The "Clean by Design" Initiative

Most of the world's textiles are now manufactured in China. Textile operations use a tremendous amount of water, pollute the surrounding environment with toxic dyes and burn large amounts of coal.

"The wastewater that textile plants discharge into rivers contains hazardous dyeing chemicals that cause pollution and disease," says Cindy Lin, a program associate with NRDC in Beijing. "And the heating process for colorfast dyes gives off CO₂ emissions that contribute to global warming."

Clean by Design, an initiative spearheaded by NRDC and the Council of Fashion Designers of America, aims to revolutionize the global supply chain by making changes at the factory level, identifying practical opportunities to reduce energy, water use and pollution in the textile sector.

"Managers learn that certain elements in the process can be reused or recovered, which reduces pollution and cuts expense and increases production capacity on the lines," says Dr. Linda Greer, director of NRDC's Health and Environment Program.

NRDC has also examined problems at the cotton-growing and consumer-care stages in Clean By Design, including the ups and downs of "natural" fibers and fabrics that require drycleaning or hot-water washing.

The third component of the project aims to educate world-class designers and fashion brands about the environmental impact of their fashion choices and urge them and apparel retailers and brands to review best practices in their supply chains. Clean by Design will culminate in audits and recommendations for designers and retailers and policy recommendations for Chinese officials.

NRDC believes this strategy can help companies compete more effectively while practicing cleaner, more efficient manufacturing.

"We've received a lot of positive feedback on this project," Greer says. "People understand the value of our efficiency-oriented approach, which focuses on ‘low-hanging fruit' rather than expensive retrofits or new equipment. And they're prepared to take great strides to help it succeed. We hope to succeed with textiles as a model and then to move on to other industrial manufacturing sectors with a similar approach".