Textile industry is among the most essential consumer goods industry. However; textile I industry is also accused of being one of the most polluting industry. Not only production but consumption of textiles also produces waste. Commercially, textile waste generation is influenced by the production of textile goods. Higher the production is, the greater the amount of waste. This is in turn a function of consumer demand, which is influenced by the state of the economy. While this may have a limited impact on the waste production in the manufacturing sector; it can have a much greater influence on the production of household textile waste. To counter the problem, textile industry has taken many measures for reducing its negative contribution towards environment. One of such measures is textile recycling- the reuse as well as reproduction of fibers from textile waste.
The generation of waste was such that it got naturally recycled, being mostly biodegradable. Conversely, after the advent of industrial revolution different types of wastes came into existence which are often both non-biodegradable and highly hazardous. Production is always associated with some form of pollution and in specific cotton cultivation, production and processing releases various types of waste, of which more than half is reused.
This article was originally published in the Textile Review magazine, January, 2013, published by Saket Projects Limited, Ahmedabad.
About the Authors:
Yogita Agrawal, Shyam Barhanpurkar and Ajay Joshi are Assistant Professors at the Department of Textile Technology, SVITS, Indore.
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