Eco-labelling is an increasingly popular way of meeting consumer's demands for environmental information about the products they purchase. The first book on this important subject collects contributions from the academic, policy-making and commercial spheres to look at the conceptual and practical issues, and to discuss how eco-labelling can be made effective and equitable, and must avoid distorting international trade to the detriment of developing countries.
Textiles and Clothing are key sectors and apparel is one of the necessities of human life. Environmental brunt of the textile sector and cradle to grave life cycle impacts of textiles and clothing products are a subject of constant investigation. There have been a lot of advancements in the textile sector in terms of materials such as textile fibres, yarns, fabrics, garments and also in terms of processes. All these innovations demand an environmental profile as well. Life Cycle Assessment is one of the widely used and popular scientific tools which has been utilized to measure the environmental footprints of various products and processes. This volume presents recent advances on LCA in the textiles and clothing sector.
Life cycle assessment (LCA) is used to evaluate the environmental impacts of textile products, from raw material extraction, through fibre processing, textile manufacture, distribution and use, to disposal or recycling. LCA is an important tool for the research and development process, product and process design, and labelling of textiles and clothing. Handbook of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Textiles and Clothing systematically covers the LCA process with comprehensive examples and case studies. Part one of the book covers key indicators and processes in LCA, from carbon and ecological footprints to disposal, re-use and recycling. Part two then discusses a broad range of LCA applications in the textiles and clothing industry. - Covers the LCA process and its key indicators, including carbon and ecological footprints, disposal, re-use and recycling - Examines the key developments of LCA in the textile and clothing industries - Provides a wide range of case studies and examples of LCA applications in the textile and clothing industries
Written with the innovative fashion student in mind, Sourcing and Selecting Textiles for Fashion gives a full overview of the current textile market and shows how to apply this knowledge when creating a fashion collection. Following a brief look at the historical growth of fashion textiles in industry and culture, the book explores the manufacturing, design, sourcing and end-use of fashion textiles. Natural and man-made fibres are discussed along with current woven, knit and non-woven production methods. A variety of industrial and custom surface design techniques including dye, print, embellishment and fabric manipulation are covered. Trend, inspiration, colour, creating the collection and how to enhance design through textile choice and surface design are included. A perspective of current innovation and sustainability is offered in each area. Colour photographs, illustrations and designer spotlights supplement informative text throughout the book, and the text includes a bonus section of interviews with designers at different levels of their career and marketplace, focusing on how they select and source fabrics and apply them to their designs.
Nontariff Measures and International Trade includes 20 chapters authored by John Beghin and co-authors over the last 20 years on the economics of quality-standard like nontariff measures in the context of international trade. This book provides a coherent and comprehensive treatment of these nontariff measures, from their measurement to their effects on trade and welfare. In Part I, the authors use different perspectives to make the case that, unlike tariffs, quality-standard like nontariff measures are complex to measure and analyze and do not easily lead to general policy prescriptions. Then, Part II contains contributions on measurements of welfare and trade effects of nontariff measures, accounting for potential market imperfections. Part III presents chapters on the potential protectionism of nontariff measures when they are used to favor some economic agents over society. The last part presents cases studies of nontariff measures in different industries, markets, and countries.
Trade, Environment and Sustainable Development explores the linkages between the objectives of liberalised international trade, protection of the environment and sustainable development. It is an anthology of essays by leading experts, key government officials and political leaders from the South Asian region, supported by officials of the OECD, UNCTAD and non-governmental organisations. Trade, Environment and Sustainable Development outlines the concerns of the developing nations of the South Asian region about the impacts on their trade and development from the environmental policies of the North. A range of country case and sector studies are presented, along with analysis of key regional issues.
Eco-labelling is one of the key tools used by policy-makers in many parts of the world to encourage more sustainable production and consumption. By providing environmental information on products and services, eco-labels address both business users and consumers and range from mandatory approaches, such as required product declarations, to voluntary approaches, such as national eco-labels. Eco-labels can play an important role in environmental policy. They reward and promote environmentally superior goods and services and offer information on quality and performance with respect to issues such as health and energy consumption. Eco-labels fit well into a multi-stakeholder policy framework – as promulgated recently by the EU's integrated product policy (IPP) – since the development of criteria for labels and the acceptance in the market requires the involvement of a wide range of different parties, from government and business, to consumers and environmental organisations. However, many eco-labelling schemes have had troubled histories, and questions have been raised about their effectiveness. So, are eco-labels an effective tool to foster the development, production, sale and use of products and to provide consumers with good information about the environmental impacts of those products? Is eco-labelling useful to business as a marketing tool? What factors contribute to the development of successful schemes? More than ten years after its establishment, can the EU Flower be considered a success? Are national eco-labels such as the German Blue Angel and the Norwegian White Swan more effective? Should eco-labels be harmonised? Are eco-labels achieving their original aim of fostering sustainable production and consumption? For which product groups are ISO type I eco-labels appropriate and inappropriate? Are other labels, such as mandatory, ISO type II and ISO type III labels more effective in some cases? Are eco-labels focusing on the main environmental policy targets or just on "low-hanging fruit"? Are eco-labels really linked to other tools of IPP? The Future of Eco-labelling provides answers to all of these questions. Based on a major EU research exercise, the book plots a course for policy-makers to address some of the historic problems with eco-labelling, to learn what works and what doesn't and to move forward with schemes that can make a real difference to sustainable production and consumption.The book analyses the conditions under which eco-labelling schemes-both mandatory and voluntary-are or can become an efficient and effective tool to achieve given objectives; assesses previous experiences with eco-labels in different European countries and the relationship of these schemes with business strategies, IPP and market conditions; defines strategies aimed at linking eco-labels with other IPP measures; explores how eco-labels can be used to encourage sustainable consumption patterns, create green markets, foster innovation and development of green products and services, and implement multi-stakeholder initiatives; and sets out detailed recommendations for the future of eco-labelling.The book will be required reading for policy-makers, businesses involved with eco-labelling schemes and researchers interested in the development of sustainable production and consumption and IPP worldwide.
Environmental issues are playing an increasingly important role in the textile industry, both from the point of view of government regulation and consumer expectations. Sustainable textiles reviews ways of achieving more sustainable materials and technologies as well as improving recycling in the industry.The first part of the book discusses ways of improving sustainability at various points in the supply chain. Chapters discuss how sustainability can be integrated into textile design, ensuring more sustainable production of both natural and synthetic fibres, improving sustainability in processes such as dyeing as well as more environmentally-friendly technologies including enzyme and plasma technologies. The second part of the book reviews consumer perceptions of recycled textiles, eco-labelling, organic textiles and the use of recycled materials in textile products.With a distinguished editor and an impressive range of international contributors, Sustainable textiles is an important reference for the textile industry and those researching this important topic. - Reviews government regulations and consumer expectations about environmental impact on the textiles industry - Discusses ways of achieving more sustainable materials and technologies as well as textiles recycling - Examines how sustainability can be integrated into textile design, production and processes
