'Innovative materials will become more mainstream if they fulfill consumers desires'

Rotterdam - The fashion industry is one of the world's largest and most creative sectors - but it is also one of the most polluting industries, responsible for 10 percent of the world's CO2 emissions. The current production models of clothing are incredibly harmful to the environment, as it takes more than 2,500 liters of water to grow enough cotton to make a single t-shirt. In addition, before the cotton becomes a t-shirt it has to be spun into a yarn, dyed using potentially hazardous chemicals and transported to low-wage countries to be stitched together by garment workers toiling away in poor working conditions. For years this has been the natural process for textile and garment production, but now designers, researchers, and creators are asking who thought up this process and calling for a change.