Environmental Impact and Economic Benefits of Biopolymers in the Textile Industry

The excessive utilization of petroleum-based synthetic and non-biodegradable resources for a variety of applications in textile industry has caused severe environmental destruction. The need for sustainable materials has stimulated scientists to explore alternative materials. For instance, biopolymers have gained attention owing to their ecological and biodegradable nature. Over the past decades, textile industry has been using synthetic- and plastic-based materials owing to their attractive properties such as low cost, easily availability, and versatility. However, textile/fashion industry is responsible for the production of around 92 million tonnes of non-biodegradable and highly hazardous waste at every level of processing which ultimately end up in landfills. Processing of petroleum into polyester results in the production of synthetic fibers or microplastics that can take up to 200 years to decompose which ultimately pose health risks to consumers. Along with the health risks, these synthetic fibers are responsible for the groundwater pollution, noise pollution, soil pollution, wastewater and liquid waste run off, and airborne waste. The production of microplastics emits greenhouse gas, i.e. 300 times more dangerous than carbon dioxide. Furthermore, the economy of the country also hampers by the textile waste as consumer spending increases, so does waste output from both the manufacturing and home sectors. In this way, the environment and economy both get affected by the textile industry. Owing to changing demand and technologies, the share of environment-friendly eco-textiles within international textile and apparel trade has been increasing so as to minimize hazardous effects. The ongoing research focuses to meet the environmental legislation and consumer demands for advanced, sustainable options and biopolymers are one of them.