Dirty Laundry - a Greenpeace report on China's Textile Industry Bookmark and Share

Posted by Sazid Rahman

Dirty Laundry
Unraveling the corporate connections to toxic water pollution in China

A new investigative report published on July 13, 2011 from Greenpeace, 'Dirty Laundry', profiles the problem of toxic water pollution resulting from the release of hazardous chemicals by the textile industry in China. The investigation focuses on two facilities that were found to be discharging a range of hazardous and persistent chemicals with hormone-disrupting properties. These results are indicative of a much wider problem that is posing serious and immediate threats to both our precious ecosystems and to human health. Urgent and transparent action is needed in order to eliminate the use and release of these hazardous chemicals.


Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry
Unraveling the toxic trail from pipes to products

Research commissioned and published on August 23, 2011 by Greenpeace International has revealed that clothing and certain fabric-based shoes sold internationally by major clothing brands are manufactured using nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs). NPEs -- which are used as surfactants in textile production -- subsequently break down to form toxic nonylphenol (NP). Nonylphenol is a persistent chemical with hormone-disrupting properties that builds up in the food chain, and is hazardous even at very low levels.


Video Report




Detox Campaign

Greenpeace is campaigning to stop industry poisoning waterways around the world with hazardous, persistent and hormone-disrupting chemicals. Launched in July 2011, the Detox campaign has exposed links between textile manufacturing facilities causing toxic water pollution in China, and many of the world's top clothing brands.

Nike, Adidas, Puma, H&M, C&A and Li-Ning have committed to Detox, in response to the growing international campaign. Other top clothing companies still need to get a move on, to Detox their brands and help Detox our future.

Find more about the campaign here.

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Managing, Monitoring and Performance Analysis of Textile Effluent Treatment Plants Bookmark and Share

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Linen Facts and Care Instructions Bookmark and Share

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Videos on Linen Processing Bookmark and Share

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Technical Informations on Knitting including Designs Bookmark and Share

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The technical support page of Unitex Circular Knitting Machines has some very useful technical informations on knitting.

Click here for some commonly used double jersey knitted structure illustrations and an overview of the double jersey knitting set up. There's also a trouble shooting guide, a yarn count converter and a page with machine speed calculation. You'll find more useful informations if you go to the sales agent support link.

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Record Production for World Cotton in 2011/12 as a Response to Record Prices Bookmark and Share

Posted by Sazid Rahman

World cotton area is projected to rise by 7% in 2011/12 to 36 million hectares, the largest in 17 years, in response to record prices in 2010/11. Farmers are expected to expand cotton area in 2011/12 in all producing countries. World cotton production is projected to increase by 9% to a record exceeding 27 million tons.

Rising cotton supplies will feed rising demand in 2011/12. However, although prices are expected to decline from current record levels, it is likely that prices will stay substantially higher than the average of 60 cents per pound that prevailed during the past decade. Higher prices, and competition from chemical fibers, are expected to limit growth in mill use during 2011/12 to 3% to 25.4 million tons. The largest increases in mill use are projected for India, China, Pakistan and Turkey.

World cotton prices reached new records during February 2011. A limited supply, robust demand and depreciation of U.S dollar may have caused the surge in prices. The very scarce uncommitted supply as of 2011 may provide strong pressure on prices and cause increased volatility through the rest of the season. The Cotlook A Index reached a record of 233.5 cents per pound on February 18, 2011 and averaged 147 cents per pound during the first seven months of 2010/11 (77.5 cents per pound during 2009/10). The New York futures contract for March 2011 delivery rose from 77 cents per pound on August 2, 2010 to a record of 205 cents per pound on February 28, 2011.

In the current environment of volatility, the ICAC price model is less relevant than in other seasons. The

Secretariat season-average projection for the 2010/11 Cotlook A Index is 161 cents per pound. The projection is not based on the ICAC price model, but on the average price for the first seven months of the season and our judgment that during the rest of the season prices will remain close to the average recorded during the beginning of 2011.

WORLD COTTON SUPPLY AND DISTRIBUTION

2009/10

2010/11

2011/12

2009/10

2010/11

2011/12

Million Tons

Million Bales

Production

21.8

24.9

27.6

100

114

127

Consumption

24.6

24.7

25.4

113

114

117

Exports

7.8

8.8

8.6

36

38

39

Ending Stocks

8.9

9.1

11.2

41

42

52

Cotlook A Index*

77.54

161**

77.54

161**

* Season-average Cotlook A Index (U.S. cents per pound). ** The price projection for 2010/11 is not based on the ICAC price model. The projection is based on the average price for the first seven months of 2010/11 and our judgment that during the rest of 2010/11 prices would remain close to the average recorded during the beginning of 2011.


Source: International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) Press Release

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Test for the harmful azo colorants in textiles Bookmark and Share

Posted by Sazid Rahman

Azo colorants are the most important class of synthetic dyes and pigments, representing 60 - 80% of all organic colorants. They are used widely in substrates such as textile fibres, leather, plastics, papers, hair, mineral oils, waxes, foodstuffs and cosmetics.

Hence azo colorants are part of our everyday colorful life, they are all around us and we could not do without them.

It allows colors with outstanding colorfastness and wide huge spectrum of colors.

Some of these dyes have the capacity to release certain aromatic amines which pose cancer risks. For this reason, the European Union has laid down legislation to prevent exposure to these hazardous amines. This implies that azo dyes containing aromatic amines can no longer be used to dye textile and leather products that may come into contact with the skin.

Please note that all the different parts of the finished product should be tested, and if there are several colors involved, it is not necessary to test them all separately. Only if the general test proves that there are banned azo dyes in the product, more tests will be needed.

Restrictions

EU legislation specifically prohibits the use of the 22 aromatic amines included in the next table in a concentration above the threshold limit of 30 ppm(mg/kg) (detection limit). Please note that all parts of a product should comply with this limit, and that this limit applies to each amine separately. E.g. a textile shoelace of leather footwear needs to comply with the limit of 30 ppm, as well as the leather parts of footwear. It is not allowed to take the average concentration of a certain amine in the complete product.

Table: List of aromatic amines according to the EU Directive 2002/61/EC

Sl. No.

Substance Name

CAS Number

01

Biphenyl-4-ylamin 4-aminobifenyl Xenylamine

92-67-1

02

Benzidine

92-87-5

03

4-chloro-o-toluidine

95-69-2

04

2-naphthylamine

91-59-8

05

o-aminoazotoluene

4-amino-2’,3-dimethylazobenzene

4-o-tolylazo-o-toluidine

97-56-3

06

5-nitro-o-toluidine

99-55-8

07

4-chloroaniline

106-47-8

08

4-methoxy-m-phenylenediamine

615-05-4

09

4,4'-methylenedianiline

4,4'-diaminodiphenylmethane

101-77-9

10

3,3'-dichlorobenzidine

3,3'-dichlorobiphenyl-4,4'-ylenediamine

91-94-1

11

3,3'-dimethoxybenzidine

o-dianisidine

119-90-4

12

3,3'-dimethylbenzidine

4,4'-bi-o-toluidine

119-93-7

13

4,4'-methylenedi-o-toluidine

838-88-0

14

6-methoxy-m-toluidine

p-cresidine

120-71-8

15

4,4'-methylene-bis- (2-chloro-aniline)

2,2'-dichloro-4,4'-methylenedianiline

101-14-4

16

4,4'-oxydianiline

101-80-4

17

4,4'-thiodianiline

139-65-1

18

o-toluidine

2-aminotoluene

95-53-4

19

4-methyl-m-phenylenediamine

95-80-7

20

2,4,5-trimethylaniline

137-17-7

21

o-anisidine

2-methoxyaniline

90-04-0

22

4-amino azobenzene

60-09-3


Articles covered in the EU Directive

Textile and leather products that may come into direct and prolonged contact with the human skin or oral cavity. The examples of products listed are:

• clothing, bedding, towels, hairpieces, wigs, hats, nappies and other sanitary items, sleeping bags;

• footwear, gloves, wristwatch straps, handbags, purses/wallets, briefcases, chair covers, purses worn around the neck;

• textile or leather toys and toys which include textile or leather garments;

• yarn and fabrics intended for use by the final consumer.

Test Methods:

 General Textiles: EN14362-1:2003

 Polyester: EN14362-2:2003

 Leather: CEN ISO/TS 17234:2003

 Determination of P-aminoazobenzene (4-AAB)

Chemistry of aromatic amine release

Azo dyes contain one or more nitrogen-nitrogen double bonds called azo groups in their chemical structure, see Fig. 1.

-N=N -

Fig.1: Azo group

Under reductive conditions using sodium dithionite these azo groups can be cleaved to form 2 amines, which can be schematically shown as in Fig. 2.



Fig.2: Reductive cleavage of the azo dye to form amines

A small number of the aromatic amines are classified as being carcinogenic or potentially carcinogenic to humans. Only those few azo dyes that can release these amines upon reductive cleavage are affected. It has been estimated that less than 4% of known azo dyes structures may release the corresponding amines.

False positive results
For certain dyed goods a listed amine is detected under the conditions of the analytical test even though no banned azo dye is present in the consumer good. The amine is an artifact of the test procedure, resulting from a chemical reaction other than azo cleavage. So, care should be taken that detected aromatic amines originate from azo colorants and not from other materials such as Polyurethane.

Click here to download a test report sample from ITS.

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Cover Factor Calculator Bookmark and Share

Posted by Sazid Rahman

All-in-one cover factor calculator with formulas explained. A 'must have"'.


here's the link

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