To Textile Regulatory Compliance, and Beyond!

By raising hands, how many of you think of a plain, unimaginative, endless pile of papers while reading this title? I can’t blame you, the charm of file submission is not appealing to everyone. Truth be told, regulation suffers from bad reputation. For those of you who don’t claim to be bureaucracy and red tape enthusiasts, I would like to suggest a different point of view.

While mostly being recognized with application forms, Regulations play a crucial role in ensuring public safety, protecting the environment, and maintaining ethical standards in various industries, including the textile industry. From a consumer’s perspective, Regulations protect our rights, health, safety, and well-being.

Let me take you down memory lane to your last shopping run for a new shirt, dress, or pair of trousers. Thanks to fair competition in the textile market, you got the chance to choose from a diverse range of products, styles, and price ranges. Fashion statements aside, you got to choose wisely and make an educated decision based on safety and quality standards, minimizing the risk of exposure to harmful chemicals in direct contact with the skin, based on an informative label sharing essential information about fiber content and potential allergens, based on brands’ transparency about ethical and sustainable practices, and the list goes on.

If you are not experiencing difficulties in the consumer awareness department, and so far haven’t been convinced that with the right regulations, the textile industry story holds a promise of a sustainable, ethical, and vibrant future – that’s ok. Stay tuned, things are about to get real.

It is no secret that the traditional textile industry has been associated with significant pollution and environmental degradation. At this stage, you can probably guess who’s pointing out the elephant in the room.

Bingo! Regulation has done it again.

Regulation acts as a catalyst for the textile industry’s profound transformation toward reducing its ecological impact . It is not far-fetched to argue that regulation goes hand in hand with innovation.

In the case of the textile industry, legislation mainly focuses on chemical usage, water management, waste management, and carbon emissions. Hence the growing interest in eco-friendly materials, such as recycled polyester, which reduces the environmental impact by minimizing water usage, limiting chemical inputs, and decreasing carbon emissions. Moreover, manufacturers have been investing in cleaner production technologies that prioritize energy efficiency and waste reduction. If by any chance you’ve been invited to take a tour of a textile facility, it is likely you’ll witness advanced water treatment systems, renewable energy sources, or other recycling initiatives.

Along with regulation as a driving force, the textile industry’s sustainability efforts also rely on the collaboration between stakeholders, Industry associations, non-governmental organizations, and certification programs. These entities develop guidelines and standards, conduct audits, and provide certifications. Recognized certifications, such as the ECO Passport (Oeko-Tex®), and the Bluesign system , assure consumers that the products they purchase meet stringent sustainability criteria.

Given the textile industry is dealing with challenges on multiple fronts, various regulations have emerged as essential tools to address these environmental, social, and economic issues.

Among chemical usage, energy consumption, greenhouse gas emission, and waste generation, traditional textile production involves numerous processes that require vast amounts of water, such as washing, dyeing, and finishing. The release of untreated or poorly treated wastewater containing chemicals, dyes, and heavy metals into rivers and water bodies leads to water pollution. This pollution can have devastating effects on aquatic ecosystems, including the loss of biodiversity and disruption of the natural balance.

Water-related regulations in the textile industry focus on the restrained use of water resources, prevention of water pollution, and overall environmental sustainability. Textile manufacturers are obligated to promote responsible water management: Since water resources are limited and highly monitored, textile manufacturers must adhere to water use permits and allocation to avoid penalties and legal action. Before discharging wastewater into water bodies, textile manufacturers are required to treat them to ensure compliance with effluent standards and discharge limits of various pollutants. Water recycling practices involve treating and reusing wastewater, and are often mandatory. More often manufacturers are subjected to environmental impact assessments (EIAs) or water consumption and pollution levels environmental reporting. Water and pollution criteria are also introduced by international standards organizations and certifications. For example, the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) wastewater module and OEKO-TEX® DETOX TO ZERO program.

Regulatory compliance is just a drop in the ocean (pan intended). The industry is implementing water-efficient technologies and processes, such as dyeing techniques that require less water, closed-loop systems that recycle water, and more efficient machinery that minimizes water consumption during production.

I may not be impartial, but there really isn’t a better introduction to the TwineX4 digital thread and yarn dyeing system, since one of its most significant benefits is zero water usage, as opposed to the traditional dyeing processes. Each TwineX4 system saves up to half a million liters of water per year, considering only direct water saving for dyeing – that’s equivalent to a 5 people family’s lifetime drinking water consumption.

The TwineX4 uses Twine Digital Ink, a dyeing solution that reduces the amount of needed chemicals by up to 40% and hence pollutes less. This makes it a safer, more sustainable, and environmentally friendly option compared to traditional dyeing methods. All of Twine’s inks are Eco passport certified and in compliance with ZDHC MRSL 3.0. Threads dyed by Twine technology passed all OEKO-TEX tests for the standard 100 label, which stands for high product safety. Twine’s Technology holds CE, EMC, and UL certifications, as well as ISO9001 certification for Quality management systems, and ISO14001 for Environmental management systems.

Rest assured, our future sustainability vision for the TwineX4 system includes more than the elimination of wastewater handling and regulation. We are working on improved capacity and efficiencies, increased circular waste reuse, and increased media support . Furthermore, we continually work on carbon neutrality projects to compensate for the production of our systems.

Cheers to a more sustainable and responsible production, where compliance with regulations is not just a burden but an opportunity for technology growth, innovation, and positive impact