Textiles are divided into clothes made from natural and manmade fibres. Natural fibres include cotton, jute, wool, silk, flax, bamboo and hemp. Synthetic fibres include polyesters, nylons, rayons etc.

Today, polyesters have a 55% share in Global Fibre Market. Estimates suggest that more than 98% of future fibre production will be synthetics, and 95% of that synthetic fibre will be polyester.

The Hazards of Polyesters

Environmental Impact: 50 million tons of polyester was produced in 2015. Polyester sheds plastic filaments – possibly from daily wear and tear, but also in the wash. The filaments can make it into sewer systems and eventually into waterways.

Researchers found plastic fibres in samples from 29 tributaries of the Great Lakes in the US, in a 2016 study. These fibres make up 70% of all the plastic collected. They are absorbed by wildlife and work their way up the food chain.

Health Impact: Polyester was created in the 1950s, not by a textile mill, but by an American chemical company, DuPont. Chemicals present in clothes can enter the human body via dermal absorption. They can also enter via evaporation, or release due to wear and tear, resulting in inhalation and ingestion.

Being petroleum-based, polyester is also flammable. Many polyester fabrics are coated with flame-retardant chemicals, especially in children’s clothing. These chemicals have been associated with thyroid dysfunction in pregnant women, and interfering with neurological development in infants and children.

Organic Cotton

Organic cotton is being increasingly recognized as the safest, non-toxic, eco-friendly textile option. India, being the largest producer of organic cotton in the world, offers tremendous scope for organic textiles production and exports. The bulk of organic fibres and textiles produced in India are being consumed by prestigious companies in Europe and the US at premium rates. The global organic clothing industry represents just approximately 1% of global consumption. Out of this, India alone accounts for almost 74% of the production. As of now the use of organic cotton is still a niche market but there is tremendous potential for its growth in an increasingly environmentally and health conscious world.

Save the Weave

Save the Weave is an initiative by Isha Foundation, under the guidance of Sadhguru. This initiative operates through its social enterprise Isha Crafts (a division of Ishalife) and aims to support next-generation entrepreneurs, designers, dyers, weavers and weaver organizations who are fully engaged with traditional practices of handcrafting fabrics in their quest for sustainability. It will attempt to build new engagements to fill existing gaps and focuses on new markets for daily wear fabrics.

One of the main goals of Save the Weave is to bring awareness and traction for low impact textile creations: natural textiles and dyes. As a step towards this objective, Isha Foundation co-hosted an event in New York titled “Fashion for Peace". The objective of the event was to bring together some of the top designers (Norma Kamali, Mara Hoffman, Mimi Prober and Sabyasachi) from East and West, looking at the impact of toxicity of manufacturing of garments, the amount of the imprint on the environment from start to finish.

The fabrics for this event were selected on the basis of the uniqueness of the weave, low carbon imprint and sustainability from across the weaving traditions of India. Handwoven and Natural Dyed Denims, Khadi, Eri Silk, Natural Dye Silk Printed Fabrics, Natural Dyed Matka, Natural Dyed Khadi, Kalamkari and Lehariya were presented to the designers who interpreted them into apparel ranges for international consumption.

Government school uniforms could be mandatorily cotton (preferably handloom or even khadi). Private schools should also be inspired and encouraged to adopt this as a policy. These initiatives would make an immediate impact on the demand for these fabrics and send a lot of out-of-work weavers back to their looms.

Government employees, especially in the civil services and hospitality sectors, could be encouraged to use organic handloom and khadi apparel at least on certain days of the week which can be mandated as Organic Clothing Day. If other corporate companies could be motivated to adopt such a policy within their companies it would be highly impactful. Wherever possible, unique textiles and weaves of each state can be incorporated into the design or uniform (particularly in industries such as airlines and hospitality).

Each state can rope in well-known designers and design houses to take on the role of ‘Textile Ambassadors’. Through their design ranges, they could play a significant part in showcasing some of the most quintessential fabrics of that state. These ambassadors can represent the state at various national and international events and prestigious avenues for exposure.

Every state in India is blessed with its own age-old traditional systems of weaves, prints and dyes. Until now, the onus of creating a market for these has been on state-run developmental agencies such as State-level Handloom Development Corporations and Apex Cooperatives with a handful of retail emporiums. These were successful in part but were unable to muster adequate business acumen and focus to sustain against the rigors of a market economy. Apart from this, scattered individual businesses have been operating in a largely unorganized sector. Procurement and retail sales have been on largely ad-hoc systems. Handloom fairs and exhibitions are the only regular platform for Indian weaves to get nation-wide exposure. In the past few decades, a few large businesses (FabIndia, Anokhi and Good Earth for example) have made an attempt to make textiles from various states available across the nation. But the sheer mind-boggling variety of styles and techniques available make stocking and retailing a major issue for these individual-backed businesses.

To address this gap in the supply chain, one recommendation is to develop state-wise enterprises based on the Public–Private model. Each state-wise enterprise is then committed to creating a lively market for its own textiles/garments on a national and international scale. This enterprise should be entirely committed to natural textiles and therefore it is of utmost importance to create awareness and demand in the fashion circles of the world.

• Indian embassies in cities with high fashion presence can be entrusted with the task of developing contacts with the design community and hosting events showcasing and introducing the local community to Indian textiles, weaves and clothing fashions. Top designers from India can be invited to such events. Business-to-business collaborations can be facilitated. Creating awareness of the environmental and health benefits of organic cotton should be a priority.

• Tax incentives can be offered for exporters who work exclusively with handloom and khadi. What we may lose as taxes, we will gain through international exposure. Rare and dying weaves should be listed for greatest benefits.