How biology can make textile production more sustainable

It’s becoming clear that we need to take corrective steps fast - across the board. Just as our choices in for instance food consumption, transportation, energy usage, waste management, and water conservation have consequences, have you ever thought about how your clothes could be impacting the environment?

^{Earth shows signs of wear and tear}

The jeans you live in, the hoodie that’s your go-to, even that suit you wear to work – many of them start with natural fibers like cotton. But despite the natural origin, harsh chemicals are deeply embedded in the textile industry's value chain from the very start of the process through to the finished product. And they don’t just disappear when the clothes hit the racks. They stay in the clothes and moreover seep into the environment from the factories, ending up in our rivers, lakes, and oceans. The textile industry is not only one of the largest consumers of water globally, but also one of the biggest contributors to freshwater pollution, accounting for nearly 20 percent of industrial water contamination worldwide¹.

^{Chemical used in clothes production}

Let’s take a step back. This isn't a new problem – it’s been around since the days of the Industrial Revolution. Remember hearing about cities like Bradford, England, during history lessons? It was the 'wool capital of the world' back in the 1800s, but it came with a price. The pollution was so bad that the Bradford Canal would sometimes catch fire²! Or look at Manchester—nicknamed 'Cottonopolis' for its booming textile industry and becoming the world’s first industrialized city. By 1860, the River Irwell that flows along the city was so clogged with industrial waste that the riverbed was rising by three inches each year³. Can you imagine what it must have looked like?

Fast forward to today. The textile industry has made good progress, but with an ever-increasing global fiber production, there’s still a long way to go. The good news? Some innovative solutions are stepping up to the challenge. One of the most promising is biosolutions, which are biological alternatives to  the chemicals traditionally used in textile manufacturing. And best of all they are economical and available today! But what exactly are these biosolutions? And how are they helping the industry improving the environmental impact? You’ll learn all about it but first, let’s look at why in the first place, the textile industry relies on chemicals, of which some are very harsh for the environment. 

^{Steps of textile manufacturing: Pretreatment, dyeing/printing and finishing.} 

Why are the steps of Textile Manufacturing?

Have you ever wondered what it takes to transform raw materials like cotton or wool into the vibrant, stylish clothes you wear? The journey from plant fibers or animal wool to finished fabric is quite complex. It involves several stages of processing, and here’s where chemicals come into play.

To keep it simple, textile manufacturing can be divided into three key stages:

• Pretreatment
• Dyeing and Printing
• Finishing

Each stage relies on chemicals to achieve the desired textures, colors, and finishes. But here’s the catch: these chemicals can take a heavy toll on the environment. In fact, studies show that 45 percent of the total chemical waste in textile manufacturing is generated during the preparatory stage, 33 percent during dyeing and printing, and the remaining 22 percent during finishing⁴. Let us look at why chemicals are needed at these different stages of textile manufacturing.
 

Preparatory stage

Have you ever thought about what raw cotton or wool looks like before it’s turned into fabric? It’s full of impurities. Think dirt, animal fat, plant material, and even pesticides. The first step in preparing these fibers is a process called scouring – essentially a deep clean. But it’s not as simple as throwing it in a washing machine. This process uses detergents, along with toxic chemicals and caustic soda. Can you imagine the amount of detergents and chemicals needed to get those raw materials ready?

Another key process in this stage is bleaching. Natural fibers aren’t bright white - they usually have a creamy hue. To achieve t crisp, clean white that can later be dyed any color, fibers are bleached using hydrogen peroxide. Sounds familiar, right? It’s the same chemical used in some household cleaning products and also as an antiseptic!
 

Dyeing and printing stage

Let’s talk color—because who doesn’t love a bold, eye-catching fabric? But have you ever wondered how those vibrant colors get onto your clothes? The dyeing and printing stage is where the magic happens, turning plain textiles into vibrant pieces of clothing. However, this process also comes with a high environmental cost.

To get the fabric dyed, massive amounts of water and chemicals are used. For instance, reactive dyes—commonly used for cotton—need salt and alkali to fix the color into the fibers. That’s right, we’re not just talking about applying some paint and calling it a day. The chemical process is complex and intense. Unfortunately, not all the dye sticks to the fabric. A large portion of it, along with excess chemicals, ends up in the wastewater. So next time you see a brightly colored shirt, think about the colored water it leaves behind. 

^{Chemical waste from dyeing and print}

And then there’s printing. If dyeing is like painting a wall, printing is like creating a detailed mural. The textile printing process adds patterns or designs to fabric using a range of synthetic dyes and pigments. But here's the kicker: the binders and thickeners used in printing can also contain hazardous chemicals like azo dyes and formaldehyde. What’s worse, these chemicals don’t just vanish after the fabric is printed. They can leach out during washing, and contaminate freshwater resources. Textile dyeing and printing contribute significantly to the pollution of rivers in some parts of the world. 
 

Finishing stage

The last stage in textile manufacturing is all about perfecting the fabric’s feel and functionality. After all, who wants stiff, scratchy clothes? The finishing stage ensures that your fabric is soft, smooth and crisp, water-repellent, or even flame-retardant. But here’s a question: What’s used to achieve all these effects? You guessed it – more chemicals.

One common process is softening. Chemicals called silicones and quaternary ammonium compounds are used to make fabric feel soft to the touch. While they leave the fabric smooth and comfortable, these chemicals can linger long after the fabric leaves the factory.

Waterproofing or flame-retardant finishes often involve chemicals like perfluorinated compounds (PFCs). These chemicals are particularly worrisome because they don’t break down easily and can persist in the environment for years.

While these finishes make fabrics more practical, the trade-off is significant. Every time we wash these clothes, tiny amounts of these chemicals wash out, making their way into our water systems. Over time, they accumulate, leading to long-lasting environmental harm.
 

Reducing textile industry’s reliance on harsh chemicals with biosolutions

The examples of chemicals used in the textile industry shared above are just a glimpse into the massive array of substances involved in fabric production. While not every chemical can be swapped out for biosolutions, many innovative alternatives have surfaced over the years, effectively reducing or even eliminating some of the most harmful chemicals and practices in the industry. Let’s explore a few compelling examples.

^{Denim: One of the most popular clothing items worldwide. For decades, with the iconic faded and worn look.}

Take denim jeans, for instance—one of the most popular clothing items worldwide. For decades, the iconic faded and worn look was achieved using pumice stones, which are volcanic rocks mined from the earth. Manufacturers would toss these stones into large washing machines along with the jeans, creating that signature look. However, as demand for jeans skyrocketed, pumice stone mining began to wreak havoc on the environment, leaving many landscapes scarred.

To address this, manufacturers turned to chemicals like sodium hypochlorite, or bleach, to achieve the same aesthetic. While this reduced reliance on pumice stones, it introduced new problems: excess bleach would often end up in the environment, polluting water bodies and endangering aquatic life.
 

Biostoning rocks 

In the 1980s, an innovative biosolution emerged: an enzyme called cellulase, derived from fungi. Researchers discovered that washing jeans with cellulase achieved the same faded appearance as pumice stones or bleach but without harming the environment. This process, known as ‘biostoning,’ quickly gained popularity and began to replace traditional chemicals-based methods. By the 1990s, another enzyme, laccase, was found to be effective in giving jeans its signature look. Studies revealed that using these enzymes instead of pumice stones or bleach not only cut down on environmental impact, but also reduced water and energy usage by up to 90 percent⁵, benefiting manufacturers financially.  

^{Biosolutions enhance the longevity of clothes} 

But biosolutions don’t just help minimize pollution – they also enhance the longevity of our clothes. By maintaining the quality of fabrics for longer, they play a vital role in tackling the issue of textile waste. Did you know that China discards approximately 26 million tonnes⁶ of clothing each year, while the EU discards around 7 million tonnes⁷? Many of these discarded items end up in landfills or worse, like the staggering 39,000 tonnes of clothing dumped in Chile’s Atacama Desert⁸.

^{9,000 tonnes of clothes in The Atacama Desert}

So, how exactly do biosolutions extend the life of our clothes? One shining example is the process of biopolishing. This technique involves using enzymes to trim away loose fibers from fabrics, eliminating that pesky fuzziness commonly seen on cotton clothes. Think of biopolishing as a beauty treatment for your garments – it makes them look smoother, finer, and brand-new, with effects that last longer than unpolished fabric. The magic ingredient in this process is cellulase. Studies show that biopolishing can extend the lifespan of cotton clothes by at least 20 percent9 and help clothes made from fibers derived from natural materials like wood pulp keep looking new and fresh for up to 60 washes¹⁰!

Long-lasting clothes are a boon for our planet. A report titled “Valuing Our Clothes” by the organization WRAP highlights that extending the lifespan of just half of the clothes in the UK by nine months could lead to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 8 percent, a 10 percent decrease in water use, and a 4 percent drop in textile waste per ton of clothing11 as less clothes would need to be produced.
 

Biosolutions transforming textile manufacturing

Biosolutions like cellulase are reshaping the textile industry, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. The quest for cleaner, greener alternatives has ignited a race among researchers to uncover a treasure trove of enzymes that can further reduce textile manufacturers' reliance on harmful chemicals. From enhancing the durability of fabrics to replacing harsh substances, these enzymes have the potential to revolutionize textile manufacturing.

Remember the three stages of textile production we discussed earlier: Preparatory, Dyeing and Printing, and Finishing? Most biosolutions that presently exist, and are helping the textile industry wean off chemicals, are found in the preparatory and finishing stages, while research is still ongoing to innovate biosolutions for dyeing and printing.

^{Scouring, and the bleaching process that makes raw cotton or wool sparkling white, are the main culprits behind the high chemical and energy usage in the preparatory stage of textile production. Here a medical gown.}

Let’s delve deeper. The vigorous cleaning of raw cotton or wool, known as scouring, and the bleaching process that makes them sparkling white are the main culprits behind the high chemical and energy usage in the preparatory stage. Thankfully, there are now several biosolutions available to replace the harsh chemicals in these processes. For instance, Pectinase is an enzyme that effectively dissolves biological impurities and is used for cleaning raw cotton and wool, requiring up to 67 percent less water and 50 percent less energy12 than conventional methods. This process, unsurprisingly named ‘bioscouring,’ significantly lightens the environmental burden.

Another noteworthy enzyme, Catalase, is proving to be an effective biosolution in ridding clothes of bleach after bleaching. When cotton or wool fibers are bleached to perfect white, a lot of bleach is left behind in the fibers. To remove this residual bleach, catalase is used. And let’s not forget biopolishing, which you’re now familiar with, as a prime example of biosolutions utilized in the finishing stage.

However, one of the most pressing issues in textile manufacturing is the discharge of unused dyes from factories. These dyes seep into rivers, lakes, and other water bodies, wreaking havoc on aquatic life. In many regions, textile industries have turned water bodies blue with excess dyes from jeans and other products. Here too, biosolutions offer hope. Peroxidase, an enzyme with the remarkable ability to eliminate unused dyes from wastewater, is currently being researched as a viable solution for textile factories. While Peroxidase is already making waves as a substitute for bleaching chemicals, its potential in wastewater treatment is still unfolding.
 

Envisioning a green makeover of the textile industry  

Biosolutions are not just a trend; they are the revolutionary force that could transform the textile industry.

As the textile industry embraces this paradigm shift, the path to a more sustainable textile industry becomes clearer. Each step taken with biosolutions reinforces our responsibility to the environment and empowers us to wear clothes that last and have less impact on the environment every day.