Powering Fashion’s Future: How Technology and Innovation Are Decarbonising Textile Mills – EQ
In Short : Decarbonising textile mills involves shifting to electric heating, adopting waterless dyeing, using recycled and bio-based fibers, and integrating AI for efficiency. Renewable energy, waste heat recovery, and green chemistry further cut emissions. Challenges include high costs and limited finance, but blended funding, circular models, and supportive policies are enabling a sustainable and low-carbon textile industry.
In Detail : Textile mills are among the most energy-intensive industries, relying heavily on coal and other fossil fuels for heating. Transitioning to electric boilers, heat pumps, and other electrified heating solutions offers a direct path to reducing carbon emissions while improving operational efficiency.
Conventional wet processing consumes large amounts of water and involves chemicals that can harm the environment. Green chemistry innovations, such as biodegradable dyes and multifunctional reactive dyes, are helping reduce water usage, energy consumption, and harmful effluents in textile production.
Waterless dyeing methods, including supercritical CO₂ technology, are transforming how fabrics are colored. These systems use recycled CO₂ instead of water, drastically cutting pollution and chemical waste while creating closed-loop operations that are more resource efficient.
Material innovation is also key to decarbonisation. Recycled fibers, bio-based textiles, and lab-grown materials are gaining traction. Solutions like cellulose-based fibers made from pulp and waste have been shown to reduce carbon emissions and water use significantly compared to conventional cotton.
Digitalisation and automation are improving efficiency and reducing waste in textile operations. AI-powered fabric sorting, predictive maintenance, and digital printing allow mills to optimise energy use, reduce defects, and strengthen circular supply chains.
Renewable energy integration is another major focus. Mills are increasingly adopting solar, wind, biomass, and waste heat recovery systems to power their operations. Companies like Arvind Ltd. have demonstrated that relying on renewables for the majority of energy needs can cut both costs and emissions.
Despite technological advances, the sector faces challenges in scaling these solutions. High upfront costs, limited green financing options, insufficient infrastructure, and lack of policy incentives remain significant barriers, particularly for small and medium enterprises.
Collaborative financing models are emerging to address these issues. Initiatives like the Fashion Climate Fund provide suppliers with the capital to invest in clean technologies such as solar thermal systems and industrial heat pumps, making decarbonisation more equitable and scalable.
Supportive policies and industrial initiatives, such as India’s MITRA parks and sustainable textile schemes, are also critical. These programs encourage eco-friendly production, recycling, and infrastructure development, helping create a clear roadmap toward a greener, more sustainable textile industry.
