In the wide, wide world of sustainability, textile firms are focused on becoming better citizens of our global society. Doing more to protect the planet is the new normal throughout the entire textile supply chain. There are 17 items listed on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals – 17! And leading fiber/fabric suppliers are determined in their environmental outlook to live up to this modern standard.

With good reason: Consumer consumption of clothing and footwear is steadily increasing, the world population is growing, and textiles purchased by billions of people are mostly landing in the trash. In the U.S., alone, consumers dispose of about 80 percent of their textiles directly into their garbage.

Or consider what’s happening with ocean plastics pollution: A truckload of plastics gets poured into the ocean every minute. The Future Centre 2019 Report on Sustainability, quantifies the amount as 8 million tons of plastic entering the ocean every year. The research also reveals that annually only around 14 percent of plastic packaging gets recycled globally.

Shirking eco responsibility is no longer acceptable. Indeed, in scientific circles, the run up to 2030 is considered “crunch time” for businesses across the board to tackle our natural resource and climate crisis.

The textile companies profiled on the following pages are doing their part to drive meaningful change. Our Insight on Sustainability section provides an in-depth look at the latest advances in eco-efficiencies and responsible product development achieved by leading companies in the industry. From eco-conscious solution dye fibers, and progressive approaches to cotton use, to strides in biodegradable materials, the innovations introduced by Chromuch, Cotton Incorporated and Polartec raise the bar in our industry’s pursuit to elevate the level of sustainability in textiles worldwide.