I am from Surat, Gujarat - The textile hub of the Country. Growing up in the city, I remember seeing cloth (white cloth called grey) manufactured from cotton threads, and embroidery being done on machines. However, my understanding of the industry has gaps. Big gaps. With some time in my hand and my presence in the city, I am looking forward to understanding the industry a bit more.
Recently, I visited a textile processing plant. The processing steps include treating the raw material and preparing it for printing. Fabric printing is done by three methods. One is a rolling mill that uses a roller to print repetitive designs on the cloth. Another looks like block printing. Digital printing has become famous for fabric printing, as it allows sophistication in design at a higher level.
The plant is powered by coal as it is the cheapest form of fuel available. The plant was using mechanisms and processes to treat the air that they were releasing. I couldn’t help but notice the patch of green farmlands that it was surrounded by. I am worried that fast fashion leads to the fast depletion of our habitat. I constantly live in this conundrum of economic progress through manufacturing and environmental sustainability.
The amount of clothes we wear and discard that end up in landfills creating nuisance. Sure, there are ways nature regenerates itself, however, our rate of generating waste seems much higher than the rate of decomposition.