PRESENTATION ON SUSTAINABLE PURCHASING

By:ASINE AMON SOYRAHUL KUMARRISHAVSUCHISMITA SHAURYA

SUSTAINABLE PURCHASING

Sustainable purchasing is about including social, environmental, financial and performance factors in a systematic way.

It involves thinking about the reasons for using the product (the service) and assessing how these services could be best met.

sustainable purchasing involves considering how products are made, what they are made of, where they come from and how they will be used and disposed.

INTRODUCTION TO APPAREL OPTION

This section provides information on currently available apparel options. Living within the boundaries of our sustainability objectives requires us to apply two main strategies:

Dematerialization requires that we reduce the amount of materials as much as possible; and that we continually move toward the use of 100% recycled content.

Substitution requires that we find less harmful materials to replace those that currently damage and are not recyclable.

CHOOSE products that employ a combination of characteristics listed in the left hand column, and AVOID products that demonstrate characteristic in the right-hand column.

CHOOSERecycled fabrics

Biodegradable dyes Certification for fair labour practices

Organic fibres

Renewable materials

AVOIDTreatment with chlorine based bleaches Wrinkle-resistant materials

APPAREL OPTIONOPTION: REUSED OR RECYCLED CLOTHING/FIBRESSTRATEGY: DEMATERIALIZATION

Choose products made from post-consumer recycled material where the input materials are from products collected after theyve been used by consumers, for example fleece made from recycled plastic

Fibre recycling can be classified into two categories: Chemical recycling.Mechanical recycling

In chemical recycling, polyester is broken down into DMT (dimethyl terephthalate) and EG (ethylene glycol) and Nylon 6 is broken down into caprolactam. These precursor chemicals are then purified and used to make new polyester and nylon fibre

In mechanical recycling the fabric is chopped and shredded down to fibre and spun into yarn again. Mechanical recycling can also describe the process of melting synthetics back into resins, then extruding fibre and spinning yarn. Mechanical recycling can handle a wide variety of fibres.

Reusing zippers, sliders, hooks and buttons has the least environmental impact, but there can be issues with quality, durability and strength. Some companies such as YKK are introducing environmentally friendly zippers. Products include a zipper made from recycled PET and a zipper comprised of corn and plant materials that is biodegradable and compostable

OPTION: CHOOSE ORGANIC COTTONSTRATEGY: SUBSTITUTION NATURE-LIKE (SO 2)

The term organic describes a method of farming that does not use toxic and persistent pesticides or fertilizers, sewage sludge, irradiation or genetic engineering. The Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA) is an organization that acts as a third party in verifying that organic products meet international organic standards.

Cotton is one of the most heavily irrigated and pesticide intensive crops in the world and currently accounts for 25% of the worlds insecticide use and 10% of the worlds pesticide use.

OPTION: CHOOSE RENEWABLE RESOURCESSTRATEGY: SUBSTITUTION

Fabrics made from renewable resources like hemp, bamboo, wool, linen (made of flax fibres) and Tencel (cellulose fibre from trees) provides a great alternative to cotton and synthetics. For ex:-

Hemp: Hemp can be grown without the use of pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides, and thrives in our Canadian climate. Hemp is 100% biodegradable and is easily dyed.

Bamboo:- It is fast-growing and can thrive without the use of pesticides, fertilizers, or irrigation. Bamboo effectively sequesters atmospheric carbon throughout its lifecycle. Fabric made from bamboo is soft, absorbent, washable and 100% biodegradable.

Wool :- Wool from sheep, alpaca, angora, goat and lama is a natural and renewable fibre made of keratin, a tough insoluble protein with a unique structure that gives it natural resistance to sunlight, water, acids, rot and mildew.

Linen is a textile made from fibres in the stalk of a flax plant. Linen is renewable and biodegradable, but there may be sustainability impacts associated with the manner in which the flax is grown.

Lyocell/Tencel:- It is made of the cellulose extracted from trees usually Birch or Oak. It is soft, gentle, durable, biodegradable, and machine washable. The cellulose is extracted from the wood.

OPTION: CHOOSE OEKO-TEX AND OTHER CERTIFIED TEXTILESSTRATEGY: SUBSTITUTION

Choose products certified by Oeko-Tex for their use of biodegradable dyes. These certified products pose no human health risks to those working in, or near, the manufacturing plant or for those wearing the clothing, as well as eliminating chemicals which may release pollutants into the waterways and atmosphere.

Bluesign certification ensures companies are providing textile products that are environmentally friendly, pose no health hazards,and conserve resources to the greatest possible extent.

OPTION: THIRD PARTY CERTIFIED ETHICAL WORKERCONDITION CERTIFICATIONSTRATEGY: SUBSTITUTION (SO 4)

Organizations such as Fair Labour Association (FLA) and Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP) certify that proper labour standards are being applied.

Fair Trade fabric and clothing refers only to the production of the fabric and not to the manufacturing of garments. There are currently no fair trade or ethical certification processes for clothing manufacturing.

OPTION: AVOID WRINKLE RESISTANCESTRATEGY: SUBSTITUTION

Wrinkle-resistant (permanent press) clothing is generally treated with formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is listed by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a probable cancer-causing agent.

OPTION: AVOID CHLORINE BLEACH TREATMENTSSTRATEGY: SUBSTITUTION

Chlorine bleach is commonly used as both a dye and a precolour treatment.

Chlorine bleach can have negative impacts for both human health and the environment.

Chlorine can cause burns to the skin and eyes, respiratory problems and lead to liver or kidney damage.

When discharged into wastewater, chlorine can interact with other compounds to form chlorinated organic compounds (COCs), which are persistent in nature and increase in concentration.

OPTION: CHOOSE SUSTAINABLE MODES OF SHIPPINGSTRATEGY: SUBSTITUTIONAnother area to consider in clothing manufacturing is to ensure that the purchase and shipment of clothing adheres to the guidelines outlined for Sustainable Transportation.

CURRENTLY PREFFERRED OPTIONS

Identify the service: At a basic level, clothing provides protection from the climate and environmental elements.Identify the contents: Clothing made of natural materials such as cotton, bamboo, hemp, wool, linen and tencel should be preffered.Identify sustainability impacts: It means sustainability impact should be in concern while purchasing the clothes. For ex- Some of the inks and dyes used in apparel contain heavy metals. These are released into nature when clothing begins to breakdown in nature.

Envision sustainable apparel: Sustainability requires that materials be kept within natural cycles or tight technical cycles where materials can be reused indefinitely in processes that do not move us away from our sustainability objectives.

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