Enhancing sustainability of animal-based textile fibers and fabrics

Silvopastoral systems (SPS) are agroforestry arrangements that allow the intensification of cattle production  based  on  natural  processes.  Combining  livestock  production  with  rotational  grazing using  different  pastures,  forages,  fodder  shrubs  and  timber  trees  as  parts  of  the  same  system, they are recognized as an integrated approach to sustainable land use.  Through the adoption of SPS, this “natural alliance” makes all components mutually beneficial, achieving increases in productivity  and profitability,  and  at  the same  time,  improving  the  efficiency  of  natural resource use.

The agri benchmark Network, CIPAV, FEDEGAN, World Animal Protection and Good food Futures Ltd  have  joined  efforts  in  a  study  to  evaluate  different  aspects  of  sustainability  at  farm  level through  the  implementation  of  SPS  that  includes  different  cattle  ranching  production  systems. Six case studies were conducted using standard methodologies in order to allow for comparison between baseline scenarios and SPS.   Results showed that  by implementing SPS, improvements on animal productivity, natural resource use efficiency, profitability, animal welfare and CO2 emissions can be obtained.

Animal manure is a valuable resource if handled responsibly but a source of serious challenges and public health concerns if managed inappropriately. Risks associated with animal manure handling could be related to soil, water and air quality. Despite this the practices are still common in some places. Management of animal manure requires multi-prong approaches and holds several benefits both to the farmers and the general public.

The importance attached to the handling and management of manure in several countries has led to the enactment of relevant legislations, regulations, standards and policies to promote sustainable handling of animal manure. Some of these are enacted at community, state, national, regional and international levels. Several techniques ranging from simple, low-cost to complex strategies are available for proper handling of animal manure.

This article highlights major unsustainabile animal manure management practices, the risks involved as well as some of the measures to promote sustainable management measures.
 

While many fashion brands focus on sustainability as part of their operations and across the value chain, many fail to consider the farming systems - be it plant or animal.  Animal farming, in particular, needs significant consideration as they are the major methane emission causing agents. This guidebook has been developed to help the rancher and/or land manager, use business planning and ecological monitoring to ensure the ranch or land is managed in a sustainable manner.

Consistent information about social, ecological, and economic aspects of rangeland management is necessary to provide a foundation for a business planning approach to family ranching. As ranchers endeavor to stay on the land and adapt their business practices to changing markets and demands for various goods and services, monitoring data to track trends in elements elaborated in their individual business plan goals will become increasingly important to the long-term sustainability of their ranch operations.

Chile is a leader in agriculture, but also one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change and water shortage. About 50% of the irrigated agriculture land in Chile is in the central zone which has an adequate water supply (100–4000 m3/s). However, the vulnerability scenario in this zone is high due to the seasonal availability of water resources. Therefore, opportunities to use non-conventional alternative sources (e.g., wastewater) become an appealing and feasible option due to the high population and animal density (>76%) in this part of the country. Moreover, the physicochemical characteristics of the municipal and livestock wastewater suggest that there are potential opportunities to recycle nutrients for agricultural production.

This paper is focused on a preliminary analysis of the potential of reusing and recycling municipal and livestock wastewater for Chilean agriculture. It suggests that while some efforts are already being taken in this aspect, more research is needed to explore its potential for long term benefits. In addition, state policies are needed to enable sustainable reuse of wastewater for agricultural practices.

Sustainable wastewater management in the intensive animal husbandry has its own challenges with respect to adoption of suitable treatment systems and more. This guide provides regulators details on wastewater management requirements for intensive animal husbandry activities. It also provides some guidance to operators on best practices for sustainable intensive animal husbandry practices.

Livestock specific sustainable operational and management practices are discussed. Some of the waste management practices include preventing stormwater into the manure collection area, appropriate site selection for farming and efficient management of waste disposal areas and more.

The farming sector is facing number of challenges with growing demand for sustainable fashion products.  In order to implement sustainability in farming in a cost-effective manner, this article suggests three simple ways - maintaining good animal health, changing nutrition matrix and new products to target methane reduction.

In the case of maintaining good health, researchers from a study found that better disease management could create emission savings of 4.5%, significant for one of the biggest producers of GHG emissions in Scotland. Similarly studies have shown that adding food by-products to animal feed, such as sugar beet molasses, has also been proven to help cut emissions.

Integrating animal husbandry into crop producing farms is one of the principles of organic farming. In temperate and arid zones, animal husbandry plays an important role in the recycling of nutrients, while it is less emphasised in the humid tropics. The caring, training, and nurturing of animals is considered an art in many farming communities.

This article points out how a circular or closed ecosystem could be achieved by integration of animals into a farm. It also provides some critical aspects to be considered before deciding on whether integration is suitable for a farm. And if it is suitable, it provides information on how the integration can be done in a seamless, easy way.

In small farm systems, the objective of achieving sustainable animal production involving crops and animals assumes two major considerations. Firstly, it is essential that the available animal genetic resources within the mixed small farm systems will be fully exploited in a manner that is consistent with their biological attributes and potential productivity. Secondly, the choice of practical technologies should be realistic of the needs of such systems in order to promote sustainable productivity, as well as provide economic stability.

However, these factors are not being implemented in small farms owing to limited access and availability to adequate resources.  Another dimension concerning sustainability is the livelihood of the farmers themselves. It  is hence imperative to develop practical technologies which can both be easily implemented as well as improve the livelihoods of the farmers.

The purpose of this paper is to focus on those technologies which have been used in various developing countries and which show potential value. Specific case studies are cited in Asia, Africa and Latin America which highlight the relevance of these technologies in small farm systems involving crops and animals.

Increasing sustainability practices in the fashion industry have resulted in the need for sustainable plant and animal agriculture. However, World Bank's analysis of sustainable livestock development projects over the past 25 years shows that many projects focused their attention on the genetic improvement or, in some instances, the replacement of the indigenous animal resource but failed. Retrospective analysis of these projects would suggest that the fundamental tenets of effective genetic improvement were not adequately considered when these breed improvement projects were designed. This article provides strategies for a successful genetic improvement programme.

These include a clrear understanding of the relevance of genetic improvement, breeding objectives, breeding strategies and plans such as cross breeding and indigenous breed improvement, and genetic improvement capacity.

Crops and livestock have historically been integrated in farming systems. However, in the last 50 years there has been a trend towards specialization of single crops, diversified vegetables or livestock. In many cases, this specialization has also developed into consolidation of commodity production. This consolidation creates a reliance on commercial fertilizer in the vegetable county for fertility, and a concentration of manure nutrients in the livestock counties which in turn affects the environment to a great extent. This article discusses the key benefits of integrating crop & livestock production.

Integration of crop and livestock operations have huge benefits compared to diversified vegetation or livestock farming. Two scales of integration are often discussed: (1) within-farm integration, where a crop or dairy operation diversifies and adds another enterprise and (2) among-farm integration, or “coupled” farms, where two or more operations share land, manure nutrients, forage and grain crops grown in rotations. These coupled operations allow individual specialization, but facilitate sharing of nutrient and land resources, hopefully benefiting both operations.

Leather industry contributes to several major pollutions such as water, land, and other adverse environmental impacts.  In order to iimplement sustainable practices, many industries and organizations are developing innovative technologies.

This presentation throws light on cleaner technologies available for leather production, tannery solid waste management techniques, tannery wastewater treatment, pollution discharge values under conditions of good practice, odour control in tannery and treatment plant, chargeable effluent parameters from 25 countries, special requirements or sewers adapted for tannery effluents.

Solid  waste  management  is  a  challenge  for  the tanneries authorities  in  developing  countries  mainly due  to the  increasing  generation  of  waste, high costs associated to its management, the lack of understanding over a diversity of factors that affect the different stages of waste management and linkages necessary to enable the entire handling system functioning. With Bangladesh being a prominent country for tanning industries, lack of knowledge and proper waste management facilities have resulted in an increase in environmental problems.

This research study investigated ways of rationalizing  chemical, water and energy consumption  usage and reducing waste discharge & waste management in a tannery. The work was  motivated by the need to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs) through the use of  best practices to achieve compliance with environmental regulations.
 

Eco-fashion designer Isobel Davis, who has understood the key challenges of conventional animal farming towards climate change has taken efforts to implement sustainable practices in Britain. This article  provides details on the same. 

Davis, an active supporter of animal rights, established an ethical, luxury knitwear label, Izzy Lane in 2007 to help revive the country’s textile and wool industries and to consider animal welfare issues. The brand uses British wool from Wensleydale and Shetland sheep that Davis has saved from slaughter — more than 500 so far. The sheep live out the rest of their natural lives on Davis’ farm in the Yorkshire Dales.

Increasing concerns over conventional leather processing technologies has resulted in the development of new tanning technologies, their implementation and their analysis for challenges. Since proper training is essential for sustainable leather processing, it is felt that a single, comprehensive paper on cleaner leather technologies, discussing existing and emerging technologies could be of great help in training and capacity building activities.

This comprehensive study addresses virtually all issues relevant for performance and successful tanning operations: tannery environmental management systems (EMS/CSR), Restricted Substances Lists (RSL), energy considerations, mechanical operations, Occupational Safety and Health at workplace (OSH), Carbon Footprint (CF) and Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) which are so often the subject of extensive debates in various international fora and media.
 

Leather is the fifth largest exported Indian commodity with a value of 6.5 billion US dollars a year and Kanpur is one of the major producers of leather products. With the apparel and accessories sector moving towards sustainable practices, this article presents one of the case studies of a medium-scale leather industriy in Kanpur called Kings International. which is a sustainable leather producer. Details on the sustainable practices and technologies adopted by the company in order to produce leather more sustainably are provided.

Through partnerships with Solidaridad, the Indian CSIR Central Leather Research Institute and Stahl technologies, they are in the process of developing vinnovative processes to recycle the limewater from the leather production to achieve a zero-waste process.

Tannery sector is considered one of the major causes of water pollution. With growing awareness to minimize its harmful effects, many organizations and industry stakeholders are working to develop sustainable practices. This guide has been developed to provide prominent pollution prevention options and immediate actions in the tanning industry in Mediterranean countries.

It provides details on associated environmental problems due to tanning processes, tools to implement sustainable practices, best available techniques to prevent pollution and case studies of successful companies who have implemented sustainable measures.

Animal farming has also become one of the main causes of water pollution, deforestation, and biodiversity loss by using over 70% of the agricultural land.  This article mainly discusses the relation between animal farming for fashion and the climate change to enable industry stakeholders develop innovative sustainable solutions for the same,

Some of the key areas where animal farming contributes to global warming include increased resources consumption, generation of massive of waste and endless transportation.

Fibershed is a nonprofit organization, with the goal of building a thriving bioregional textile culture that functions hand in hand with principles of ecological balance, local economies, and regional organic agriculture.

One member of the Fibershed Project is Robin Lynde, a shepherd, weaver, and teacher at Meridian Jacobs Farm, where she raises 70 sheep on 10 acres in Vacaville. She also runs a farm shop, where she sells her yarns, fleeces, felt, lambskins, handwoven garments and blankets, along with other wool products.

Raised with “intensive grazing on irrigated pasture, low-stress handling techniques, and TLC", Lynde’s Jacob sheep (a rare breed known for their large horns and spotted wool) and their wool products such as scarves have the potential to fetch higher prices than those found in a typical department store, which shows that the sustainable farming practices are carried out.

One of the key strategies of Lynde’s business is transparency and education. She invites the public to help out at the farm and hosts classes and community farm days (like Shearing Day on November 10) to help people understand the art and craft of raising pastured sheep for wool.

Fibre farming plays a major role in determining the sustainability of the fashion industry. Thus the after-harvest processing of fiber must be considered when improving the ecological impact of the textile industry, but as eco-farmers serve the initial production of the fiber themselves, the decisions made should also be financially viable.

So whether fiber farmers produce earth-sustaining wool as, or other fiber staples such as flax, hemp, cotton, leather, nettle, or even dye crops, there needs to be high enough demand for the farmers to supply. 

This article presents an overview of eco-farming companies and organic farming associations that are connecting  farmers, consumers, activists, scientists and policymakers in order to make a change in the growing global clothing industry.

Sustainable farming encompasses more than food, and fiber farmers are one group that’s often overlooked. Although synthetics dominate the textile market these days, there are still small, sustainable farms producing natural fibers like wool, cotton, hemp, and linen. These fibers are more attractive and much less taxing on the environment than their mass-produced counterparts.

Sustainable textile fiber cultivation involves complex steps. Unlike farmers who produce food, almost all fiber farmers have to consider not just the growing and harvesting of their crops but the extensive processing of those crops as well. Challenges exist with learning or outsourcing additional tasks, such as shearing sheep, spinning wool, and knitting or weaving fibers into fabric in order to make them into finished products. 

The article provides details on some sustainable fiber farms and their practices.

Agrochemicals are increasingly held responsible for many health hazards & chronic diseases in recen times. With growing literacy, education and awareness coupled with rising incomes, consumers are becoming more quality conscious. Moreover, the food scares like food borne diseases are alerting people of harmful consequences of consuming food laced with chemicals and harmful residues of pesticides and antibiotics. This poses a challenge for chemical based animal farming and livestock production. 

As an alternative, organic farming is rapidly growing around the world including in India. This short course aims to create awareness on organic animal husbandry as a concept,its principles, standards and practices mainly among scientists and academicians of ICAR institutes and State Agricultural/Veterinary Universities. The objective is to enable development of organic animal husbandry alongside organic crop farming in more scientific ways towards sustainable agricultural development.

Climate change is a defining issue in today's scenario and several steps are being taken to mitigate them. Agriculture is both affected by climate change but also contributes to it. As a sector, agriculture must therefore both adapt to changes and offer options for mitigation ie reducing greenhouse gas emissions and store carbon. With textile industry dependent on agriculture for farming of natural fibres, this study focuses on organic agriculture to minimize the impacts of climate change.

It discusses the potential of organic farming in mitigating climate change, challenges involved, potential avenues and also role of climate credits in improving the organic agriculture for a sustainable environment.

This article discusses some of the sustainable measures across the animal rearing value chain to develop a sustainable animal fibre ecosystem. These techniques to reduce livestock greenhouse gas emissions are also found to increase livestock productivity and resilience. These technologies may also likely reduce the intensity of emissions, rather than total emissions, and so opportunities to benefit financially from creating offsets may be limited.

The key approaches discussed for mitigation of livestock greenhouse gases include improved animal husbandry, manure management, managing numbers of livestock and biological control.

Managing manure to reduce emissions can be economically viable for larger enterprises or cooperative facilities that use the captured methane to generate heat and electricity. For small operators, the offset value alone is unlikely to warrant the large capital cost of infrastructure. This activity contributes to carbon farming. 

This article provides details on some of the sustainable measures to be taken to effectively manage the manure and reduce GHG emissions. Some of the suggested measures include reducing livestock urinary nitrogen, using manure to capture and use methane on-farm, manure stockpile aeration and composting and more. 

Grass to Gas is an initiative which aims to improve the animals’ feeding efficiency and reduce methane emissions. 

The project aims to produce tools to measure, or accurately predict, feed efficiency and methane emissions from both individual animals and sheep systems, which will provide the international industry with the means to breed, feed and manage sheep with reduced environmental impact as part of genetic improvement initiatives.

The first phase of the three-year project which runs until 2022, will test different methods for their ability to accurately predict feed intake and methane emissions from sheep. Reseachers will then investigate the relationship between these two factors from sheep housed both indoors and at pasture.

Livestock production contributes to climate change when the greenhouse gases methane, nitrous oxide and  carbon  dioxide  are  produced  and  released  into  the  atmosphere.  Ruminants  are one of the major causes for the production of methane. Many policies have been put in place that requires nations to reduce their greenhouse  gas  emissions.  It  is  therefore  important  for  livestock  farmers  to  try  and  find  ways of reducing these emissions. This article discusses the various methods of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and their impacts on the profitability of extensive sheep farmers in Great Britain.

Some of the sustainable measures suggested include improving feeding practices, feeding more concentrates, improving pasture quality, including nutritional and other supplements as part of the diet, and use of better breed management practices.

Livestock emit almost 64% of total ammonia emissions, contributing significantly to acid rain and to acidification of ecosystems. They are also a highly significant source of methane emissions, contributing 35–40% of methane emissions worldwide. With textile industry highly dependent on animal based fibres, sustainable practices from the animal rearing is critical for the industry's absolute carbon emission reductions.

In this regard, with respect to wool based products, selective breeding of sheep is an option for decreasing methane emissions. Through selection, methane production can be lowered per unit of feed intake. Additionally, feed conversion can be improved, to enable tthem to eat less per unit of weight gain, while also reducing the production of methane. 

Livestock plays an important role in climate change. Livestock systems, including energy use and land-use change along the supply chain, accounted for an estimated 14.5% of total global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from human activities in 2010. More than half of these (about 65%) are related to cattle.  Direct emissions from livestock and feed production constitute about 80% of total agriculture emissions, and thus need to be part of any effort to reduce their contribution to global climate change. This publication provides a practical overview of currently available best practices and promising future developments to mitigate emissions,from livestock, with a focus on on-farm GHG emissions from animal production.

Some of the sustainable methods suggested include improving feed quality and digestibility, precision livestock farming, manure management, improving animal health and husbandry and more.