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Quickfire Q&A

5 minutes with... Charlotte Turner of the Future Fabrics Expo

Charlotte Turner works with The Sustainable Angle, sourcing suppliers and materials with a reduced environmental impact to showcase in the Future Fabrics Expo. We speak with her about pressing environmental challenges for fashion and exciting eco-fabrics.

1) What are the three most pressing environmental challenges facing the fashion industry?

There is a global and chronic overuse of natural resources which are rapidly depleting, most especially an over-dependency on oil to create synthetic fabrics, components such as zips and fastenings, and packaging.

Even the cultivation of ‘natural’ fibres such as (conventional/non- organic) cotton contribute to the poisoning of water streams from synthetic pesticides and fertilisers, and the depletion of finite water sources, loss of soil fertility and biodiversity caused by monocultures, and of course social issues caused by the business of cotton farming.

So to sum up, the three biggest environmental issues we are facing are the depletion of finite natural resources and loss of biodiversity, the pollution of our natural world, and an over-dependency on unsustainable practices – it is now that designers need to start exploring more innovative solutions throughout the supply chain while we are able to minimize the negative impact we are having on our environment.

2) What are a few of the most exciting innovative eco-fabrics you work with?

Some of my favourites are our ’40 mile from sheep to fabric’ wool by Susan Gaunt for Laxtons, Tainhai laces made with recycled polyester and recycled nylon, Paper No.9’s recycled alternatives to leather, Sofila’s castor oil stretch fabric, and knits made with Lenzing’s closed loop cellulosic fibres Tencel and Modal as well as organic Pima cottons by Swiss Organics.

We showcase more than 60 international mills, so there are a lot to choose from!

3) What are your top three tips for sourcing environmentally-friendly fabrics?

The first step is to understand the whole textiles and fashion supply chain – knowing that it starts in the ground, from the very raw materials which make up the fabrics we wear.

Then do your research (for instance look into different environmental and social certifications, international legislation, processing, dyeing and finishing methods, and fibre alternatives), and be sure to ask your suppliers questions using this knowledge – you can and should ask for better production, dyeing and finishing processes, and supply chain traceability from provenance to processing.

But be aware that you may need to work closely with your suppliers to achieve this, as not all are equipped to make fast changes and they may be working to different standards than are obligatory in Europe. For this reason building and maintaining strong relationships with your suppliers is a key component to sourcing more sustainably.

4) What’s in store for the future of sustainable textiles over the next year or two?

Natural fibres (especially bast fibres) are increasingly seeing more responsible wet processing applied. Recycled fibres are becoming far more diverse, for instance we are seeing different types of recycled post-consumer (for example recycled fishing nets) and post-industrial nylon manufactured into wide-ranging fabrics from performance to fashion knit and lingerie fabrics.

Wet processing and dyeing is also going to continue to see more change, with processes like airflow dyeing and CO2 dyeing being more commonly used by world renowned fashion brands.

Lenzing’s oxygen bleaching Edelweiss technology has recently paved the way for more innovative developments, and we are definitely going to see more consideration for closed loop processing.

The biggest hope is that designers, buyers and consumers will begin to see more value from using these fabrics, and will understand that it makes long-term sense for their business to switch to alternative fibres that are less polluting and not dependent on finite resources (which will rise in price), as well as more responsibly processed fabrics – the industry must be aware of the the impact every choice makes.