Textile and clothing, as the resources of clothes, are regarded as the second skin of human body and the first element of our life. In addition, they have a significant influence on human health and security. Therefore, the pollution of textile products should draw widespread attention.
Recently, several developed countries have announced relevant textile environmentally-friendly standards and have strictly controlled the contents of harmful substances in the clothes. Not only have they introduced a series of legislations for environmentally-friendly textile, but also controlled the pollution of textile products effectively. Nowadays, the increasing public awareness and sense of social responsibility related to environmental issues have led the textile industry to manufacture products with improved environmental profiles. However, compared with environmentally-friendly textile and clothing products abroad, there are still various harmful substances to human health in the products in China. Consequently, researching and developing environmentally-friendly textile and clothing products has become an important trend in the textile industries.
In this project, I will draw a comparison between international and Chinese environmentally-friendly textile and clothing products. First, this essay will explain what environmentally-friendly textile and clothing product is. In the second section, it will compare the situation of international environmentally-friendly textile industries with that of China. This part will also include the analysis of the gap between them. By doing this, I hope to suggest some methods in which Chinese environmentally-friendly textile industry can develop its own way.
2. Definition
Environmentally-friendly textile and clothing product have the minimum impact on the human body and natural environment, also has the characteristics of the recyclable, the low pollution and the resource saving in the process from the choice of the fiber material to the clothing production, sale, use and disposal. It is asked to apply the principle of environmental science and ecology to the process of clothes manufacturing and market to form a management system with no pollution. In addition, the textile is the pillar industry of the world, and pollution in the whole process has an indispensable influence on the environment. Thus, it is necessary for us to research the environmentally-friendly textile and clothing products. In a summary, the environment is so important for human beings that we should make a balance between the textile clothing and the environment. 3. The situation of international environmentally-friendly textile and clothing products
3.1 The consumption of environmentally-friendly textile products
The percentage of people from different countries that consider the criterion of environmental protection when they are consuming
Country
Netherlands
America
Germany
Percentage
84%
89%
90%
According to the recent statistics, ‘the total environmentally-friendly consumption business has reached more than 3,000 billion dollars. Among them, about 84% of the Dutch, 89% of the American and 90% of the German will consider the criterion of environmental protection when they are consuming.’ [Su; Wang, 1999:18]
.
3.2 The establishment of management system
Developed countries, especially America, Sweden, France, England and Japan have researched environmentally-friendly textile and clothing products. In the 1980s, the search became the hot spot at that time, and several products were discovered. ‘In 1987, the international organization for standardization issued the first international management standard ISO9000. Then in the year of 1993, it formulated another standard ISO14000, which is related to hot issues, such as environmental management system, environment audit, environment mark and the evaluation of environmental behavior.’ [Li, 1998:312] Also, the international textile ecological research and