The level of pollution caused due to textile industry is no new news to anyone. According to the United Nations, the total carbon emissions of the fashion industry exceed those of all international flights and shipping combined, accounting for 10 percent of global carbon emissions. At the moment it is the second most polluting industry after the oil industry. But what’s promising that organizations are now moving towards green transformation. Industry leader Coats being one of them launched its sustainability strategy ‘Pioneering a sustainable future’ in 2019 and it is making good progress towards the 2022 targets that set out.
Already this year, there have been two significant undertakings which will provide additional areas of emphasis to their strategy. “We have committed to set science-based emissions reduction targets across the entire value chain, that are consistent with keeping global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, ”Nishant Manuja, Managing Director, Coats Bangladesh Ltd.
They have committed to develop a long-term target to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, the highest level of ambition on climate under the Science Based Target initiative.
In addition, they have become a member of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the leading proponent of the idea of circular economies which aligns closely with Coats’ objectives to develop products and processes that are compatible with this.
In terms of sustainable product development, Coats recently launched EcoRegen, a biodegradable thread which supports customers’ sustainability agendas. Coats EcoRegen is made from 100% lyocell, a renewable fibre derived from wood pulp sourced from sustainably managed forests.
While no common global standards for the effluent quality existed, Coats developed and used its own global effluent standards.
“We did this because we consider that the environment is equally precious, everywhere and we wanted to be certain that we were operating to the same high standards in all our plants, even where local legislation was not as demanding,” Stuart Morgan, Chief Legal & Risk Officer and Secretary at Coats Group Plc.
90% of Coats total water consumption is used in dyeing, one of the most important parts of the thread manufacturing process. Coats continues to invest in new machines with low liquor ratio, while also modifying processes in existing machines to be more water-efficient. It is also exploring innovative developments in waterless dyeing technology.
