Chemicals of Future Concern

Chemicals play a crucial role in the textile industry. Without chemicals, the production of yarn, fabric, garments, and other textile products would be close to impossible on an industrial basis. In addition, the available textile products would be whatever color the color the natural fiber was when it was harvested—since synthetic and manmade fibers require chemistry, and even “natural” dyes are also chemicals. And many of the high performance attributes beloved by both brands and consumers would simply not exist. However, chemicals are a tool that must be used carefully. While a great many chemicals are useful in textile manufacturing, some of those chemicals are harmful to humans or the environment. The challenge is in identifying which chemicals are of concern, and in developing safer alternatives that are still effective.