The availability of raw materials and the use of energy are essential elements for the creation of a fabric. Notoriously energy-intensive, the textile industry has been investing for some time in circular economy processes, going against policies of environmental protection, increased sustainability and energy saving. But it is only since the end of 2020 that the sector is starting to deal with another global economic crisis: the scarce availability of raw materials, the dizzying increase in their cost on the market and the consequent difficulty in managing the supply chain.
What is happening?
In August 2021, the cost of cotton, as certified by the Cotton Outlook A index, had a trend increase of + 31.2% in euros. While the Awex Eastern index for wools closed the same month with + 42% in euros compared to August 2020. At the same time, the prices of synthetic fibers such as polyester, nylon and acrylic rose by 51.6%; artificial ones (such as viscose) by 19.3% in euros. However, the prices of many chemical products used in textile manufacturing, in particular, for the finishing and finishing of yarns and fabrics, have also increased.
An increase driven by excessive growth in the demand for textile products that follows the sudden recovery of post-Covid international markets, which today affects not only the costs of manufacturing textile products, but also the logistics and management of the entire supply chain. These are critical factors that can represent another difficulty for companies in the textile sector, but also an interesting opportunity to review their production strategies and move towards the creation of increasingly innovative and challenging products.
Our proposal
The commitment of M.I.T.I towards a more sustainable production, for the environment and for the consumer, is realized in the Greenperforming philosophy which, in collaboration with partners, customers and suppliers, guides the creation of certified fabrics with low environmental impact able to offer, at the same time, the highest technical performances.
This means that M.I.T.I pays great attention to the development of production processes capable of containing water and energy consumption, which minimize CO2 emissions and safeguard the health of workers. Since the beginning of 2020 it has also invested in the use of renewable sources: it actively pursues company policies that are 100% plastic free and independently produces part of the energy needed to power its production through photovoltaic systems.
But not only: being Greenperformer for M.I.T.I means constantly investing in Research & Development, to give life to innovative technologies capable of designing products that are as “green” as possible through the use of alternative materials, which come from reuse and recycling processes. From this approach are born eco-friendly fabrics for high performance, designed for sportswear but also for the outdoors, such as the GreenSoul range which is based on the use of 100% recycled fibers, the Bioback technology made with biodegradable and accelerated biodegradability that guarantees a zero environmental impact and NaturalMatch which derives from a special combination of natural fibers and synthetic fibers.
The future of textiles for us
The clothing industry has – and will have more every day – a great responsibility towards the environment. Because the challenge to protect and take care of our Planet has just begun. Embracing sustainable actions therefore requires perseverance and constancy, incisive and long-term company policies, the development of projects that look to the future, starting to design and build innovative products already in the present.
For M.I.T.I this means never stop thinking about the new. This is why we are concentrating a large part of our energies in research activities, with the aim of identifying materials and raw materials to be used that are always different, which allow us to cope with the problems of scarcity and supply that our sector, at the level of world, is meeting. Furthermore, we are committed to the constant optimization of our production flows through the experimentation of sustainable and technologically advanced processes, which do not waste natural resources and are able to renew the textile sector in an increasingly innovative and clean way.
Stay Tuned!
