Home textiles are a fundamental part of decoration, bringing colour, warmth and character to any space. The type of fibres used to make them, the quality of the materials or the design of the fabrics are usually what make us choose one type of fabric over another. However, nowadays there is another key factor when it comes to choosing home textiles: sustainability.
The textile industry is one of the largest in the world and has a huge footprint on the planet. For this reason, it is extremely important that all textile companies that work with textiles start to opt for recycled and recyclable fabrics and to improve production processes to contribute to the circular economy and achieve “zero waste”. At Pepe Peñalver we have included a large selection of sustainable fabrics based on recycled fabrics in order to contribute to responsible consumption.
Paradigm shift in the textile industry
According to a study by Nature, the fashion industry produces more than 92 million tonnes of waste per year and consumes 79 billion litres of water. In addition, the climate impact is aggravated by the use of numerous chemicals in the textile manufacturing processes. The figures related to the textile industry are indeed alarming:
- 10% of global carbon dioxide emissions come from the textile industry.
- The manufacture and washing of textiles causes 500,000 tonnes of microplastics to end up in the oceans every year.
- Water consumption for textile manufacturing is depleting natural resources.
- The exploitation of fossil fuels for the creation of synthetic fibres has doubled in the last decade.
The responsibility of textile brands in this area is growing. To align with the goals set by the United Nations, the value chain must be modified by choosing more sustainable materials and establishing a recycling process that allows for a longer fibre life.
A bet for quality products
One of the keys to reducing our environmental impact is to choose quality textiles that last longer. By consuming more responsibly and intelligently, we can contribute to generating less waste and ensuring that fabrics have a longer useful life or can even be recycled and reused.
Although we live in a culture of mass consumption and fast fashion has been encouraging us for decades to consume more and more, there is a growing trend for consumers to buy less, but better.
A longer life for fibres
Every year, millions of tonnes of textile waste are dumped in landfills. All this “textile waste” has become the industry’s biggest problem, as most of it is neither organic nor natural. As well as taking thousands of years to decompose, they generate thousands of microplastic particles that can end up on land or in the sea and eventually in us. For this reason, the zero waste trend is gaining momentum and is closely affecting textile recycling.
There are currently various chemical and mechanical processes that allow fibres to be recycled. Fabrics that are composed of a single type of fibre are easier to recycle, as they do not have to separate their components. At Pepe Peñalver we have included fabrics with 100% recycled cotton with GRS certificate, maintaining all the quality and resistance of this natural fabric.
In our new collections Gaula, Madeira and Azores you will find a great selection of recycled fabrics with the quality that characterizes us. Help us to contribute to the preservation of the beauty of our planet by choosing sustainable fabrics.
