Asia’s path to a greener future
OVERALL
ALTERNATIVE FABRICS ---------------
Alternative fabrics are made from materials that are fully biodegradable, either grown naturally or man-made. 77 Some examples include fabrics made from bamboo, coffee and banana fibres, which—when disposed of—can biodegrade quicker than clothing made from petroleum-based products such as polyester and nylon. The fashion industry produces 92m tonnes of textile waste a year, equivalent to filling a rubbish truck with clothes every second of every day of the year. 78 According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 73% of clothes end up in landfill or are incinerated at the end of their life. Just 1% are recycled. 79 Edwin Keh, CEO of The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel, says that replacing petroleum- based textiles with cellulose ones—ie, those made from biodegradable plant material—has the potential to reduce carbon emissions associated with both clothes production and waste. Alternative fabrics have the potential to halve the fashion industry’s current 2.1bn tonnes of CO 2 emissions and significantly contribute towards meeting the industry’s Paris targets. 80,81 Alternative fabrics require fewer resources, especially if they are made from by-products, such as banana
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technology material and innovation stopped there.” Third, existing business models often label such materials as luxury items, leading to higher price margins. 85 Finally, the region has low levels of investment and investor interest. According to Crunchbase, Asia represents approximately 2% of global investment in this area. 86 Policy could help accelerate efforts to decarbonise the highly polluting textile industry by promoting the use of alternatives and encouraging greater scrutiny of sourcing materials. Europe is ahead with its recent Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles, which promotes eco-friendly textile design and environmentally sustainable sourcing of fibres. 87
“Materials haven’t changed much since the industrial revolution. Cotton was at one point a new world, high technology material and innovation stopped there.”
Edwin Keh, Chief Executive Officer, The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel
peels and spent coffee grounds. Some materials such as organic cotton use less water compared with the 2,700 litres required to produce the non-organic cotton for a single t-shirt. 82 Moreover, alternative fabrics offer a more ethical choice by eliminating the reliance on animal products. Most sustainability-focused alternative fabrics also use non-toxic chemicals and dyes, reducing the harm to human health and the environment. 83 Our research shows that alternative fabrics are commercially available and manufactured across Asia, but are not widely scaled. There are four reasons for this. First, organic and natural fibres are costly. Only 1% of global cotton production is organic because of the high cost of organic seeds. 84 Second, the industry is relatively conservative. Mr Keh notes that “materials haven’t changed much since the industrial revolution. Cotton was at one point a new world, high
According to our research, while there is evidence of policies that back alternative fabrics, governments have yet to provide significant monetary and policy support in this area compared to other decarbonisation technologies. However, Mr Keh believes that investment will increase as everyone looks to fulfil their sustainability criteria. He expects institutional funds such as retirement and sovereign wealth funds to drive more long-term investments into this space. There is a growing sustainability awareness among consumers in the region and embracing sustainable fashion is found to enhance brand image. A survey showed that 90%, 71% and 49% of people in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Tokyo, respectively, are in favour of sustainable fashion. 88,89 Asia has both the market and manufacturing capacity, but scaling these requires greater investments and policy alignment.
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