At the beginning of this century, life in the world of textiles was simple but concerning. Production was growing, consumption was expanding, and globalisation was happening at an alarming pace, with almost all textiles made using conventional methods with little focus on hazardous chemicals or water and energy consumption.
And then, when a few enlightened individuals extrapolated what impact this ‘business-as-usual’ would have on the planet, we saw the birth of the ecotextiles movement.
Initially, there was a common cause, as those who wanted to avert escalating negative impacts sought to find lower impact alternatives and there was a collective understanding that our industry had to either reduce production volumes or negative impacts per unit to slow or reverse environmental damage.
