OEcotextiles

Indulgent yet responsible fabrics

What is the benefit of PLA?

O Ecotextiles (and Two Sisters Ecotextiles)

Much of this article came from the Smithsonian Magazine written by Elizabeth Royte – to whom we owe our gratitude. Near Blair, Nebraska is the largest lactic acid plant in the world.  Into one end goes corn, and out the other comes white pellets, which some say is the future of plastic.  The substance is …

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Microplastics found in tap water

O Ecotextiles (and Two Sisters Ecotextiles)

The Guardian, in early September 2017, released a report that microplastic contamination has been found in tap water in countries around the world. What this means for the seven billion people on earth, no one yet knows. All the experts can agree on is that, given the warning signs being given by life in the …

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What will nanotechnology mean to you?

O Ecotextiles (and Two Sisters Ecotextiles)

A hot topic in the media right now is the toxicity of chemical flame retardants that are in our furniture and are migrating out into our environment.  Tests have shown that Americans carry much higher levels of these chemicals in their bodies than anyone else in the world, with children in California containing some of …

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I ran into some interesting ideas that seem to display why we should not immediately discredit new science – like genetic engineering or nanotechnology – because it might well provide clues to how we can continue to live on this planet.  So rather than taking a global stand against GMOs or nanotechnology perhaps we should …

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We did a post on the use of nanotechnology in the textile industry about two years ago, and new research has just settled the long-standing controversy over the mechanism by which  silver nanoparticles (the most widely used nanomaterial in the world) kills bacteria.    You know, all those new textiles that advertise that they’re bacteria  and …

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Digital Printing

O Ecotextiles (and Two Sisters Ecotextiles)

The idea of digital  printing on textiles has been around for some time.  Carpet inkjet printing machines have beenused since the early 1970s.  Digital ink jet printing of continuous rolls of textile fabrics was shown at ITMA in 1995.   Again at ITMA in  2003, several industrial inkjet printers were introduced to the marketplace which made digital …

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Nanotechnology has been discovered by the textile industry  – in fact, a new area has developed in the area of textile finishing called “Nanofinishing”.   Making fabric with nano-sized particles  creates many desirable properties in the fabrics without a significant increase in weight, thickness or stiffness, as was the case with previously used techniques.    Nanofinishing techniques …

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“We see it (nanotechnology) as having virtually unlimited potential to transform the way we produce, deliver, and use energy, not to mention its likely effect on medical technology and national security.” — U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham Recently, I have been noticing various products claiming to have some kind of nanotechnology-based credential.  Turns out that’s …

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