Hemp as a sustainable textile fibre?
Hemp is discussed as a more sustainable alternative to cotton. There are many environmental advantages of hemp compared to cotton. However, the advantages are partly offset by various technical challenges.
The sustainability of organic cotton and GM cotton – part 2 of 2
Organic cotton and genetically modified cotton (GM cotton) are opposite concepts to make cotton more sustainable. In that sense it is the target to reduce water and energy consumption of cotton agriculture and processing, and to reduce the amount of potentially hazardous chemicals, such as pesticides, released into the environment. A lot of totally contracting data can be found to support either one of the concepts, depending how things were examined and by whom studies were funded. This article tries to bring to light some of the issues related to cotton, GM and organic.
The sustainability of organic cotton and GM cotton – Part 1 of 2
Organic cotton and genetically modified cotton (GM cotton) are opposite concepts to make cotton more sustainable. In that sense it is the target to reduce water and energy consumption of cotton agriculture and processing, and to reduce the amount of potentially hazardous chemicals, such as pesticides, released into the environment. A lot of totally contracting data can be found to support either one of the concepts, depending how things were examined and by whom studies were funded. This article tries to bring to light some of the issues related to cotton, GM and organic.
Sustainable colouration concepts: Issues in textile processing of cotton
Cotton processing has various ecological problems, from polluted effluents to high water and energy consumption. Various concepts to improve this situation are discussed in this article. Best available technology can achieve zero discharge, especially by careful selection of dyes and processes, proper effluent treatment and recycling concepts. Future prospects include modified cellulose fibres, by chemical modifications, or bioengineered cotton.