TEXTILES.ORG
Advancing sustainability in textiles
March 1st, 2019
Textiles are part of a larger drive to protect and preserve resources for the future. Sustainability may be understood as a way to judiciously consume resources while leaving or even enhancing the availability of resources for future generations. The term “sustainability” has developed a powerful vibe that affects our society in general and the business […]
Washing bag fights plastic pollution
December 1st, 2018
The millions of tons of plastic pollution that end up in the oceans and other waterways each year is quickly becoming a global crisis. One of the culprits is clothing made from synthetic textiles. With each laundering, numerous small plastic fibers make their way from the washing machine down the drain and into oceans, lakes […]
Ultra-sustainable electric car uses biological materials
November 1st, 2018
The mantra, “reduce, reuse, recycle” has been taken to a new level by students at Netherlands Eindhoven University of Technology. They developed an ultra-sustainable electric car that gets a remarkable 744 miles to the gallon. The students considered the environmental impact of every aspect of the automobile, including production, consumption and recycling, in order to […]
O’Sullivan Films’ creek cleanup is the centerpiece of its community work
August 1st, 2018
When employees at O’Sullivan Films work to improve the world around them, they don’t have to go any further than their headquarters in Winchester, Va. Winchester, part of the Shenandoah Valley located 75 miles west of Washington, D.C., is home to Abrams Creek, a stream that runs through O’Sullivan’s campus, which includes offices and a […]
Supporting marine conservation one product at a time
April 1st, 2018
Every year more than eight million tons of plastic go into the oceans. Animals are threatened by harsh oil spills, garbage and other debris that invades their habitats; the trash is killing off entire ecosystems and species. This is why www.MarineVinylFabric.com is changing the way businesses can help change the world. David Goldman, founder and […]
Space, stability and technical expertise enhance the new Tennessee Titans facility
April 1st, 2018
The Tennessee Titans debuted a new practice facility in the summer of 2016, replacing their former air structure with one much brighter, bigger and sturdier. After more than 17 years of use, the original facility, located at Saint Thomas Sports Park in Nashville, Tenn., was showing signs of deterioration, including dirty fabric, poor lighting, inconsistent […]
Dresses made from waste materials
March 1st, 2018
It’s called deadstock—the fabric left over when clothing is manufactured. It’s a common practice for fashion houses to order more fabric than they need, as a precaution. The problem is that the leftover fabric adds up quickly into billions of square feet of textile waste each year. Much of that ends up in landfills instead […]
Puffy Kachula: multipurpose comfort
February 1st, 2018
What do you get when you mix a highly functional outdoor blanket with a puffy jacket? How about a blanket that is fashionable enough to wear as a wrap, yet practical enough to keep you warm and cozy in all kinds of conditions? That’s the idea behind the Puffy Kachula, a new design from Coalatree, […]
Eco-friendly sponge soaks up oil spills
September 1st, 2017
There are many challenges to cleaning up oil spills. Consider the devastating Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. A portion of the millions of gallons of oil that escaped drifted through the ocean rather than rising to the surface. Because it did not rise to the top, the oil could not […]
Recycling and repurposing used fabrics and scraps
July 1st, 2017
About five years ago, Scott Massey, president of Awning Cleaning Industries/APCO Products (and a member of IFAI’s board of directors), decided to expand his business reach in an earth-friendly way. His company has always had an environmental bent, since well-maintained fabrics stay out of landfills longer. Still, even these fabrics eventually need replacing, resulting in […]