working

for a cotton breeder, whose focus was developing pest-

resistant strains of cotton.

The peoples of Central and South America had spun

these strains for centuries, but the fiber qualities were

not sufficient for modern machine spinning.

Sally Fox in 1982 took on the challenge of improving an ancient agricultural art.

Fox successfully bred and marketed varieties of naturally coloured cotton she calls FoxFiber ®.

Today, Sally Fox designs fabrics with her cotton and continues research.

Fox has received a patent and three Plant Variety Protection Certificates for her naturally colored cottons which, in addition to browns, she now grows in reds and greens.

Her invention has been so popular it has sprouted two successful companies -- Vreseis, Ltd. and Natural Cotton Colours, both operating in Arizona.

CLASSIFICATION OF NATURAL DYES

PLANT (VEGETABLE)

INSECTS (ANIMAL)

MINERAL

ANNATO

COCHINEAL

COLOURED ROCKS, ORES

PLANT DYE SOURCES

• SEED

• ROOT

• LEAF

• FRUIT

• BARK

• WOOD

VEGETABLE DYE SOURCES

LEAF

SEED

ANNATO

INDIGO

ROOT

MADDER

FRUIT

POMEGRANATE

BARK

ACACIA

WOOD

BRAZIL WOOD

INDIGO TEXTILE DYE

ANNATO FOOD COLOUR

TURMERIC FOOD COLOUR

HENNA HAIR DYE

SAFFRON FOOD COLOUR

MERRIGOLD CHICKEN FEED

APPLICATIONS OF NATURAL DYES

TELIA RUMAL

KALAMKARI

• FROM SINDH• AJRAK MEANS BLUE OR INDIGO• DHAMADKA - KUTCH• TELI AJRAK REQUIRES 19 STAGES FOR PRODUCTION

AJRAK

TRADITIONAL BLOCK PRINTS

CONTEMPORARY BLOCK PRINTS

NATURAL DYE DESIGN STUDIOS

INSTITUTES AND DESIGN SCHOOLS

UNIVERSITIES AND DESIGN INSTITUTES

CONTEMPORARY NATURAL COLOUR DYED PRODUCTS

ECO LABELS

Eco-labels are product labels that

inform consumers about the environmental impact of a

product. They encourage producers to switch to environmentally sound production

process methods (PPMs) for advantage in the marketplace. Eco-labels allow producers to

differentiate their products from products that are less

environmentally friendly and

thus to reach environmentally conscious consumers. 

ECO LABEL CRITERIA

ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLINESS OF THE ENTIRE LIFE CYCLE OF THE PRODUCT

CRADLE TO GRAVE ASSESSMENT

1. Production of raw materials

2. Production of the end product

3. Packaging and transport of raw

materials and the finished product

4. Use of the product by companies and

consumers

5. Disposal of the product

e.g. assessment of a T-shirt starts in the

cotton field and ends in the incineration

plant.

ECO LABEL CRITERIA

•As little use as possible of chemical substances harmful to the environment

•No or very few heavy metals in the product

•Energy conservation during production and use

•The lowest possible amounts of harmful

substances in wastewater

•Requirements which ensure that the product works well and will last long

Opportunities for recycling/reuse

POTENTIALLY HARMFUL SUBSTANCES

pH

Formaldehyde

Heavy metals (As, Pb, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Ni,

Hg)

Pesticides Chlorinated phenols

Dyestuffs (specific classifications)

Chlorinated organic carriers

Boicidal finishes

Flame retardent finishes

Colour fastness

Emission of volatiles

Odours

Republic of China–TaiwanGreen Mark

Thailand (Thai Green Label

Korea Environmental

Labelling

Japan Eco Mark

India Eco MarkAustralia/New Zealand Environmental ChoiceEuropean Union Eco-label “Flower”

scheme

Nordic Countries (Nordic Swan )

Austrian Eco-label

Croatia (Environmental Label)

Netherland Ecolabel Foundation

COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES

ECO FRIENDLY FIBRES

• Organic cotton cultivation in several parts of india

• Maikal fabrics organic cotton in mp

• Bhai carsondas mumbai, techno textiles pvt. ltd, new delhi have taken up a project for cultivation of coloured cotton.

ECO FRIENDLY APPARELS• Alps Textiles, Ghaziabad: Produce vegetable dyes and fabrics

dyed with vegetable dyes.

• Reymonds : Green shops in most big cities. Products are free

from banned dyes.

• Arvind Mills : Eco-friendly denim using pesticide free cotton.

Trade mark-Ecologically optimized fabric (EOF) issued by Eco-

Tex, Germany. Specialized environmental stores in Switzerland

like Globus and Jumoli are marketing arvind Mills EOF denim.

Arvind mills also have plans to introduce EOF denim in U>S

and European markets.

• Coats Viyella : Astra brand sewing threads, free from

carcinogenic dyes

• Century Mills : Cool cotton and Eco-friendly fabrics and

garments. Also developed eco-friendly process for dyeing of

cotton with Sulphur dyes.

EFFORTS MADE BY GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

Regulatory MeasuresProhibition on the use of carcinogenic azo dyes · Evolution of eco standards and logo for eco-friendly textiles. 

Developmental Efforts  Organization of educative seminars, workshops and camps to

inculcate the eco-friendly concepts among the industry and consumer.

·      Assistance to be provided by Textile Research Associations and Textile Committee to textile units for securing

ISO 9000 Quality System Certification and ISO 14000 Environment Management System Certification.· Technology upgradation fund (TUF), for modernization of textile

industry ·   setting of eco testing laboratories on all India basis