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).