Step 2

materials processing

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Fabric production and material processing is a step in the life cycle of a garment that consumes a significant amount of energy. In this stage, the raw material described above is turned into a fabric. For synthetic fibres, this means turning it into a yarn, and then either weaving or knitting it. A lot of fibres can also be made into non-wovens, or in the case of leathers, this step is completely different.

Vertically integrated facilities will generally blend their pre-consumer and post-industrial waste into their products at this stage too and like we learned in the raw materials stage, we want to continue to increase the amount of recycled fibres in our clothes :) But let's keep them microplastic free.

Fabric Production from Fibres ⤵

To most fashion enthusiasts, the difference between a woven and a knit fabric is very clear. But this is not an exclusive club: we want to include everyone! So, what’s a woven versus a knit?

A knit fabric is made up of a single yarn, looped continuously to produce a braided look – think of a knitted sweater. A woven fabric is generally produced on a loom and made with many threads that will be placed at two specific angles. The two angles will then define your warp and weft directions. To set our yarn up for weaving, we need to coat it to ease the friction that occurs during weaving known as a sizing formula. Then we take our yarns for our warp and weft and watch the magic happen! Woven fabrics are used for things like jeans or crisp button down shirts.

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Extruding Synthetic Fibres

The creation of synthetic fibres is a fascinating journey from raw material to textiles. Unlike their natural counterparts, synthetic fibres begin as chemical solutions derived primarily from petrochemicals. This process, known as extrusion, transforms these solutions into the countless synthetic fibres that populate our wardrobes and homes.

+ Melting or Dissolving: The first step in extruding synthetic fibres involves melting or dissolving the polymer. For example, nylon and polyester are melted, whereas acrylics might be dissolved in a solvent to create a thick solution.

+ Spinning: Once in liquid form, the polymer solution is forced through a spinneret—think of a honey-like substance going through a showerhead with multiple tiny holes. As the solution extrudes through these holes, it forms long, continuous filaments.

+ Cooling and Solidifying: The emerging filaments are then cooled, either by air or water, causing them to solidify into fine threads.

+ Drawing: To enhance their strength and elasticity, the solidified fibres are stretched, or "drawn," which aligns the polymer molecules within the fibres. This process can increase the fibre's strength significantly.

+ Texturing: Synthetic fibres are often texturized to give them certain characteristics, such as the soft hand of natural fibres or specific performance qualities. Texturing can create fibres that mimic the feel of cotton, wool, or silk.

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What & How

There are plenty of ways in which colours are applied to materials in fashion, which include cone dyeing, garment dyeing, hank dyeing, knitted fabric dyeing, stock dyeing, wool tops dyeing, warp dyeing, woven fabric dyeing, wet processing, fibre dyeing, yarn dyeing, etc. The most common categories, however, are yarn-dyeing or piece-dyeing.

Yarn-dyeing means that the yarns are coloured before weaving. They can be stored as raw yarn and dyed when required according to the dictates of fashion. Piece-dyeing means that cloth is woven as what is known as ‘grey’ goods or ‘prepared for garment dyeing’ and is then dyed according to fashion need.

Dyeing can have major environmental impacts because of the amounts of chemicals, water, and energy used. If factories’ discharged water is left untreated, it goes straight into waterways. In many communities surrounding dye factories, dyes have accumulated in rivers to the point where light can no longer penetrate the water's surface. This accumulation can kill aquatic plants and animals and pollute essential drinking water sources for surrounding communities.

In 2011, the organisation GreenPeace launched a process of accountability through GreenPeace's Detox Campaign, a campaign designed to raise awareness of brands on their environmental impact, ask them for transparency along the supply chain and make consumers aware of the dangers of fast fashion, which led to the establishment of ZDHC (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals), a program dedicated to promoting a more responsible use of chemicals.

Finishing processes may also be riddled with petrochemicals and plastics in the form of flame retardants, water repellency, stain repellency and other aspects that add functionality to fabrics.

Often not taken into consideration are prints like you may see on graphic tees that use plastic, such as vinyl and adhesive backing, in the graphic creation process.