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Monday 10th of November 2008 09:58:09 PM

The fashion and textile industry is going through a revolution of sorts. With a new emphasis on clothing and textile social responsibility, new tests are being developed in order to measure activities which support environmental protection. All textiles and clothing are being included under the umbrella of eco-responsibility which means clothing from High Street designs to printed t-shirts worn for work purposes are being tested.

The Mill Qualification Program was created by Intertek which sets industry standards for textile certification programs. The President of Intertek Sustainability Solutions was quoted as saying, "The successful promotion of responsible textile production depends on emphasising performance and cost benefits in addition to sustainability value. This pioneering initiative will provide the global textile industry with a new operating environment to understand when sustainability factors are effectively integrated into business strategies and operations of fabric mills, allowing purchasers to weigh several key factors and take a best value approach in their buying decisions – not just price.”

A company spokesman went on to say, "“MQP addresses this challenge by delivering several key benefits for all industry stakeholders: deep visibility into the supply chain; greater awareness to mitigate risk; independent evaluations that can be benchmarked; improved speed to market; reduced mill evaluation costs and access to market-wide data for more informed decision making."

Intertek has created a new facility for measuring fabric mill performance. The standardised test will measure things such as fibre production and processing, dyeing and finishing. The test also collects information about areas of the mill operation which have a direct impact on the environment. These include the use of energy and water. With the availability of this service, the mill does not have to pay an in-house technician to do certification testing.

The measurement process will help textile mills find ways to be more socially and environmentally responsible. The long term goal is to identify opportunities for collaboration within the industry.

(c ) Image by Hazel Harper, www.sxc.hu/

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