The World Environment Day, which is being celebrated across the globe, has become more relevant now a day than ever before since health and environment are being considered as the highest priorities for everyone. The coronavirus pandemic has played as an eye-opener and an alarm at the same time to adapt an eco-friendly lifestyle for sustainable development.
The theme for World Environment Day 2021 is ‘Ecosystem Restoration’ and it means preventing, halting, and reversing this damage – to go from exploiting nature to curing it. Ecosystem restoration means assisting in the recovery of ecosystems that have been degraded or destroyed, as well as conserving the ecosystems that are still intact.
The textile and apparel industry is playing its part in contributing to the current challenge the world is going through as it is the second-largest polluting industry in the world.
Worldwide textile and apparel manufacturers, as well as brands, are working to ensure an environment-friendly fashion industry, though more steps are required. As many millers of the industry keep ignoring the environmental and sustainable aspects is alarming for the environment.
The idea of a circular material flow and plugging the leakage of value is important. A circular economy will help the industry in meeting its obligations towards the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs) by 2030. Many brands–including C&A, H&M, etc.—have come up to adopt and promote the circular fashion concept.
Although the concept is still developing, many industry experts thinking that the circular economy is the closest to a win-win solution that we have come across in decades. It helps create a balance between industrial production and environmental sustainability reducing carbon footprint and creating opportunities for new occupations and skills.
Around 90% of the garments are eligible to get recycled and to take a step towards sustainable development, we need to practice the three Rs (reduce, reuse and recycle) reducing the waste materials that go into landfills, reusing clothes and recycling them, which will draw out raw materials. These raw materials can be used to create new fabrics.
Some renowned brands are making their products with recycled fabric a great initiative to lessen the environmental pollution.
Bangladesh’s textile and apparel industry is getting greener and sustainable too. A significant number of the green and sustainable LEED-certified industries have been established here aiming to produce sustainable textile and apparel products maintaining the safest working environment.
A substantial number of textile millers are using ETP, also using sustainable other machinery and technologies to reduce water consumption, water pollution, save energy, reduce carbon footprint, etc. Different sustainable chemicals and textile auxiliaries are being used to protect the environment.
At the level of education also, some of the universities and institutes in Bangladesh have included courses of environment, sustainability, etc.
The fashion industry needs to take more steps towards sustainability and there are some steps consumers have to take also for a sustainable healthy environment. We must now rethink our relationship with the living world, with natural ecosystems and their biodiversity and work towards its restoration. Proper care in producing fiber, yarn and fabric can boost sustainability that will protect the planet, people also bring profits.
