www.camirafabrics.com style with substance Sustainability and innovation in contract fabrics. SED MATERIAL S RIBA CPD ASSE Sustainability and innovation in contract fabrics
The need for sustainable fabrics So what are you specifying? Are you aware of the real environmental impacts of fabrics for interiors? This booklet provides summary information about the complex issues of environmental sustainability surrounding fibre, fabric and other upholstery coverings used in the contract interiors sector. Let s start things off by gaining a better understanding of the need for sustainable fabrics. 01 We live in an oil hungry world. It s the feedstock not just for fuel and energy, but for countless petro-chemical products such as plastics, detergents, fertilisers, and of course textiles. The 20th century saw the development of synthetic fibres like nylon, acrylic, polyester and polypropylene, as well as coverings such as vinyl and polyurethane. They re non-renewable, non-degradable and their volume in waste disposal is very high. In recent years, synthetic fibre consumption has accounted for around 62% of the 96 million tonnes of total textile fibre consumption. Cotton is by far the largest volume natural fibre while wool has dwindled to 1.2% and it was originally the most used of all textile fibres. Cotton 25.2% Other natural fibres 5.1% Synthetic 62.1% Man-made cellulose 6.4% Wool 1.2% Source: ICAC, CIFRS, The Fiber Year, The Fiber Organon, Lenzing estimates (2014)
Synthetic fibres - Polyester Polyester is by far the world s most popular textile fibre with consumption increasing year on year. It benefits from a smooth handle alongside non-absorbent and anti-wrinkle properties. It s made by reacting two petro-chemicals together, ethylene glycol and dimethyl naphthalate, in the presence of an antimony catalyst. It s the same process used to make PET plastic drinks bottles which are used and discarded in massive volumes. Recycled polyester Made from both post-consumer and post-industrial waste, recycled polyester is now readily available, helping avoid landfill accumulation and saving finite natural resources. Lifecycle assessment confirms that recycled polyester offers significant environmental improvements compared to virgin: LCA Category % Improvement (recycled vs. virgin) Ozone depletion potential 35% improvement Global warming potential 45% improvement Water eutrophication 27% improvement Acidification potential 41% improvement Source: Antex Textil (2011)
03 Top Rivet recycled polyester fabric Middle Post-consumer waste plastic bottles Bottom Polyester chips which can be extruded into textile fibre
Natural fibres Cotton From the clothes we wear to the bed sheets we sleep on, cotton is part of our daily lives, all thanks to its softness, comfort, breathability, moisture absorption and washability. Cotton fibres are the seed hairs from plants belonging to the Gossypium family, representing one of the oldest known textile fibres dating back 5,000 years. Cotton cultivation represents over 33 million hectares or 2.5% of global arable land and an estimated 300 million people work in the cotton sector when both farming and production is taken into account. 05 Natural but not sustainable Cotton is a totally natural and renewable fibre type, but there are recognised and well documented environmental issues which hinge on water and pesticide use: - Estimates vary but 1 kg of cotton lint can require around 10,000 litres of water to cultivate (some sources suggest even up to 20,000 litres). It is most often applied by irrigation for which rivers must be diverted, dams constructed or water pumped up from aquifers. Poor irrigation leads to soil salinisation. - 15% of cotton yield loss is due to insect damage. Again estimates vary, but suggest that cotton accounts for 11% of the entire world s pesticide use and 24% of insecticide consumption. Source: The Impact of Cotton on Fresh Water Resources and Ecosystems, WWF (1999) & Agricultural Water Use and River Basin Conservation, WWF (2003)
Natural fibres - Wool Wool is a proven textile fibre that has evolved from nature over millions of years. It s completely natural with real environmental benefits as well as a host of other performance attributes. Wool is annually renewable, the supply of which is limited only by the number of sheep farmed across the world. It s totally bio-degradable, unlike man made fibres and also has a much lower energy footprint and CO 2 impact. Wool facts and trivia - The average sheep fleece produces about 4kg of fibre which can make up to 10 metres of fabric enough to cover 15 task chairs or a large reception sofa. - Wool is naturally flame retardant and resists flaming without chemical treatment. Instead of burning freely, it forms a char against the flame. Wool is also selfextinguishing and will stop burning when removed from the source of fire. - Wool is a keratin based protein and will decompose completely, while synthetic fibres such as polyester and nylon can take hundreds of years to decompose. Some farmers even use wool fibre as natural fertiliser. - The appearance of wool will look good for far longer than synthetics due to its natural crimp and outer scale like armour which helps prevent dust and dirt from penetrating the fabric surface.
07 Top Synergy wool fabric Middle Lamb in New Zealand Bottom Wool fibre
Top Nettle Nomad: wool and bast fibre nettle blend fabric Middle Flax field Bottom Nettle fibres in the stem of the plant
Natural fibres - Bast fibres In bast fibre plants the textile fibre is obtained from the stem of the plant rather than the seed. Examples include hemp, flax, jute, ramie and even the common stinging nettle. The fibres grow just inside the outer bark of the plant stem and surround the inner woody core. They give the plant strength and flexibility, which are ideal characteristics for spinning into yarn and weaving into fabric. 09 Benefits of bast fibres They have many innovative and environmental benefits, especially in use as contract textiles: - They grow easily on land which is often unsuitable for arable crops and in contrast to cotton, they don t require any pesticides or herbicides. - They are inherently flame retardant when blended with virgin wool, meeting the higher level Crib 5 Medium Hazard standard with no additional chemical treatment. - The fibre is usually extracted mechanically through a process known as decortication. Prior to this it goes through a process known as dew retting, where the fibres are left in the field to break down, which starts the process of fibre separation and does not require any extra water or chemicals. - Bast fibre cultivation encourages biodiversity, providing a natural habitat for birds, mammals and insects.
LCA Summary by fibre type Two indicators of the environmental impact of textile fibres are energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. The natural fibres of cotton, wool and nettle, show the lowest energy requirement and lowest CO₂ output by a considerable margin. Synthetics such as nylon, acrylic, polyester and polypropylene have a much higher environmental impact in these life cycle assessment categories. 11 Fibre type Energy consumption kwh / kg fibre CO 2 emissions / kg Nylon 69 37 Acrylic 49 26 Polyester 35 19 Polypropylene 32 17 Viscose 28 15 Cotton 15 8 Wool 13 7 Nettle 9 5 Hemp 5 3 Source: Barber & Pellow, Life Cycle Assessment New Zealand Merino Industry (2006), except Nettle Energy Consumption: Central Science Laboratory, Comparative LCA Nettle, Flax, Hemp CO 2 emissions based on Defra UK grid rolling average (0.537kg CO 2 per KWh)
Other upholstery finishes Not all of the upholstery solutions you specify will be conventional textiles. Let s take a look at the environmental implications of other finishes. PVC The raw materials for polyvinyl chloride are derived from salt and oil. Chlorine is manufactured by the electrolysis of sodium chloride which is then combined with ethylene obtained from oil. The resulting compound is ethylene dichloride, which is converted at very high temperatures to the vinyl chloride monomer. These monomer molecules are polymerized forming polyvinyl chloride resin. There are concerns about PVC throughout its lifecycle: - The VCM monomer is highly toxic and a known carcinogen. - Phthalate plasticizers used to soften PVC have been linked to cancer, immune system deficiencies and hormone disruption. - Disposal by incineration or landfill can release highly toxic dioxins. Phthalate free PVC products are available and considered to have a lighter environmental impact. PVC can also last longer in use than other upholstery finishes, requiring less care and maintenance. Leather Most people think of leather as a totally natural product, but the finished material undergoes up to 40 different processes to convert it from a perishable animal hide to a durable, high value product. Leather processing is associated with the generation of large amounts of both liquid and solid waste. - The quantity of leather produced represents only about one third of the raw material hides. - The other two thirds constitute tannery waste, mainly solid waste in the form of fleshings, trimmings and shavings. - Overall water usage is in the region of 30m 3 per tonne of wet salted hides Source: Mass Balance in Leather Processing, UN Industrial Development Organisation (2000)
09 13 Top Vita PVC upholstery Middle Leather selection Bottom Leather upholstery
Dyeing Dyeing is the process of adding colour to a textile material at various stages of manufacture, including fibre, yarn and woven fabric. An important historical date is 1856, when the first chemical dyestuff was discovered by William Henry Perkin. Prior to this all dyes were of natural origin, obtained from plants and insects. Perkin accidently created a purple substance, later named Mauvine, when trying to make quinine (a cure for malaria) and went on to commercialise dyestuff manufacture. 15 Potential environmental issues relating to dyeing - Exhaustion relates to the take up of the dyestuff into the fibre. Exhaustion rates can be as high as 98% on acid dye groups on wools, to about 90% on disperse dyes used on synthetics, to as low as 60% for sulphur and reactive dyes used on cotton and viscose. - The term Azo dye can cause much confusion. Up to 80% of all organic colorants contain azos, which refers to a double nitrogen bond and comes from the French word for nitrogen azote. Under certain conditions the double nitrogen bond can be split, releasing aromatic amines, of which 22 are classified by the EU as carcinogenic or potentially carcinogenic to humans. Azo dyes where there is potential to release these carcinogenic amines have been banned. - Heavy metals contained in dyestuffs can be a complex area. The term heavy metal refers to metallic chemical elements that have a relatively high density, some of which are toxic or poisonous at low concentrations. Piece dyed wools and synthetics are generally heavy metal free. - All European Union manufacturers, importers and downstream users of chemicals are governed by REACH which came into force on 1st June 2007. It deals with the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of Chemical substances and aims to improve the protection of human health and the environment through safe use of chemicals.
Flammability The subject of flammability is immensely complicated as far as issues of environmental sustainability are concerned. Some materials are inherently flame retardant without any added chemistry (for example wool and bast fibre blends), while for others, flame retardant compounds can be added at different stages in the manufacturing process and work in different ways to break the cycle of heat, fuel and oxygen. They generally contain heavy metals in different combinations, phosphorous, or halogens (bromine or chlorine). 17 Methods of flame retardancy - There are essentially 3 methods of achieving flame retardancy in a fabric: char, gas or melt. - Wool is naturally flame retardant and will form a char (a layer of charcoal) on its surface which blocks the flame and prevents it from spreading. - Some flame retardant chemicals are released when burnt and act to extinguish the flame via the gas method. This is how halogenated flame retardants work. - In some cases, the material behaves by melting like a liquid and flowing away from the flame, leaving nothing to ignite. Yet this can produce flaming droplets which may compromise safety. - There are different approaches to flammability in different countries. The UK standards (Crib 5 Medium Hazard) favour the barrier approach through char, while European standards prefer fabrics that will melt away from the ignition source (French M1, German B1).
Environmental labelling There are dozens of sustainability standards for textiles, furniture and buildings each with their own criteria and requirements. Some product standards provide an analysis of the end product whilst others look into elements of a product s lifecycle from manufacturing processes and end of life. There s also an array of green building schemes, used to grade the environmental performance of building or fit-out projects. 19 Recognisable green schemes - The EU Ecolabel, valid throughout the European Union, analyses the impact of the product on the environment throughout its lifecycle, from raw material extraction in the pre-production stage, through to production, distribution and disposal. - LEED is a certification system developed by the USGBC (US Green Building Council) for green building projects and utilises credit guidelines to improve environmental performance. Materials and resources used in a building can contribute to different criteria or rating systems. - Oeko-Tex Standard 100 tests for chemicals which are known to be harmful to human health or substances which are prohibited or regulated by law. - Cradle to Cradle is based on principles outlined by William McDonough and Michael Braungart in their book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way we make things. The criteria are generic for all product groups and have a 5 tiered approach consisting of Basic, Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinium.
Get in touch Digging deeper into textile sustainability unearths the wider impacts beyond colour and design. Keep in the loop by following this CPD guide. 21 UK Head Office Tel: +44 1924 490491 Email: info@camirafabrics.com London Showroom Tel: +44 1924 490591 China Tel: +86 21 6133 1812 France/Belgium Tel: +32 56 227 266 Germany Tel: +49 7031 608430 Netherlands Tel: +31 7361 25120 Scandinavia Tel: +45 32 55 20 01 USA Tel: +1 616 288 0655 Camira Technical Knitting Tel: +44 115 900 8690
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