Before the pandemic, 170,000 tonnes of textile waste were disposed of inappropriately in landfills in Brazil

10/24/2022

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The textile sector has been increasingly pressured by consumers and investors to reduce the use of natural resources, pollute less, and manage waste more efficiently. And in Brazil there are examples of manufacturers and retailers that are reacting to this pressure.

Before the pandemic, in 2019, 170,000 tonnes of textile waste were disposed of inappropriately in landfills in the country, according to estimates by the Brazilian Textile and Apparel Industry Association (Abit). The production in the following year reached 8 billion pieces of garments and accessories. And the concern is not only with the destination of the product that the consumer no longer wants to use, but how to produce, polluting less.

“Improving the production process is crucial for reducing water, energy and inputs,” says Victoria Santos, competitive intelligence coordinator at the Chemical and Textile Industry Technology Center of the National Service of Industrial Learning (Senai) in Rio de Janeiro. “The challenges are great globally, but in Brazil it is more challenging because we have reliable data only in some stages.”

The level of uncertainty becomes critical when we observe the emission and generation of residues both from production and post-use processes,” she says. She reminds us that there are almost 25,000 companies in the sector in the country, most of them small and medium-sized, which have more difficulties to present data and make this productive chain. “Without a better, more strategic management, this transition is more difficult,” she says.

The urgency of the scenario has led companies, especially large groups, to adopt best practices. Lupo is an example. The company has been acting in sustainability for some time, but has been tracing more audacious goals, especially on the environmental front. Among the initiatives are the reuse of water and more efficient dyeing processes. To this end, it has invested in recent years in machines and technologies that help reduce water consumption during production. Now the brand is changing the packaging of its products, which has already resulted in a 90% reduction in paper use.

Liliana Aufiero, — Foto: Ana Paula Paiva/Valor

“The reduction of paper use in packaging was something we were already studying, and the result was very positive because it also added to the reduction of solid waste,” says Lupo’s CEO Liliana Aufiero. The new packaging, she explained, allows the customer to see the product and the color, without having to open it. The change started with the line of seamless underwear and was extended to the products of the Lupo Sport brand. Soon it will reach the other product lines.

Malwee is focusing on sustainable products. According to Guilherme Weege, CEO of the Malwee Group, a garment is considered to be sustainable if it has at least 30% less polluting or recycled raw materials in its composition and/or a 50% reduction in the environmental impact (waste and use of water and energy) of the process. Since then, at least 92% of the pieces have sustainable processes, jeans being the main example. The company has reduced the use of water in jeans manufacturing by up to 98% and zeroed out the use of harmful chemicals.

Another company that has committed to sustainable goals is Lycra Company. By 2030, the company wants to reduce 40% of the waste produced in the factories, 10% of the water footprint, and treat 100% of the solid waste. By 2023, all products are expected to have at least one sustainable attribute.

One of the main bets to achieve the sustainable strategy is the new generation of bio-derived Lycra yarn. The company recently signed an agreement with Qore, a joint venture between Cargill and the German technology company Helm, for the first large-scale commercial production of bio-based elastane, with Qira, a new generation of 1,4-butanediol (BDO), as one of its main ingredients.

The new product, which will use corn produced by farmers in Iowa (U.S.), is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 44% compared to material with fossil fuel-based resources. The first renewable Lycra yarn made with Qira will be produced by Lycra’s Singapore facility starting in 2024.

The company already uses Lycra® EcoMade technology, made with 20% pre-consumer recycled material and which is certified by the Global Recycled Standard (GRS), responsible for verifying and tracking recycled material.

In retail, C&A, Riachuelo, and Farm are some of the large companies that have included ESG actions in their strategies.

At Farm, for example, 5% of the 2023 summer collection are jeans made with lower carbon and microplastic release, that go through washing with biodegradable inputs in certified sites. Since 2019, about 162,000 jeans were produced, using 133,000 kWh of electricity less than in common processes, besides having 100% of the cotton used with ABR (Responsible Brazilian Cotton) certificate. The products are part of the re-Farm line, an upcycling (reuse) project started in 2015.

*By Gabriela da Cunha — São Paulo

Source: Valor International

https://valorinternational.globo.com/