Asia’s textile industry is booming, accounting for 46 percent share of the manufacturing market. The strong presence of fabrics, apparel manufacturing and home furnishing facilities in the region are contributing factors to this growth.

Along with the growing market trends, the textile industry faces constant pressure to meet consumer demand for greener production and more transparency at every stage of the value chain. Traditional production processes, as such, are being phased out and replaced with new and innovative technologies focused on shortening the fashion cycle with minimal environmental impact.  From repurposing waste to fabric, ensuring cleaner air for production to minimising wastewater, the textile industry is embracing elements of eco-innovation in its pursuit of sustainable production.

Fabric upcycled from waste

The throw-away culture among consumers, cultivated by fast fashion and rapid plastics production prompted Italian recycling company, Aquafil to develop ECONYL®, a nylon fabric made from discarded fishing nets, fabric scraps and other waste. Resembling traditional nylon in quality and physical properties, ECONYL® can be recycled multiple times.

The process involves chemically breaking down plastic waste to its core units, or polymers, before re-assembling back into ECONYL®.  The nylon reduces over 50 percent of the CO2-equivalent emissions. The fabric is lauded for its high level of traceability as information about its sourcing and production processes are publicly available. Renowned luxury brands like Prada, Gucci and Burberry are already introducing the upcycled fabric into their products.  Prada plans to replace its nylon collection with ECONYL® by 2021, turning the short life of disposable materials into a long-run recycling regime for consumers to adopt.

Pure air for clean production

Like many other plants, air quality is a major concern for the textile industry due to the presence of moisture, dust particles, oil and solid contaminants that adversely affect air quality. For textile manufacturing, compressed air serves as an energy source in production processes such as the operation of air jet looms and spinning. The S-3 and S-4 series of screw compressors developed by BOGE Kompressoren, a leading compressed air specialist, are the ultimate solution to cost-effective operations.

BOGE’s oil-free compressor systems offer several  advantages – they are clean, non-toxic and can transfer large amounts of energy simultaneously. The oil-lubricated compressed air reduces friction, prevents corrosion and wear-out of woven actuators in machinery, thereby increasing their lifespan. BOGE’s integrated compressed air treatment systems can also be equipped with advanced abilities to remove oil, water and dust particles entirely for clean-air production where necessary.

Zero wastewater and chemicals

For every 1 kg of coloured apparel, traditional textile dyes require between 95 to 150 litres of water, resulting in tremendous toxic waste. Dutch company DyeCoo’s waterless and dryless process for dyeing cloth is both time- and cost-efficient. A single DyeCoo dyeing machine saves 32 million litres of water and 176 tons of processing chemicals annually.

DyeCoo uses patented technology to dye fabrics with CO2 instead of water. Its highly pressurised mechanism recycles carbon dioxide at a “supercritical” state – the midpoint between liquid and gas above 31.3 Celcius. Dyes dissolve easily into the highly soluble material, penetrating deep into the fibres without water or bonding chemicals, creating vibrant colours with no excess toxins. Ninety-five percent of the evaporated carbon dioxide is then recycled back in the closed loop cycle. Nike, Adidas, and Ikea are among the key brands working with DyeCoo to develop sustainable and innovative methods to drive business growth.

Smart, safe, sustainable

As fashion and textile interweave into the future, labour-intensive manufacturing will continue to undergo major transitions towards smarter textile production. A holistic approach, incorporating eco-friendly designs, innovative materials and processes, optimisation of resource consumption and recycling is the way forward to making textile processing safer, cleaner and more sustainable.

In many instances, sustainability has become a way of living, a commitment, and a journey to improve lives and save our gaia for the future generation. We have witnessed businesses and individuals taking various steps in supporting the sustainable way of living from limiting the use of plastic straws, to bringing lunch boxes and water bottles for takeaways – small steps with big impacts.

Green In Future had the opportunity to conduct exclusive Q&A with heroines that champion various efforts to advocate sustainability during the North West Youth Forum – Sustainability this year. Ms Nichol Ng, Co-Founder and Chief Food Officer of The Food Bank Singapore shared about the importance of responsible consumption. Dr Angela Lee Hui Mien, Vice-President, Sustainable Development, Mandai Park Development spoke on the role of businesses in promoting sustainable efforts. And we also discussed with Ms Pek Hai Lin, Manager, Zero Waste Singapore on challenges to achieve zero waste in Singapore.

Ms. Nichol Ng

Co-Founder and Chief Food Officer of The Food Bank Singapore

1.What are your takes on the consumption habits of people in Singapore in comparison to other countries in Southeast Asia? 

I do not have sufficient data to back this statistically but I do know that our food waste is very much in line with other developed nations in the world. In terms of habits, I would say that the “cheaper” cost of food may sometimes lead to higher Waste because the cost to import food is low without any tariffs etc so to import in bulk etc..is easy. This may at times constitute to larger stockpiles.

2.What progress can we see in terms of food consumption since the inception of The Food Bank Singapore in 2012?

One of the major trends that I see is sustainable or responsible consumption. Be it questioning the source of food or simply thinking twice about wasting too much. This is in part due to social media and simply increase consumer awareness of this global issue.

And what do you hope to achieve in the next 5 years?  Our mission is to eradicate Food Insecurity in Singapore in all Forms by 2025 and this mission can be supported by the excess foods that lingers in the Ecosystem, all the better. So we also get to play a role in feeding those in need and yet be an environmental champion.

3.If you had all the resources, what would you have done to curb food wastage?

I would replace our regular RUBBISH bin with a self sorting bin targeted at Food. Still good to eat food can go into 1 channel and another channel can target organic food waste for composting etc…this is more targeted at Homes.

One easy ways to reduce food waste is also to bring donations to TOP OF MIND now instead of dumping which is still the most common method of discard even for still good to consume food. Donate before Dumping.

Dr. Angela Lee Hui Mien

Vice-President, Sustainable Development, Mandai Park Development 

1.What does the term sustainability mean to you?

Sustainability is about bringing social progress to mankind – a better life to people in general, with the least environmental impact and at a feasible cost.  It is about achieving a balance between improving lives and resource efficiency, and being able to do more with less as we develop.

2.How do you ensure sustainability efforts is being uplifted across parks and other entities under Wildlife Reserves Singapore?

Everyone who is co-opted into this project, from our in-house team to our external partners, must embrace the principles of sustainability – from concept to construction phase, through to the maintenance and management stage. In the parks, sustainability is embedded into the everyday business as well.

Sustainability metrics do not just apply to the Sustainable Solutions department, and we encourage and support other teams across the organisation to incorporate sustainability into their daily work as well. For example, when the marketing department is running a campaign, they should think about how it can be done with less resources and to incorporate a sustainability element.

Internal stakeholder engagement is critical in the process, to get different departments to understand the importance of making sustainability a part of their daily work. Hence if my job is done well, I should be made redundant!

3.In your opinion, what more can Singaporeans and residents in Singapore do to promote sustainable living?

Sometimes we may think it is difficult to incorporate sustainability in our lifestyle but there are realistic ways of doing this and it is about being aware of the choices we make that can impact the environment.

It’s a commitment but it’s easier than it looks. For example, do not buy more than you need (this helps you save money too!), cut down on disposables and choose products with less packaging. Sustainability is a journey, so we can always start with a small action and gradually move to a bigger commitment.

I try to lead a sustainable lifestyle as much as possible – from smaller actions like reducing use of single-use plastic, always carrying a shopping bag and coffee mug on me even when I travel, supporting sustainable brands and companies, gifting sustainable products, driving a plug hybrid car, fitting my house with LED lighting and ensuring my household appliances are energy and water efficient.

Find someone to talk about it and share ways to achieve it together. I constantly scout for new ways to recycle, reuse, re purpose, and share them with my family and friends. By sharing interesting facts and experiences, I hope it encourages them to lead a more sustainable lifestyle as well.

Ms. Pek Hai Lin

Manager, Zero Waste Singapore

1.Do you think achieving zero waste is possible in an economically rampant country like Singapore? Unfortunately not in the near future, though zero waste is a journey we should embark on and embrace as much as possible, to keep resources within the economy to be reused the best that we can.

2.What are the challenges that you have faced in trying to promote the zero waste initiative to businesses and individuals?

Some do not see the immediate benefit of working towards zero waste as an individual, community or business. However, it is for long term survival by ensuring our basic needs of clean air, food and water can be maintained, and that underpins our welfare across all sectors. For businesses, it is to secure the license to operate for generations to come.

3.Tell us, what do you think is the one utmost difficulty / challenge that inhibits progress towards zero waste?

Mindset change can be the greatest challenge, as an open mind is needed to embrace the progress we need to make.

PRESS RELEASE

2 December 2019

[Tokyo, Japan] Vena Energy, one of Asia-Pacific’s leading Independent Power Producers (IPP),announced today that the 18-megawatt “Towada” Solar Project has achieved complete commercial operation in November 2019. Capable of producing up to 19,704-megawatt hours annually, the Towada Solar Project features 46,424 photovoltaic modules of 395-watt peak (Wp) each, covering an area of 28.53-hectares in Towada City, Aomori Prefecture in Japan. The Towada Solar Project will be operated by the branch office of Nippon Renewable Energy Operations (NREO), a subsidiary of Vena Energy, based in the Shichinohe City. (more…)

• World’s first investment fund dedicated to preventing ocean plastic 
• Biggest capital investment towards Asia’s ocean plastic crisis 
• First investments targeted in Asia by early 2020

SINGAPORE, December 4, 2019 – A US$106 million (SGD$144 million) fund dedicated to preventing plastic from entering the Asian oceans was launched today. The Circulate Capital Ocean Fund (CCOF) is the world’s first investment fund dedicated to address Asia’s plastic crisis. The Singapore-based fund is also one of the ten largest ASEAN-based Venture Capital Funds in the market.1  (more…)

Date: 20-22 November 2019

 Venue:Grand Hyatt Singapore,
10 Scotts Road, Singapore 228211

With just one week to go until the in Singapore, here’s your snapshot of everything happening and who you will meet. Get ready for a busy week of networking and insights into the future of Asia’s agri-food value chain! (more…)

Singapore, 10 November 2019… The Singapore FinTech Festival (SFF) and the Singapore Week of Innovation and TeCHnology (SWITCH) will come together for the first time as SFF x SWITCH. Running from 11 to 15 November, this event will gather the global innovation and business community in Singapore. There will be over 400 speakers, more than 900 exhibitors, 41 international pavilions, and about 60,0001 participants from 130 countries. (more…)