An Appraisal On the Use of Banana fiber as a Sustainable Textile.
Abstract
A fiber is a unit of matter, either natural or manufactured, that forms the basic element of fabrics
and other textile structures. A Textile, on the other hand, refers to a flexible woven material
that consists of a network of natural or artificial fibers. A textile therefore refers to any material
made of interlacing fibers. A Textile Fiber is a threadlike strand which is used for spinning
yarn. Textile fibers can be broken down into two categories that is to say; Natural and Synthetic
fibers. Natural fibers are made from materials originated from natural sources whereas
synthetic fibers are developed by humans by using chemical and mechanical processes.
The textile industry contributes more to environmental degradation than any other industry.
The industry is responsible for over 10% of global carbon emissions. Production of clothing
should be a risk-free industry. As a result of the change in materials used by manufacturers and
designers in the production of apparels, and the shift in the demand of more organic clothing
material by consumers to synthetic fibers, the natural fibers which dominated clothing
production materials are at the verge of extinction. This new textile industry is dominated by
polyester, nylon, rayon, and acrylic. The shift in demand is attributed to synthetic and micro
fibers being cheaper to produce. This may be good for profit and the economy in general, but
is damaging the environment on a massive scale in the long run (Superegoworld, 2018).
The impact of textiles and clothing industry on the environment is rather devastating (Quantis,
2018) . The clothing industry is reported to be accountable for over 20% of industrial water
pollution in the world. The chemicals used in the manufacturing process are washed into our
water, most of which are impossible to break down implying that the water is forever polluted,
with no path to redemption (Superegoworld, 2018).