Panelists at Texworld USA recently discussed the importance of using preferred fibres. The discussion was divided into four areas: whether the fiber could be traced, if there’s a standard or certification under which it was produced, if a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) or other third-party assessment was conducted, and whether choosing that fiber can have a positive environmental or social impact.
According to Karla Magruder, Founder and President of Fabrikology International, the traceability of materials can incorporate several standards but the one that’s most used is the Global Recycle Standard, which traces material origin. Organisations like Textile Exchange also have standards that trace where the fiber comes from.
Malvina Hoxha, Manager - Business Development for apparel and knits at Lenzing Fibers, noted that Lenzing’s fibers Tencel Lyocell and Refibra offer fiber identification, and its EcoVera viscose introduced in 2017 is the first viscose fiber that can be traced from fiber to yarn or fabric to end product. Depending on what it is and what your company needs, what’s important to it, you need to be looking at standards that will help you deliver that to your custome.
On LCA or what has become known as “scoring,” Sasso said Buhler concentrates on carbon footprint. This is mainly how much energy is consumed when producing a yarn by investing in the most energy efficient equipment to reduce the carbon footprint, as well as the water and chemicals used. As for having an environmental or social impact, Magrudar noted that there are several methods of making recycled polyester, for example, including mechanical and chemical, and each has its own environmental impacts.
