Design Life-Cycle

Poster

Raw Materials

Eleanor Mangone

DES 40

Professor Cogdell

May 10, 2024

The Life cycle of Cleaner Cotton 

In this essay I will focus on the raw materials stage of the Cleaner Cotton life cycle. This marks the very first phase of the broader Cleaner Cotton life cycle. This stage consists of what materials are used to first grow the cotton out of the ground all the way till it is either recycled or composted. It is to note that Cleaner Cotton has a very similar life cycle to conventional cotton, but many sustainable techniques were implemented, cutting down conventional cotton’s environmental impacts. To produce a Cleaner Cotton textile, an abundance of raw materials are used including land, water, sunlight, fuel, transportation materials, as well as the various different chemicals used later in the life cycle.

The cultivation of Cleaner Cotton requires land, water, fuel, human labor and very specific small amounts of pesticides. Cleaner Cotton embarks on its life cycle and begins its first stage before it is even planted into the ground. Before Cleaner Cotton is cultivated, farmers have to prepare the field that the cotton will grow in. This step uses both fuel for the transportation it takes for the farmers to get to the farm as well as the fuel for the farming equipment and machinery. The “land preparation…starts in the fall”, where “stalks from the old crop are shredded to reduce food supplies for overwintering pests,” (National Cotton Council). The residue of the shredded stalks “is left on the surface [of the field] to protect the soil from [wind and water] erosion” during the upcoming season. In certain parts of the U.S. where it is extra rainy, “land terracing and contour tillage are” implemented to “prevent the washing away of valuable topsoil.” This is all done with “the use of heavy mechanical harvesters'' as well as heavy plows that compact “the soil, sometimes requiring tillage to loosen the soil for the next crop’s roots.” This kind of equipment requires diesel fuel to run. It is also important to acknowledge the raw materials involved in the “construction of capital equipment” as well as the “maintenance and operation of support equipment” which involve fuel as well as human and machine labor, (Cotton Incorporated). This farming machinery operates on one of the most important raw materials of the Cleaner Cotton life cycle.

A key raw material that goes into the cultivation of Cleaner Cotton is the land prepared and used by farmers for the crop. In “more than 75 [different] countries”, “32 million hectares of agricultural land is allocated for cotton plants”, (Chen). But, specifically in the U.S., it can take “less than 1.07 hectares (2.64 acres) to grow” one metric ton of cotton fiber, ("Life Cycle Assessment of Cotton"). For Cleaner Cotton specifically, “on average, [ yields] more than 1,250 pounds of cotton per acre compared to average yields of 925 pounds” for conventional, organic cotton, (“Cleaner Cotton”). Land is a raw material that is completely necessary for the growth of both Cleaner Cotton and conventional cotton. Once the farmland is fully prepared by machinery and ready for use, the Cleaner Cotton seeds are planted. Cleaner Cotton uses “genetically modified seeds from Monsanto or non-GMO seeds, which maintains the seed supply for the future” of Cleaner Cotton production, (Fong). Since some of the seeds planted are genetically modified, it is important to highlight the fact that there is both human labor and fuel used in the “seed production and transport from planting seed distributor to farm and field,” (Cotton Incorporated). The seeds are planted onto farm land and cultivated by farmers over the “150 to 180 days” it takes to grow cotton, (National Cotton Council). Cleaner Cotton “grows slowly in the spring” and requires “huge amounts of water: irrigated amounts vary from 7 to 29 tons per kg of raw cotton fibers,” (Kalliala). It is to note that “throughout the life cycle of [a cotton garment] the most water is used in the growing phase,” (Samarjiev). In the U.S., “cotton irrigation is required in almost all areas”, around “73% of total areas.” Yet some articles state that “50 percent of the global use of water for cotton comes from rainfall” noting that “a global estimate of agricultural water use indicates that cotton cultivation represents only 3% of the water used for all agricultural crops,” (“LCA of Cotton”). The cotton plant has a very efficient and intricate root system that is well ordered in “seeking moisture” from the soil, which allows “cotton to generate more revenue per gallon of water than any other major field crop,” (National Cotton Council). Cotton’s “peak need for water occurs during July, when it is most vulnerable to water stress.” Conventional cotton and Cleaner Cotton have very similar growing processes and use almost the exact same amounts of water and other raw materials throughout cultivation, except for one key difference. 

Throughout the cultivation and growing process of conventional cotton, an abundance of pesticides are applied to the crop, while Cleaner Cotton restrains from using harmful chemicals until it is necessary. For the cultivation of the world’s conventional cotton in 2014, “an approximate average of 4.4 pounds of pesticides per acre of cotton growth” was used, including “26.3 million pounds of herbicides, 2.4 million pounds of insecticides, 26,000 pounds of fungicides, and 9.5 million pounds of  “other” pesticides (including defoliants),” (National Trade Association). It is to acknowledge that “cotton is the crop in the world that is sprayed with the most chemicals,” (“Cotton is the crop”). But when looking closer, specifically at the U.S., in the year 2000 “84 million pounds of pesticides were applied to the nation’s 14.4 million acres of cotton” and “more than 2 billion pounds of fertilizers were spread on those same fields.” (Samarjiev). Furthermore, “normal cotton accounts for 24% of the world insecticide market and 11% of world pesticide sales.” Conventional cotton cultivation involves, as mentioned, a plethora of chemicals. This is where conventional cotton and Cleaner Cotton differ in terms of raw materials. While conventional cotton uses a “broad spectrum” of “higher toxicity chemicals”, Cleaner Cotton either is completely not sprayed or uses “less toxic reduced risk products” and “pest targeted options,”  (“Cleaner Cotton”). While conventional cotton requires “nitrogen based fertilizer”, “weed control sprays”, and “Chemical spraying as a pest protection precaution”, Cleaner Cotton implements “compost for some fertilizer”, “annual hedgerows on field margins”, and consults “UC IPM thresholds” to decide whether a “spray is needed” or not. Throughout the growing process of Cleaner Cotton, “the most toxic chemicals used in cotton production in California” are avoided. Besides that major difference, Cleaner Cotton and conventional cotton share a very similar life cycle. After the growing process is finished, the Cleaner Cotton is ready to be harvested. 

During the harvesting and manufacturing process of Cleaner Cotton, the raw materials required are electricity, fuel, human and machine labor, packaging materials, and a myriad of chemicals for the bleaching and dyeing of the textile. After the cotton is fully grown, it is “machine harvested in the U.S., beginning is July” in the south, and “in October in more northern areas,” (National Cotton Council). The main farm machinery in the Southern U.S. used for cotton harvesting are called “Stripper harvesters”, while the rest of the U.S. uses “spindle pickers”. Both of these types of machinery require diesel fuel, as well as human labor for operation of the machinery. Once the Cleaner Cotton is harvested, “seed cotton must be removed from the harvester and stored before it is delivered to the gin”, which also requires human labor. After harvested, the cotton is transported to “nearby gins for separation of lint and seed.” It is to acknowledge that all of the fuels and energy used directly “post harvest” require raw materials like fuel, human and machine labor, and electricity for “transport to cotton gin, processing through the cotton gin, and all the packaging materials used (module covers, bale bags, and ties),” (Cotton Incorporated). Dryer machines “to reduce moisture content”, “cleaning equipment to remove foreign matter”, and circular saws to remove lint all are used in the ginning facility. These machines are either powered by electricity or by diesel fuel. After the ginning process is complete, “cotton is then moved to a warehouse for storage until it is shipped to a textile mill for use.” It is important to highlight the fact that there is fuel required for the transportation of the cotton. The typical vehicle used to transport cotton is either a “motortruck, semitrailer, or a truck tractor”, which typically use diesel fuel, (Caltrans). Cotton is usually shipped in square shaped bales “tied firmly with steel straps or wire”, and “wrapped in jute or plastic fabric” to reduce potential flammability. Sometimes the cotton is even wrapped in “plastic films perforated so as to regulate bale moisture content,” ("Cotton - Transport Information Service"). Other raw materials used in cotton transportation include “fiber rope, thin fiber nets, and jute strips” to separate the bales. 

After transportation to the textile mill, Cleaner Cotton enters its next stage, classing which requires human and machine labor as well as fuel. Classing is where the cotton fibers are “classed according to fiber strength, length, length uniformity, color, non-fiber content and fineness using high volume instrumentation and the aid of an expert called a Classer,” (Cotton Incorporated). As mentioned, this step requires human and machine labor, the machine powered by electricity. After being fully classed, the Cleaner Cotton is transported to be marketed to “a local buyer or merchant.” This step requires diesel fuel for transportation and human labor for the sale of the cotton. After the Cleaner Cotton is purchased, it is processed into fabric at a textile mill. Before the cotton is woven into yarn, the material is “sized with polyvinyl alcohol to make” the weaving process easier, (Samarjiev). The equipment used to process the cotton into yarn “has been streamlined and many operations have been fully automated with computers”, which means that a lot of these operations require electricity. Multiple different machines and devices are used in this process. A carding machine is used to “separate and align the [cotton] fibers into a thin web”, then the web is “drawn through a funnel-shaped device called a trumpet.” Then machines such as roving frames, ring spinning machines, and other spinning systems are used to further cultivate the cotton into yarn. All of these machines either require electricity or diesel fuel to run. Once the Cleaner Cotton is completely made into a yarn, it is either left how it is to be used “for weaving or knitting” or it is then manufactured into a fabric. If woven into fabric, either weaving machines powered by electricity and/or human labor are used or knitting done by “circular machines”. Once the fabric is complete, Cleaner Cotton enters the dyeing stage. Before the material can be dyed, it is first “passed rapidly over gas-fired jets or heated copper plates to single off lint and loose threads”, creating a “smooth surface in preparation for dyeing,” (National Cotton Council) Afterwards, the cotton fabric is “bleached with either less toxic hydrogen peroxide or highly toxic chlorine bleach” and then “washed with sodium hydroxide and then dyed with a formaldehyde agent to fix it to the fabric,” (Samarjiev). The material is then “passed full-width through a trough of hot dye solution”. The bleaching and dyeing steps require electricity to power the machinery as well as the chemicals used to actually change the cotton material. Once the Cleaner Cotton textile is completely dyed, it reaches its final stages. 

For the finishing, use, disposal and/or recycling stages of the Cleaner Cotton life cycle, water, human and machine labor, and potentially specific chemicals to assist with the disposal process are the raw materials used. A cotton textile completes the “final step in fabric production”, finishing, when a finish is applied to the material, where hundreds of different solutions can be used and the “methods of application” vary greatly. Once finished, the Cleaner Cotton textile is shipped out to be bought and used by a consumer. This stage most likely uses diesel fuel for transportation. Once the cotton product is bought, it can be used by a consumer for a select amount of time before it begins to decompose. A Cleaner Cotton textile can be maintained by wash via “washing machine or by hand”, though keeping “water temperatures lower” can help “reduce fading in colored” cotton textiles, (Leverette). The use stage of the Cleaner Cotton life cycle specifically requires water and human or machine labor, and potentially electricity if the user chooses to use a washing machine. Once a Cleaner Cotton textile product has completed the use stage, it can either be thrown away or recycled. When taken to the landfill, a cotton textile will “break down naturally…similarly to other crops such as food and plants,” ("Simply Science: Cotton's Decomposition”). The decomposition process of cotton does not require any raw materials since “cotton is biodegradable both anaerobically (without oxygen) and aerobically (with oxygen)”, so “cotton will degrade under [many different] conditions,” (“Biodegradability Questions"). When Cleaner Cotton is chosen to be recycled, a whole new process takes place. This process includes “assessing the quality of cotton fibers through systematics collection, manually sorting the materials, and undergoing a mechanical or chemical process to” fragment the cotton fabric. These processes require both human and mechanical labor, fuel and electricity to power the machines, as well as the chemicals required for the degradation of the textile. To recycle the textile, the cotton fabric’s  “chemical properties are broken down through chemical reaction processes”, like the “Lyocell process”. In the Cleaner Cotton lifecycle, either the decomposition or recycling process marks the end of the life cycle.

Throughout the research process of this essay, I noticed multiple different inconsistencies. First off, it was hard to find both relevant and general information about Cleaner Cotton online. It is to note that there is a lack of information about Cleaner Cotton online since it is not that popular of a product or practice in general. The cotton industry is overrun by unsustainable practices that only benefit the human population in the short term. Even though conventional cotton and Cleaner Cotton only differ slightly, it seemed as if that made a huge difference to the environment since Cleaner Cotton used either a lot less or none at all of the harmful chemicals during the growing process than conventional cotton. Yet, it was a bit hard to pinpoint exactly where Cleaner Cotton and conventional cotton differed from each other in the raw materials stage other than the fact that Cleaner Cotton does not use the myriad of chemicals that conventional cotton uses. Another inconsistency that I noticed while researching was that multiple articles had different approaches about how cotton is irrigated. Some articles said that cotton only used rainfall for irrigation, while others said it required an intense amount of care and cultivated irrigation. 

Cleaner Cotton requires a myriad of different raw materials to produce a fabric textile. Raw materials include fuel, human and machine labor, water, land, sunlight, transportation materials, and sometimes pesticides. In addition, chemicals were used for the dyeing, bleaching, and recycling process later in the life cycle. The life cycle of Cleaner Cotton can be compared to the conventional cotton life cycle, differing only slightly, until it comes to chemical pesticide as well as insecticide, herbicide, and fungicide use. Cleaner Cotton notably uses less chemicals in its life cycle, cutting down on the environmental impacts that conventional cotton can have. Extending off of this topic, something to consider for the future is if the raw materials involved in the Cleaner Cotton life cycle differ enough from the raw materials involved in the conventional cotton life cycle for a notable difference in environmental impacts. All in all, Cleaner Cotton has an abundance of raw materials that are necessary for its production, even in comparison to the raw materials required for the conventional cotton life cycle. 

Works Cited

"Answering All of Your Cotton Biodegradability Questions." Barnhardtcotton.Net, 5 Jun. 2017, barnhardtcotton.net/blog/cotton-biodegradability/#:~:text=Cotton%20is%20biodegradable%20both%20anaerobically,or%20in%20a%20compost%20heap. Accessed 4 Jun. 2024.

Caltrans. "Cotton Module Movers Exemptions." Dot.Ca.Gov, dot.ca.gov/programs/traffic-operations/legal-truck-access/exemption-cotton. Accessed 4 Jun. 2024.

Chen, Fangli. "A Review: Life Cycle Assessment of Cotton Textiles." Revistaindustrialextila.Ro, www.revistaindustriatextila.ro/images/2021/1/03%20FANGLI%20CHEN%20Industria%20Textila%201_2021.pdf. Accessed 4 Jun. 2024.

Chen, Shaung, et al. "A Systematic Review of the Life Cycle Environmental Performance of Cotton Textile Products." Sciencedirect.Com, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969723022799#:~:text=The%20whole%20life%20cycle%20process,use%2C%20and%20end%20of%20life. Accessed 4 Jun. 2024.

"Cotton - Transport Information Service." Tis-gdv.De, www.tis-gdv.de/tis_e/ware/fasern/baumwoll/baumwoll-htm/. Accessed 4 Jun. 2024. 

"Cotton Recycling." Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Mar. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:CiteThisPage&page=Cotton_recycling&id=1215937337&wpFormIdentifier=titleform. Accessed 4 Jun. 2024.

"Cotton Is the Crop in the World That Is Sprayed with Most Chemicals." Theworldcounts.Com, www.theworldcounts.com/challenges/consumption/clothing/environmental-impact-of-cotton-production. Accessed 4 Jun. 2024.

Cotton Incorporated. "Life Cycle Assessment of Cotton Fiber & Fabric: Full Report." Cottoncultivated.Cottoninc.Com, cottoncultivated.cottoninc.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/2012-LCA-Full-Report.pdf. Accessed 4 Jun. 2024.

Fong, Victoria. "Cleaner Cotton Initiative." Overseasalchemy.Com, 4 Dec. 2015, overeasyalchemy.com/word/cleaner-cotton-initiative. Accessed 4 Jun. 2024.

Kalliala, Eija M., and Pertti Nousianinen. "Life Cycle Assessment." Degruyter.Com, 19 Sept. 2023, www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/aut-1999-010102/html. Accessed 4 Jun. 2024.

Leverette, Mary M. "How to Wash and Care for Cotton Clothes." Thespruce.Com, 31 Oct. 2023, www.thespruce.com/keep-cotton-clothes-looking-great-2147020#:~:text=Cotton%20items%20can%20be%20easily,cause%20some%20shrinkage%20and%20wrinkling. Accessed 4 Jun. 2024.

"Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Cotton and Its Implications for Cotton Production." Barnhardtcotton.Net, 19 Oct. 2018, barnhardtcotton.net/blog/life-cycle-assessment-of-cotton-implications-for-cotton-production/. Accessed 4 Jun. 2024. 

"Life Cycle Assessment of Cotton." Cottonworks.Com, cottonworks.com/en/topics/sustainability/cotton-sustainability/cotton-life-cycle-assessment-webinar/. Accessed 4 Jun. 2024.

National Cotton Council. "Cleaner Cotton." Sustainablecotton.Org, www.sustainablecotton.org/cleanercotton.html. Accessed 4 Jun. 2024.

National Cotton Council. "Crop Production & Planning." Cotton.Org, www.cotton.org/pubs/cottoncounts/fieldtofabric/crops.cfm#:~:text=Cotton%20is%20grown%20in%2017,planted%20crop%20in%20the%20country. Accessed 4 Jun. 2024.

Organic Trade Association. "Cotton and the Environment." Ota.Com, ota.com/sites/default/files/indexed_files/CottonandtheEnvironment.pdf. Accessed 4 Jun. 2024.

Samarjiev, Julian. "Synthetics and Cotton. Manufacturing and Environmental Factors." Medium.Com, 22 May 2017, medium.com/the-needle/synthetics-and-cotton-manufacturing-and-environmental-factors-1beb3584bc9c. Accessed 4 Jun. 2024.

"Simply Science: Cotton's Decomposition." Cottontoday.Com, 7 Mar. 2018, cottontoday.cottoninc.com/simply-science-cottons-decomposition/#:~:text=The%20fibers%20break%20down%20naturally,and%20naturally%20biodegrades%20on%20land. Accessed 4 Jun. 2024.

Embedded Energy Paper

Shu Yin Yu

Group members: Grace and Eleanor 

DES 40A 

Professor Cogdell 

Energy Life Cycle of Cleaner Cotton

The sustainable cotton project or SCP is a non- profit that established the brand Cleaner Cotton. Their goal is to grow cotton that is sustainable to the environment by reducing the use of toxic chemicals. Not only is Cleaner Cotton more sustainable but it benefits farmers by providing them with less economic risks. Cleaner cotton is used in fabric usage Including knitted and woven products. The cotton begins in the field after it is harvested and processed it is transported to the manufacturing process of cotton.Where the cotton will turn into yarn or other types of fabric material to make clothing. My particular focus of the lifecycle of the Cleaner Cotton product is the "energy" stage. The energy focus in this life cycle provides the production and manufacturing process of the product. This not only includes the packaging of cotton but the energy consumption of each stage of the lifecycle from raw material to waste production. 

The energy consumption in the field production includes the use of Diesel. It is one of the energies used for tractors and machinery to pull up grass or weed from the cotton plant. Other machines such as the mechanical planters are used to plant cotton. Human labor also accounts for energy as they cut a line in the soil to plant the seeds. Supply of water is also another energy source used in irrigation using sprinklers, surge and drip irrigation which is water that is delivered to the plant root through a network of pipes, tubing, valves, and emitters. 

The following paragraph discusses the energy consumption of the raw material of Cleaner cotton and its production to the machinery process to turn cotton into fabric. Starting in the field, California cotton takes around 180 to 200 days to grow. Starting as a seed the Cotton plant continues to grow and develop leaves and stems. Until it develops white blossoms, the flowers then ripen and “die” and the inner part of the plant grows out into a fruit called the “cotton boll”. The process of harvesting is done by machines using rotating barb spindles to get the cotton fiber to a basket called the boll buggy. The boll buggy gets emptied, and then transported to another machine that compresses the fiber into a giant block. It is then wrapped in a giant tarp to protect it from contamination. The process continues by shaping the cotton into round bales; this makes the transportation easier for the next manufacturing process which is ginning. 

The ginning process is the production to separate the seeds called the bolls and the lint that is produced in the seeds. The cotton goes through 6-7 rotating spiked cylinder cleaners. The first stage of the process breaks down the clump of the cotton and removes excess waste such as  leftover leaves and soil. The teeth of the saw pull the ribs of the cotton to separate the lint from the seeds. This process varies, with other fibers such as the long fiber Pima a roller gin is used instead, since the saw of the gin can damage soft fibers. With the roller gin, the fibers  go through a rotating bar to filter the lint from the seed. The following stage explains the process of the energy that is used to convert cotton to yarn for fabric usage, the energy used during fabric formation, and the energy used when color dyeing. 

Once the cotton seeds have been filtered , the filtered cotton is sent to manufacturing in a  warehouse or  is  shipped to cotton brokers where they are stored  in their facilities. Cottons are also shipped to spinning mills to turn the cotton into yarn according to the desires of the weaving mill. American Apparel is an example of one of the companies that uses cleaner cotton to manufacture their products. Through vertical integration the company can control their manufacturing process through every step of their supply chain. They start blending all the bales/ blocks of cotton together in the machine according to the fiber properties and its consistency. In this step the energy used is the air that is blown by chutes, part of the machine to clean the cotton, and carding machines that separate and align the cotton fiber into thin webs. The carding machines can produce the cotton web at 100 pounds per hour. The thin web then goes through a funnel- shaped device called a trumpet. This gives a soft, rope-like string called the sliver. The speed process of making the sliver can go up to 1,500 feet per minute. The next step to process the sliver is by using the roving frames that makes the sliver thinner to yarn by gentle twist to make the fabric tighter and thinner. The second process uses the ring spinning machines that makes the silver even tighter until it reaches a good level for weaving and knitting. The silver can be twisted as many times by inch. There are also more efficient machines that produce the yarn faster without the roving frames. This helps reduce carbon footprint when producing fabric. The next step of the fiber production process is the form of weaving which is the process of fabric formation from yarns. The energy process that is used in traditional weaving machines where the yarns weave horizontally back and forth across the loom of the machines with a wood shuttle. With higher technological advances, modern weaving machines can create fabrics up to 2,000 meters per minute. For fabric dyeing, a hot dye solution goes through the full length of the fabric. The fabric passes through padded rollers to make the color of the cloth consistently as well squeezing out the leftover liquid. Beck dyeing is a method where the cloth is being dyed continuously for thousands of yards. 

The consumer behavior when it comes to purchasing apparel are the following frameworks: acquisition or purchasing, maintenance which include using and care, and disposal which include how consumers decide what to do with the clothing after it is worn out or decide to not want the clothing anymore. The approach of purchasing clothing as consumers tend to have many varieties of ways. Some people purchase fast fashion which are mass produced clothing that are sold at a low- price that keeps up with the trend of clothing. There are also consumers who approach buying apparel in the circular economy. This concept mainly circulates in the cotton industry. It focuses on sustainability in reusing and possibly extending the life cycle of the clothing. The purchasing of clothing contributes to the environmental aspect. As for fast fashion, it negatively affects the environment as the clothing materials that are made are not degradable like cotton. Versus clothing that is made with the usage of more cotton reduces energy consumption to degrade the material. When it comes to maintenance in clothing that is made out of cotton, there are specific care instructions. People usually wash their clothes by hand or using a washing machine with cold water and detergent. The energy consumption to wash clothes depends on each piece of clothing. If it is made out of lace or embellishment, it uses less energy in the washing machine to clean. If it is a normal load, it takes more consumption than with lighter and more thinner items. When drying clothes, the amount of load also depends on the consumption usage of the heat. Cotton items are suggested to use lower heat to reduce shrinkage and wrinkling. Line drying is also another option that people use which are more sustainable as it only takes time to dry in sun or air. Ironing is also another process to straighten wrinkled clothes. 

When consumers no longer want their clothes anymore, their approach in disposing of clothing may vary. In terms of the energy consumption that is used on clothing brands that use Cleaner Cotton such as American Apparel as discussed earlier. American Apparel focuses on the circular economy. They aim to increase recycling rate and reduce waste that goes toward landfill. Some of the practices that they adopt are using textile materials that are disposed to use as a source of energy as biomass fuel for the boiler of their steam engine. Biomass are low- carbon fuels that utilize less energy than using fossil fuels to generate steam, which is the process to generate clothing items. In the year of 2022, they use about 30% of disposal textile for biomass fuel. In the same year, American Apparel decreased clothing being sent to the landfill by 10.4%. 

In conclusion, the energy consumption of Cleaner Cotton from raw materials to waste management proposes a sustainable life cycle for textile and clothing that positively contributes to the environment. By practicing the use of a circular economy, this will reduce the toxic use of fossil fuels and reduce waste going to the landfill. There are many practices in disposing cotton textile as explained where it can be reused to make new textile and fuels for emission for the steam engine that is used to make clothing. As cotton textile is also a more degradable material, it will also decrease carbon emission. 

Bibliography

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Russell, Mallory. "Here's What Happens to American Apparel Clothes before They End up on Hot Models." Business Insider, www.businessinsider.com/heres-what-happens-to-these-american-apparel-clothes-before-they-end-up-on-hot-models-2012-3#meet-oscar-one-of-the-fastest-sewers-at-the-factory-5. Accessed 6 June 2024.

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Waste and Pollution Paper

Grace Moulton

Professor Cogdell

DES 40A

6 June 2024

Cleaner Cotton Waste

It is undeniable that cotton is a world-shaping crop, serving a common and central role in many of the products and garments and fabrics we come across in everyday life. The World Wildlife Fund estimated that 25 million tonnes of cotton is produced yearly worldwide, and that this cotton accounted for 45-50% of all clothes, garments, and goods (World Wildlife Fund). As a massive industry in economies across the globe, cotton continues to grow as an industry due to its prevalence and importance, and in turn, leaves a larger impact on the environment, as nearly 2.5% of the suitable land for agriculture worldwide is dedicated to cotton growth and only projected to expand (World Wildlife Fund). As the cotton industry continues to grow, so does the environment impact and the waste emissions it leaves behind in its wake. As cotton is such an important crop, areas for improvement in sustainability are searched for, through organic cotton, cotton which is cultivated using very low-environmentally impactful methods (Organic Cotton Plus), and transitional cotton, which serves as a more accessible step for farmers switching from traditional cotton cultivation to organic, and allows farmers to retain a larger yield than organic (Sustainable Cotton Project). Cleaner Cotton “on average, yielded more than 1250 pounds of cotton per acre compared to… 925 pounds in organic production” (Cleaner Cotton, Sustainable Cotton). One such transitional cotton is the Sustainable Cotton Project’s program of Cleaner Cotton, which is a “proven program” which involves “environmentally preferable… Integrated Pest Management… techniques… [and] eliminates the use of the 11 most toxic pesticides used on cotton in California'' (Sustainable Cotton Project). Although Cleaner Cotton is a progressive step in the right direction in moving the cotton industry to more sustainable methods which produce less waste emissions by reducing the usage of pesticides, there is little research or record of improvement in the six steps of a life cycle overall, still resulting in environmental pollution and wastewater and greenhouse gas emissions throughout the collection of raw materials, manufacturing, transportation and distribution, reuse and maintenance, recycling, and waste management of Cleaner Cotton or products made from Cleaner Cotton. Research on the niche of Cleaner Cotton is slim, so research on the entirety of the cotton industry has to apply in areas Cleaner Cotton is not explicitly mentioned to have targeted reductions of impact in. 

Throughout the collection of the raw materials needed to grow Cleaner Cotton - including soil, water, pesticides, fertilizer, and cottonseed - the waste and emissions of poor soil, air pollution, and chemical residues are left behind. Cotton cultivation “degrades” (World Wildlife Fund) the quality of the soil, as cotton strips it of minerals and nutrients throughout the growing; most cotton is grown on established fields, “but their exhaustion leads to expansion into new areas and the… destruction of habitat” (World Wildlife Fund). The soil consumed for cotton cultivated may be left further disseminated in the wake of “unsuitable irrigation” which Cleaner Cotton may fall victim to as well, as salt levels rise and is rendered “useless” for agriculture (World Wildlife Fund). In the top twelve countries for cotton production, it is estimated that 12-36% of the land under cotton fields is impacted by increased salt levels (Journal of Cleaner Production). Transportation is needed in the gathering of the materials such as pesticides and fertilizers from manufacturer, and the seed distributor to the farm, and as such, greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide are emitted from the cultivation of Cleaner Cotton in this stage, alongside carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides if a tractor is used throughout the process (Cotton Incorporated). Cleaner Cotton’s program involves the reduction of unnecessary fertilizer, tillage, and pesticide usage, suggesting that tractor usage and overall transportation of the gathering of these materials would be reduced compared to traditional cultivation. Although reduced to necessary applications, the fertilizers and pesticides that are applied contaminate the surrounding environment like in traditional cotton cultivation, leading to chemical residue and the risk of algae overgrowth and cultural eutrophication in nearby bodies of water, damaging the environment (Journal of Cleaner Production). But water contamination is also a present but reduced threat with the Cleaner Cotton program, as “The higher fiber yield per acre achieved by Cleaner Cotton had an additional bonus besides economic viability; it also meant less water was required per pound of Cleaner Cotton harvested vs. organic.” (Cleaner Cotton, Sustainable Cotton). Although the waste emissions and environmental harm is significant in this lifecycle step of Cleaner Cotton, the program ensures a reduction in impact compared to traditional cotton cultivation, while no significant changes are recorded in the next stage, manufacturing and processing.

The manufacturing and processing stage is one of the most waste-producing steps in the cycle of cotton, and although Cleaner Cotton is noted to support “local economies and families,” suggesting a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from transportation during this phase, it is spun in “North Carolina” and can be “shipped globally,” still suggesting the potential for large travel between manufacturing and the waste emissions that all the traditional cotton manufacturing entails. The manufacturing process involves the separation of the fibers from the cotton, fiber separation from the seed, or the ginning, the carding process of forming long yarn strands, and any additives such as dyes (Nyguen). Natural gas and propane are released at the ginning machine from the drying process. (Cotton Incorporated). Softeners, wetting agents, dyes, can contaminate the waterways from their usage during this phase and result in chemical wastewater. Metallic pollutants result from combustion processes required for energy production and contribute to long-term contamination alongside the usage of chemicals (Zhang, Z., Huang, J., Yao, Y. et al. Environmental impacts of cotton and opportunities for improvement). Additionally, greenhouse gas is emitted from transportation, as each manufacturing step often occurs at a different location. Furthermore, the steps of using chemical defoliants, dyeing, cleaning, sorting, and spinning cotton emits greenhouse gasses because of the energy consumption needed (Polymers 2021). Similar to the greenhouse gas emissions released during transportation during manufacturing and processing, the next step, distribution and transportation emits a significant amount of greenhouse gas, but little research has been conducted to measure the exact amount and impact as it highly varies. 

Greenhouse gas emissions are the highest waste of the distribution and transportation phase, but there is not much research on the actual estimated amount of greenhouse gas emitted by shipping cotton in general, nonetheless specifically Cleaner Cotton, to retail or from consumer transportation from retail to home, as it is highly individualized and varied. There is a trend upcoming of garments being “shipped by air cargo, which typically has higher greenhouse gas emissions than the traditional ship cargo” (Zhang, Z., Huang, J., Yao, Y. et al. Environmental impacts of cotton and opportunities for improvement). Although this area of research is underutilized, it was found, in the case of traditionally cultivated cotton jeans, “3–12% of the carbon footprint of a t-shirt or jeans when special trips are made to a store at 5-km distance, also depending on the country” (Zhang, Z., Huang, J., Yao, Y. et al. Environmental impacts of cotton and opportunities for improvement). One aspect of the cultivation of Cleaner Cotton is that it is traceable to the “field it was grown in… using the USDA Permanente Bale Identification barcade and data” (Cleaner Cotton, Sustainable Cotton). This poses a potential for utilization by future life cycle analysis as the transportation of Cleaner Cotton garments is more accessible from the farm to retail and possibly consumer usage, and thus estimations of greenhouse gas emissions may begin to emerge. It is evident that transportation overall will likely play a large role in the footprint of any cotton product, as “Cotton fabrics typically travel from fields (where cotton plants are grown) to factories, then sorting centers, shops, and consumer’s houses before going to recycling centers or landfill” (Nyguen) and each step involves the emission of greenhouse gasses. A similar lack of specific research in cotton life cycle analysis in general, and a lack for Cleaner Cotton in particular can be found for the next step, reuse and maintenance, because this is even more individualized to the consumer in possession of the Cleaner Cotton product, their habits, and circumstances. 

When in usage, the environmental impact depends almost entirely on the individual consumer, and commonly involves a cycle of washing, drying, and possibly ironing. (Zhang, Z., Huang, J., Yao, Y. et al. Environmental impacts of cotton and opportunities for improvement). Cotton is frequently washed “in hot water and tumble-dried, with high environmental impact” (Council of Fashion Designers, America). Compared to washing a garment by machine, using a drying machine produces “twice” the amount of greenhouse gas emissions, marking the drying machine as a large contributor of the greenhouse gas emissions during the usage phase. To reduce the environmental impacts, washing machine loads can be run at full capacity to maximize the usage of resources, and garments can both be worn more frequently in-between laundering, and be washed by hand and air-dried. (Zhang, Z., Huang, J., Yao, Y. et al. Environmental impacts of cotton and opportunities for improvement). Consumers may repair garments to extend their lifespan, and when done with them, either throw garments into the landfill or donate them, one of many opportunities for recycling (Zhang, Z., Huang, J., Yao, Y. et al. Environmental impacts of cotton and opportunities for improvement). 

Many parts of the cotton plant or the cotton fabric or garment itself can be recycled and reused into a new product throughout the life cycle, with no difference for recycling potential for Cleaner Cotton. Globally, only “25%” of garments are used or recycled, although countries can have very different percentages.  (Zhang, Z., Huang, J., Yao, Y. et al. Environmental impacts of cotton and opportunities for improvement). “Leftover cotton fiber from cotton spinning mills or cotton processing factories is either collected, sorted, and used as a raw material and spun and weaved for a new cotton product, or dumped in nature, a body of water like the ocean, or a landfill. About 15.1 million tons of waste cotton is produced annually in the US” (Polymers 2021). Two possible types of recycling involve the waste cotton fibers, in which they may be mechanically fiber recycled, cut, shredded, typically blended for length as it is now short, and spun again, or fibers may be recycled in polymeric recycling, in which they get dissolved and reconstructed for specific properties. Part of these recycling methods already show an issue: “A central problem limiting recycling is that waste cotton is often blended with other materials. In some cases when separating mixed materials or recycling chemicals is difficult, incinerating blended materials with energy recovery might have lower overall impacts than recycling.” (Zhang, Z., Huang, J., Yao, Y. et al. Environmental impacts of cotton and opportunities for improvement). More experimental forms of recycling are available, where “processed cotton wastes can be utilized as adsorbent media for the removal of recalcitrant pollutants from wastewater, as reinforcement materials for packaging and biomedical applications. Furthermore, the various forms of cotton wastes, especially post-consumer wastes, can be utilized as a promising source of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) due to its high cellulose contents including its inherent prospects for advanced applications toward environmental sustainability” (Polymers 2021). Additionally, there is the prospect that if a garment made out of Cleaner Cotton or any cotton is kept intact and in good condition, it could continuously be detonated or recycled into the retail system, expanding its life indefinitely and reducing the need for overconsumption of new garments and resources which produces large quantities of waste to be handled.

Waste is produced at almost every stage of the Cleaner Cotton life cycle and its treatment and handling ranges from being left in the environment to reclamation and recycling. Runoff water containing pesticides and fertilizers from the crop cultivation “contaminates rivers, lakes, rivers, wetlands, and underground aquifers. These pollutants affect biodiversity directly by immediate toxicity or indirectly through long-term accumulation” (World Wildlife Fund). This accumulation of chemicals, particularly those in pesticides, can harm not only wildlife, but humans when it is allowed to accumulate and the waste is not treated or handled. “Several major cotton-production regions, including the Indus River valley in Pakistan, the Yellow River valley in China and the Murray River catchment in Australia, are listed among the top 5 areas of concern for pesticide pollution,” where organisms in the soil, such as important earthworms, and agricultural workers, can all experience adverse health effects and damage from pesticide exposure (Zhang, Z., Huang, J., Yao, Y. et al. Environmental impacts of cotton and opportunities for improvement). The harm can reach further than workers interacting directly with contaminated waste areas, as pesticides have been found contaminating human drinking water, such as in Punjab and Sindh (Nyguen). When it comes to waste cotton, if not reclaimed and used as a new raw material, untreated cotton is “completely biodegradable” (Council of Fashion Designers, America) and in “the right compost… should be gone in a week to five months” (Close The Loop). A lot of the cotton plant “goes to waste,” even though it can be used for other purposes, such as rayon, and livestock feed Additionally, once cotton is treated, complications arise as the biodegradability of the product varies, depending on the dye, chemicals, blended fibers, and trims (Council of Fashion Designers, America). 

Cleaner Cotton lacks considerably sustainable innovations for the most environmentally impactful phase, manufacturing and processing, and from available information, overall reduces little impact outside of the initiation cultivation and pollution potential. More analysis on Cleaner Cotton as compared to traditional cotton is desired to fill in information missing, such as the specific chemicals that have been banned in the regime, and what studies and research have been done to verify its effectiveness. But, Cleaner Cotton is a significant improvement over traditional cotton cultivation because it demands a standard of quality and further sustainability which allows farmers to slowly maneuver the cotton industry towards sustainable organic cotton and other methods. With the large increase in cotton production and demand due to the rising population and overconsumption, the environmental impact of cotton will only increase, which is why the reduced environmental wastes and impacts of Cleaner Cotton is important to cultivate and encourage, alongside the advocation for more life cycle analysis of missing areas in the cotton industry. 

Cleaner Cotton Waste Emissions Bibliography 

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