This past Monday we wrote about China’s plans to close over 2,000 factories that the government deems either too polluting, or energy intensive. On Wednesday, Ecotextile News reported that even more textile facilities are closing.

In the southeast province of Shaoxing, one of China’s important textile hubs, government officials have ordered the number of dyeing houses be cut in half. Production of dyed goods will be reduced to roughly 10 billion meters this year, from 15.6 billion.

The focus on this region is due to their disproportionately high energy use and extrordinarly high chemical oxygen demand (COD) discharge compared to textile factories elsewhere in China. COD is a major case of water pollution.

Already 600 facilities belonging to about 20 companies have been closed because they were either operating illegally, or did not meet the environmental and energy standards.

China, it seems, has taken a very strict line against some polluting and energy intensive industries. The textile industry being both energy intensive, and highly polluting is consequently suffering many shutdowns.

We are pleased to see that the talk of shutting polluting facilities was not rhetoric on the part of the Chinese. It is vitally important to stem the tide of industrial pollution, and what better way to start than closing dye houses that used over 200 million tons of water last year to dye clothing.

Earlier this month the Chinese government ordered the closure of 2,087 manufacturing factories by September 30. While many media outlets are focusing on the energy use concerns that are a major factor in this drastic course of action, we want to draw your attention to the environmental issues, specifically around the Chinese textile industry.

Of the thousands of companies that will close, among them are textile dyeing and printing factories that were deemed either heavy polluters, energy wasters, or did not meet safety requirements. The water pollution crisis in China has been going on for some time and is well documented. Up to this point, environmental standards enforcement has been lax with some local officials even blocking cleanup efforts.

China’s economic growth stems in part from heavily polluting industries such as textiles. Water contamination has become so bad that in the first half of this year, 43.2 percent of the nation’s rivers were unfit for human contact–this according to Chinese government statistics reported recently in The Economist. It’s an alarming assessment. Think about that for a minute. The water is so bad in 43 percent of Chinese rivers that humans should not even touch it.

In addition, almost a quarter of all China’s surface water – meaning lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands–fell short of the nation’s standards for industrial use, according to data published by Reuters. Textile mills and dye houses are dumping so many toxic chemicals into the lakes and rivers that waterways are choked with algae.

The closure orders are aimed at eliminating the country’s worst polluters. Three government ministries have proposed taking an additional step by enacting an environmental tax on a trial basis. The tax would cover carbon dioxide emissions and water contamination–potentially increasing the price of Chinese goods. China does not want to add a tax that will impede growth, but at the same time, the country cannot grow if its water supply is unusable.

The central government in Beijing appears to be serious about reducing pollution and energy use. We’re confident that more regulations and enforcement are in store for Chinese manufacturing plants. So, if you’re relying on one of these polluting, inefficient factories to supply the textile for your company’s designs, it’s time to look for a more sustainable solution.

Photo credit: sheilaz413/ flickr

A couple years ago, outdoor footwear and apparel company Merrell unveiled a jacket at the Outdoor Retailer show that it called NADA, short for “Not Any Dye Applied.” Being part of a company that’s concerned about water scarcity and pollution, we were impressed by Merrell’s effort to save water and reduce pollution with its dye-less jacket (we even wrote about it here). At this summer’s Outdoor Retailer, we were fortunate enough to spend time at Merrell’s two-level booth.

At first, we couldn’t find the new NADA jackets, and we were worried the company had phased out the concept. But a Merrell representative quickly reassured us. Instead of keeping the NADA jacket a unique offering, Merrell is now using un-dyed materials in its synthetic garments wherever they would have normally used white. That includes the white parts of multi-colored shirts, the Merrell representative told us. Sales of NADA products are growing, if only because it’s now integrated wherever there appears to be “white” synthetic material. And because Merrell is skipping the dye on all the material that would normally be dyed white, the company is ratcheting up the environmental savings at a time when water scarcity is a hot topic.

“I would love it if the whole industry used un-dyed materials for white products,” said Bill Inman, Merrell’s apparel business director.

Merrell has found a cost-effective way to achieve environmental savings with NADA. Even though the company’s typical customer is not as environmentally conscious as a buyer who gravitates toward brands such as Patagonia, Merrell is still searching for ways it can reduce its eco-footprint.

“We’re all in the business because we love the outdoors. The challenge in front of us is how to run a business, and do right by the environment,” Inman told us.

Beyond expanding NADA, Merrell is focused on luring more people outdoors. Recently, the company announced a partnership with the National Park Foundation that it hopes will inspire people to lead more active, outdoor lives. For spring 2011, Merrell designed organic cotton T-shirts that pay homage to the parks. The multi-colored tees are designed to be reminiscent of the old National Park postage stamps from the 1930s–though we’re sure no one reading this remembers putting one of those on an envelope.

While Merrell might not have the most robust environmental initiatives in the industry, its focus on the water that’s wasted and polluted while dyeing synthetic material “white” should stimulate an industry-wide conversation about link between water scarcity and apparel. Whether intentional or not, Merrell is bringing light to the environmental damage caused by dyeing clothing, and that’s an approach not many companies have taken. As we’re fond of saying, we need water for living, not for dyeing.

Earlier this month the Outdoor Retailer show was held in Salt Lake City, Utah. We were there checking out the latest in outdoor gear and talking with companies about their sustainability initiatives. We’ve broken up the content into several posts, and will be sharing it with you all week. First up, Patagonia.

One of the top names in environmentally-conscious outdoor gear, Patagonia unveiled a new hiking boot that it designed for Backpacker Magazine’s Zero Impact Challenge. Companies who take on the challenge commit to coming up with and marketing the highest quality product possible while using processes and materials that minimize the environmental impact. The magazine then rates the results. Patagonia showed off its contest entry at Outdoor Retailer this year–the P26 (P for Patagonia, 26 for the number of bones in a person’s foot).

“The P26 is an environmentally conscious premium hiker that marries the ride of a trail runner and the durability of a hiker,” Mike Bruno of Patagonia said at the show.

Patagonia’s participation in the Zero Impact Challenge helped the company push the boundaries of what’s possible when creating new low-impact products. However, the low-impact philosophy isn’t limited to Patagonia products developed for contests.

For spring 2011, 90 percent of the Patagonia’s apparel products will be recyclable (not to be confused with recycled) through the company’s Common Threads program. Launched in 2005, Common Threads is a clothing reclamation initiative the company hopes will keep clothing out of landfills. Consumers can take their used or unwanted Patagonia clothes to company stores or mail them back to Patagonia’s service center. Since the program began, the company has collected 26 tons of clothing, with 12 tons recycled so far. The Common Threads program is growing, and Patagonia hopes to one day reclaim 100 percent of the garments it makes.

Patagonia also has embraced Bluesign, a standards program for textile companies that want certification that specific products meet environmental and safety standards. The spring 2011 line is 20 percent Bluesign-certified, and according to a Patagonia representative, the products incorporate as much recycled polyester as possible.

One interesting aspect of the company’s approach to sustainability is something it calls the Footprint Chronicles, a publication that highlights both the good and the bad aspects of production. Patagonia has shown a consistent commitment to reducing its environmental impact, and that dedication is reinforced with the new P26 hiking boot and the company’s spring 2011 line of apparel. We’ll check back with Patagonia during January’s Outdoor Retailer show to see what other changes are in store.

Here are a few more of Patagonia’s spring 2011 products:

Unifi, an American yarn manufacturer based in North Carolina, is taking action to position itself as a leader in the growing business of recycled yarns and fabrics. The company recently announced that it is investing in sustainable supply chain initiatives such as a new recycling center to turn post-consumer and post-industrial plastics into yarn.

The company already sells a recycled polyester (RPET) yarn (sold under the Repreve brand) made from purchased plastic chips processed using a proprietary technique.

“Bringing the extrusion process in-house is a natural next step for us,” said Roger Berrier, executive vice president in a Unifi press release. “Being more vertically integrated will significantly increase our product development capabilities and capacity.”

In addition to adding some vertical integration, Unifi said its new recycling investment gives it a way to use post-consumer and post-industrial inputs, an important step toward creating a closed-loop system for recycling PET.

Because leading textile and apparel brands are moving toward more sustainable fabrics and production methods, yarn manufacturers that want to keep up with the market must transform their supply chains to reflect customers’ new desires.

Many of these brands are discovering a high performance sustainable fabric in recycled PET. The recycled fiber does not require the vast amounts of water that cotton needs to grow. And unlike its virgin counterpart, the recycled polyester doesn’t add to the demand for petroleum.

Unifi–early to recognize the trend toward recycled PET–is positioning itself to better innovate, develop, and expand the Repreve brand. Bringing recycling in-house could lead to better, cheaper recycled yarns, hopefully spurring the adoption of recycled PET.

Interested in seeing how it’s done? Repreve was featured in a segment on How It’s Made.