Sustainability Trends in Home Textile Industry

Home interiors say a lot about your choice and personality. We all love to drape our home interiors with the best and the latest textiles available in the market. However, manufacturing of these textiles pollutes our environment badly and that’s whythe home textile industry is considered as the most environmentally harmful industry. Nowadays, a shift towards the eco-friendly and sustainable textile options is being observed. The number of the textile products following textile standards such as GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) has increased and this is a fair indication that the future belongs to sustainable textiles. A large number of home textile brands such as Bed Bath & Beyond, Target & Ralph Lauren, Nike, Patagonia, Marks and Spencer are offering green options in the home textile segment. When it comes to making an eco-friendly product in the home textile industry, it is not only limited to the fabric. There are certain criteria; a product has to pass to get eco-friendly certificate such as whether the product is recyclable or made up of recyclable materials, is it produced using green manufacturing processes, is it made without any use of chemicals and harmful dyes, does the finished product release any harmful chemicals…? With so many set standards, the home textile market has come up with various eco-friendly options: Spinning a recycled ya : Manufacturers are making eco-friendly home collections wherein the fabric contains cotton, wooland recyclable yarns. These recyclable yarns are shredded into fibres that are blended with other selected fibres. These yarns are used to make mattresses, cold or fabric bags or insulation for heat. Making products from waste: Some of the Indian manufacturers are using natural fibres by recycling even the waste produced from these fibres. These manufacturers are making innovative cushion covers and textile panels with such textile wastes. One such example is using the leftover laces and crochet covers and patching them on silk with hand embroidery sequins and beads. These designs are used to make beautiful cushion covers. Use of eco-friendly dyes for colouring in home textiles: Today, the majority of home textile manufacturers have replaced the azo dyes with eco-friendly dyes made from vegetables and low-impact dyes in order to minimise ill health effects. The use of chemical dyes is one of the major causes of pollution in the home textile industry. The use of natural dyes not only prevents harm to the environment but also helps in the production of non-allergic fabrics. Innovative products with upcycling: Some of the leading home textile manufacturers are coming up with products by using upcycling and recycling. Some of the examples are denim patchwork rugs and pouffes, beanbags with recycled sweaters, recycled leather labels upholstered stool, repurposed fabric carpets, etc. Such products are eco-friendly and also add a sense of style and modernity to homes. Organic or eco-friendly textiles have an enormous scope in India in the near future as people are becoming more conscious about health and environment. Further, India is in an advantageous position as it is the largest producer of organic cotton and thus it can produce cotton-based home textiles, which are completely eco-friendly.