Polyester and cotton dominate
12/10/2007
The increased attention that new natural and synthetic fibres are receiving has done little to change the real picture of the textile industry.
That's the view of the technical director of fibre manufacturer Invista, Dr Bob Kirkwood.
He has revealed figures that suggest polyester, with 46% of the market, and cotton,with 38%, are still totally dominant, with nylon on 3% and wool on 2% their closest competitors in terms of volume.
Revealing the statistics at the RITE Group conference on sustainable textiles in London this week, Dr Kirkwood said he was "in no way presenting these figures as completely up to date and accurate", but was basing his comments on the latest information he had available to him. He said he would welcome comments from other companies that felt they could provide new information on the subject.
He added: "Like many companies, we are working on new products that offer a reduction in environmental impact. And while it's interesting that other sources of fabric and fibre have become more available, including bamboo, Lyocell, soy and hemp, we need to measure the impact of the whole apparel supply chain. These innovations, at the moment, are really making very little difference across the piece."
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