ABSTRACT
The environmental impacts of textiles are being considered by a small but growing number of textile manufacturers, designers and specifiers. Most of the attention is focused on the impacts associated with growing or manufacturing fibre and with dyeing and finishing processes. The cotton-growing industry is a major consumer of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides. Some pesticides are toxic to humans, being linked to skin irritations, headaches, breathing problems and cancers. The search for more environmentally friendly textiles has led some designers and consumers back to hemp, a fibre that has been used to make paper, fabric and other products for thousands of years. Agricultural hemp produces negligible amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol, the plant's narcotic compound. Half-synthetic or regenerated cellulose fibres include viscose, cupro, acetate and triacetate. The cellulose is extracted from wood, and this process has traditionally produced considerable amounts of sulphur compound emissions and polluted water, which requires advanced purification techniques.
