2024: The Year of the Solvent

Environmental Impact of the Textile Industry

As you are likely aware, the textile industry is a significant contributor to a range of environmental and health challenges. Ranking among the most polluting sectors globally, it creates issues such as water pollution, air pollution, microplastic shedding, and PFAS exposure. The best we can do is try to mitigate each of these issues one at a time. 

In 2023, the outdoor industry took on the challenge of addressing PFAS. We witnessed remarkable collaborations and resolute actions that propelled us swiftly toward our goal of a comprehensive phase-out. It wasn’t easy, and it’s not over yet, but this past year has shown us what happens when the industry tackles an issue together.

But, for an issue to be solved, it must first be addressed, and there is one big problem that brands and textile suppliers are still missing: solvents. 

Solvents: the Silent Killer of the Textile Industry

Solvents are chemicals used for various textile finishing processes such as coating, laminating, printing, and equipment cleaning. Solvents facilitate dispersion, so they act as a base for other chemicals to be dissolved in. The resulting solution is applied to the textile, and as it dries, the solvent evaporates. It's important to note that solvents function as a tool in these processes and do not linger on the final product. So where do they go?

When solvents evaporate off of a textile, they enter the air of the facility as Volatile Organic Compounds. VOCs from solvents have been proven to cause a multitude of carcinogenic, mutagenic, and reprotoxic health issues. VOCs also combine with nitrous oxide to create ground-level ozone. This is the main pollutant in smog and also traps a huge amount of heat.

The primary solvents used in the textile industry include DMF (dimethyl formamide), Toluene, DMAc, and MEK. A typical coating facility uses around 1 million kilograms of solvent every year. The problems caused by solvents predominantly impact workers rather than consumers. This has contributed to the issue being overlooked for so long.  

Solutions & Action

Bluesign’s CMR Solvent Concept has laid out a strict timeline for its partners, and 2024 is the year of required compliance. Bluesign’s guidance requires partner brands to either implement water-based systems, substitute with non-CMR-solvents, or install off-gas abatement systems to capture VOCs.

The most direct way to solve the issue is to transition to water-based technologies. Water-based coating technologies have reached an extremely high level of performance, and this is the solution that we are focused on at PolyCore. Another solution involves off-gas capturing systems. While these systems effectively prevent VOCs from being released into the air, the challenge lies in determining how to appropriately handle the toxic solid captured during this process.

It’s time to mobilize. The technology is there, and the outdoor industry has systems in place to tackle the issue of solvents. We have seen organizations such as OIA’s Clean Chemistry and Materials Coalition, SIA’s Climate United, and POW successfully rally the industry for positive change. The moment has come to put an end to the use of CMR solvents, so let’s get to work.