Textile industry has a significant water footprint (WF), leading to various sustainability challenges. This article discusses key findings on the WF and outlines potential solutions. The industry’s WF includes three types: green, blue, and grey. Textile manufacturing is water-intensive, with stages like pretreatment, dyeing, printing, and finishing. This can contribute to water scarcity in some regions. Water pollution is another critical challenge, as the industry generates considerable wastewater containing diverse pollutants which can harm ecosystems and pose risks to public health. Different treatments to reduce the pollutants in water are studied. We have grouped innovations into five major categories for water conservation efforts in the textile industry: To address these sustainability challenges, several solutions are proposed. Each category offers a pathway to reduce its environmental footprint through water conservation. The adoption of water-efficient technologies, such as low-water dyeing and wastewater recycling, can reduce water consumption. Stricter policies for pollution control, along with incentives for sustainable practices, can encourage industry-wide change. Collaboration among stakeholders, including industry, government, and environmental groups, is also crucial for promoting sustainability and reducing the industry’s environmental impact. These approaches can help the textile industry move toward a more sustainable future. Further research needed is suggested.

Nature, including the oceans, is polluted by the presence of plastics. Different products can be found, including plastic bottles, toys, toothpaste tubes, fruit meshes, etc. Small pieces of plastics, known as microplastics, have been found in the oceans and there is concern that their impact is increasing. Some of those microplastics are considered to come from the textile products. In this article, the authors will suggest how to minimize the environmental problem of the presence of microplastics in wastewaters from textile laundries. The aim of this study is to determine the influence of some parameters related to the design of fabrics. A relationship between microplastic release and parameters from weave design will be established. A fiberglass filter was used to analyze water from the laundry. Results demonstrated that the interlacing coefficient influences the number of particles in the wastewaters. Moreover, it was demonstrated that the higher the density of yarns/cm in the fabric, the lower the quantity of fibers could be found in the wastewater. Results demonstrated that the presence of weave patterns, such as a plain pattern, work better from the sustainability point of view than a twill. The interlacing coefficient and the weft density are important to prevent the microplastic release.

This paper presents a comprehensive study on a novel ultrasound-assisted extraction process for Rosa canina, utilizing both dry and fresh fruits, and explores the potential application of Rosa canina extraction as a natural dye and functional agent for cotton fabrics. The ultrasound-assisted extraction employed different solvents, including distilled water, methanol, and a water/methanol mixture (50/50% v/v), conducted at 60 °C for 60 min. The extracted compounds were characterized through ultraviolet–visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy and high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet spectroscopy (HPLC-UV) analysis to assess the chemical composition. Textile applications were then performed using bio-mordant chitosan in a pre-mordanting process, and the treated cotton fabrics underwent analysis for surface chemistry and chemical composition using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Untreated and treated fabrics, both with and without mordant, were evaluated for their UV protection and antibacterial properties. Color measurements and dyeability properties of the extractions were also assessed. Furthermore, waste solutions from textile applications were analyzed by UV-Vis spectroscopy to investigate the potential transfer of active compounds to the fabrics. Results indicate that Rosa canina, as a plant-based extract, holds significant potential for sustainable dyeing and functional finishing of cotton fabrics.

This study focused on the mechanical and morphological properties of lignocellulosic heritage textiles (cotton and hemp) made using eco-friendly salvia and thyme microencapsulated essential oils, characterized by low toxicity for humans and the environment. A morphological evaluation of the tested fabrics was performed using scanning electron microscopy. The ATR–FTIR spectra of the untreated and treated fabric samples were tested using Perkin Elmer, Spectrum 3. A tensile test of the samples was conducted based on the ISO 13934-1 using a MESDAN-Lab tensile strength tester. According to the analysis, the salvia improved the tensile strength of the fabric by 20% and 39% in the warp and weft directions, respectively. The data for the untreated cotton, untreated hemp, and fabrics treated with salvia and thyme were processed using the kernel PCA method. From the principal component analysis it was found that the textile fabrics treated with salvia coalesced close to the untreated ones. This shows that treatment with essential oils from the indicated plant does not significantly affect the tensile properties of textile fabrics. The thymol-treated textile fabrics were significantly distant from those of the control sample. In cotton textile fabrics, thymol treatment was found to have a significant effect on their tensile properties. In hemp fabrics, two types of thymol and salvia treatments were found to have a very significant effect on the tensile strength performance of the textile fabrics. The results obtained can be used in museums, universities, and ethnographic studies that own or maintain collections of heritage textiles.

Ultraviolet radiation has become an increasing problem in recent years. It causes many injuries in humans giving rise to the need for protection against ultraviolet radiation, which can be provided by textiles with a high ultraviolet protection factor. This factor can be determined by a variety of established methods. This work focuses on establishing a new methodology for determining the ultraviolet protection factor value using an ultraviolet lamp and a detector. The fabric is to be tested is placed between the ultraviolet lamp and the detector. The new method has the advantages of the existing systems but also minimizes the disadvantages. This will involve a major statistical study using linear regression. The statistical study will be completed with the analysis of residuals using the Shapiro–Wilks test, Gauss–Markov theorem, simple Analysis of variance (ANOVA) procedures, and autocorrelation and partial autocorrelation plots. The measurement error and the deviation of the samples is less than the measurement error committed by the spectrophotometric technique.

Turmeric has been widely studied as a color indicator for pH variations due to its halochromic properties. It has been tested in solution or included in some polymeric matrices. Some studies have demonstrated that its change in color is due to the tautomeric species of curcumin, and this property can be observed even if turmeric is assimilated in a film or nanofiber. Chitosan/polyethylene oxide (PEO) polymers have been tested in previous studies. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofibers are used as potential carriers of drugs once they are insolubilized. The aim of this work is to cross-link PVA with citric acid (CA) to insolubilize the nanofibers and determine the effect on turmeric’s halochromic properties. The nanofibers were treated with a sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution, and a chromatic study was undertaken to determine color change. The change in color was assessed by eye (subjective) and by spectroscopy (objective). The nanofibers were characterized, in addition to the colorimetric study, by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) as well. The results demonstrate how thermal treatment induces cross-linking between the nanofibers, allowing them to keep their shape once the NaOH solution is applied to them. The opposite effect (solubilization) can be observed for non-cross-linked (NCL) samples. Although the final color varied, the cross-linked (CL) nanofibers’ halochromic behavior was maintained. It was demonstrated that during cross-linking, ester groups are formed from the free carboxyl group in the cross-linked CA and the ketones present in the curcumin under acid conditions. So, CA acts as an acid catalyst to bond turmeric to the cross-linked PVA nanofibers.