ForeThought: Beyond compliance

August 5, 2010 | Galynn Nordstrom

The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations declared 2009 the International Year of Natural Fibers, and sponsored a year-long series of events seeking to raise awareness of the benefits of natural fibers over synthetic and petroleum-based textiles, which are not viewed as sustainable. So (naturally) over the past couple of years, I’ve peppered the pages of the Review with brief stories about the development of fibers, fiber treatments and fabrics from abundant and renewable natural resources: hagfish slime, corn sugar, crab shells, coconut shells and chicken feathers, to name a few. (I’ve yet to receive any professional interest in the seemingly endless supply of centipedes in my basement, but I haven’t given up hope of finding a commercially viable use for them, although I suppose that shipping could present some logistical difficulties.)

In the August issue of Review, “Natural selection” is our first feature-length exploration of this topic, as these types of materials are now going beyond fashion and bedding and entering the world of specialty fabrics. “If the green movement was (and is) the driver,” the author says, “technology was (and is) the vehicle.” There are many, many factors involved—abundance, cost, durability, supply chains, food production versus fiber production—but ultimately, it’s a matter of performance and application. As Glen Raven’s Hal Hunnicutt notes, “Properly engineered synthetics that last 30 times longer than cotton canvas save a lot more in other areas.”

As long as manufacturers keep their R&D eyes open to the possibilities of natural sources of fiber—and to the economic and environmental benefits that might accrue to the suppliers of those natural sources—the technology to ensure that we go from “everyone wants synthetics to be more like natural fibers” to “everyone wants natural fibers to be more like synthetics” will continue to gain momentum. Options for manufacturers of custom fabric products will continue to increase, and consumers will continue to drive demand.

That paints a very positive picture of environmental responsiveness being driven by opportunity, and so it is. Environmental awareness is only one component of what is popularly termed “corporate social responsibility” (CSR), but it’s a major one. The failure to make social commitments to your community, whatever that might be, is not a long-term competitive advantage. Most manufacturers are aware of this on some level. But there are still echoes of the “can we afford sustainability?” debate going on, especially in terms of international commerce (see “How green is my economy?”).

As in other arenas of commerce, we need global environmental standards, and we need them now. They also have to be enforceable, and that doesn’t just mean unprofitable. Market forces may be self-leveling, but they cannot be self-regulating. Anybody who thinks the business world can monitor itself should count the number of times during a week that employees take the last of the coffee and don’t make another pot, leaving half an inch of fetid sludge to fester while everybody else gets stubborn and heads over to Starbucks.

Regulation gives us a baseline, and a spur to innovation. When somebody learns to make awning fabric from centipedes, there’s a fortune to be made.

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