The fashion industry is obsessed with sustainability so that carbon footprint from fashion brands could be reduced. They pin high hopes on viscose fibre to do the trick.
Since sustainability is the buzz word these days researchers have developed new technologies and transparency in traceability of processes demonstrate the positive environmental impacts they have achieved.
At the Sustainable Markets Initiative’s Fashion Taskforce King Charles III (then crown prince) in April announced its Regenerative Fashion Manifesto, which aims to move towards an industry that is both “climate and nature positive”..
Other efforts [towards sustainability] have included reducing the dependency on finite resources like fossil fuels, reducing the use of freshwater, reducing/eliminating the use of hazardous chemicals and dyes, and a more recent topic is reducing micro plastics released from textiles. Member companies of the initiative are likely to be transparent about the progress made on environmental impact by allowing consumers to understand manufacturing processes.
According to experts, production of renewable and biodegradable man-made cellulosic fibres (MMCFs) such as viscose/rayon, lyocell, modal and cupro has the potential to tackle some of the most significant sustainability challenges facing the apparel industry.
For example, MMCFs’ unique prospects for realising circular fashion contrast sharply with the linear models of economic growth that have left many ecosystems on the verge of collapse. Viscose and other MMFCFs are derivatives of wood pulp and other natural fibres, and can play an important role in regenerating many of these ecosystems, as well as ensuring the health of carbon sinks, which play an essential role in stabilising the Earth’s climate.
MMCFs have a market share of about 6 per cent of the total fibre production volume, which means they have the potential to further expand and meet growing fibre demand.
