Includes bibliographical references and index.

Annotation Environmental impact of textiles examines the effects that all phases of textile production and use have on the Earth around us, from growing or making fibres to discarding a product after its useful life has ended. It looks at the physical environment, including air, water and land; the biological environment, by considering what happens as a result of manufacture; and the social environment as it impinges on our psychological, physical and physiological comfort -- as well as on our financial well-being. Such a comprehensive approach has never previously been undertaken in association with textile production and use. Drawing together a wide range of examples from a diverse collection of sources, the author integrates these to form a new and coherent set of ideas. The first two chapters deal with the environment and our dependence on the Earth's well-being, examining the conditions needed to ensure a healthy, stable planet and discussing how the human race has brought about undesirable changes in the planet's health. Aspects of resource depletion, pollution and energy use are also covered. Subsequent chapters focus more on textile matters. The book provides a complete survey of how developments in the industry, and in consumers, have affected the environment in the past. It also looks at the various solutions that have been adopted by the industry in the hope of alleviating the problems without sacrificing high production targets and considers the ways in which the textile industry is responding to the challenge of keeping the planet healthy. Book jacket.

Scholarly & Professional Woodhead Publishing Limited

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