www.

thrc-
 Textile Universe

www.thrc-
 Green Manufacturing and Technical
Textiles Initiative
1. Planning:
Purpose and need,
primary and Phase
secondary research
1:
2.
6. Adaptation, - Skills inventory Resear
implementation,
and Business
framework ch
Impact/ROI - Best practices
assessment report
- Knowledge
Networks

5. Industry 3. Industry engagement:

validation of - Workshops and focus
standards and groups
tools - Webinars
- Recommendations for
Phase 2

4. Development:
Phase 2: Business and HR
tools
Developm
ent
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 Technical Textiles Definition
Technical textiles are textile materials and products manufactured
primarily for their technical and performance properties rather than their
aesthetic or decorative characteristics. 1

1
The Textile Institute, Technical Textiles Terms and Definitions (Manchester, England: Textile
Institute, 1975).
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 Move to Technical Textiles

Fully 80% of occupations in the textile

industry will see significant changes
to their job roles and responsibilities
as a result of the move to technical
textiles production and green
manufacturing.
THRC, Best Practices in Green
Manufacturing and Technical Textiles
(2011)

www.thrc-
Best Practices in Technical Textiles
Four Technical Usage Textiles (TUT) application
sectors identified as having high growth potential
for the industry: Protech, Mobiltech, Buildtech
and Medtech.

Four primary trends in best practices:

1. Multidisciplinary work
2. Working closely with users
3. Active technology forecasting
4. Setting action plans incorporating findings
resulting from active technology forecasting

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www.thrc-
Technical Textiles Production Skills
and
Best Practice Implications for an R&D
Specialist

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Move to Green Manufacturing

Le dveloppement durable ne doit

pas tre considr comme une
tche supplmentaire ajouter
notre agenda mais doit faire
partie intgrante de la stratgie
dentreprise.
- Member of the Club des leaders program
-Spring 2011

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www.thrc-
 Improved Corporate Image
Responsi
ble
Directly affected
marketin occupations:
g
Standard Triple
s/
Certificati
botto Marketing/Sales
m
ons
line Use of green labels and ecolabels
(e.g. Oeko Tex 100), engaging in
responsible communication
Responsible
procurement Legal
Obtaining certifications, complying
Transpar
with standards
ency and
ethical Procurement
conduct
Formulating charters /codes of
practice for providers /subcontractors
Finance
Producing sustainability reports and
Green best practices to triple bottom line
achieve an improved
corporate image

www.thrc-
 Cost Savings
Directly affected
Optimizati occupations:
on of
processes

Eco-
Finance
accounting Financial impact assessments (savings in
energy, time, etc.)
Quality
manageme Evaluating financial revenue associated
nt
with sustainability initiatives

Internalizat Process Engineers

ion of costs
Using renewable energy energy
efficiency
Supervisors
Green
Green best
best Determining environmental objectives
practices
practices to
to (waste reduction, etc.)
achieve cost
achieve cost Controlling energy and water consumption
savings
savings

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 Innovation and Product
Development Directly affected
Systems
thinking occupations:
Biomimicry R&D and Marketing
Life Conducting life cycle analyses
cycle
analysi Integrating end-of-life-cycle
s indicators
Ecodesig Replacing hazardous materials
n
by more eco-friendly composites
Using green materials from
renewable resources (for home
textiles, geotextiles, etc.)
Using natural and organic fibres
Green best practices Producing reusable and
for
eco-innovation and recyclable fibres
product
development
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 Ecodesign Approach
Extraction
Reducethequantity
and
varietyofmaterials
Production
Designtosimplifyq
End-of-life uality control
Integratecollec
tion methods

Logistics
Reducetheweighta
Use nd
Minimizeemissions volumeofproducts
and andpackaging
increaseenergy
efficiency
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 Green Manufacturing Innovation
Workshops and Pilot
Ongoing workplace projects
in green textile
manufacturing targeting two
streams:

Enterprise: Integration of
sustainable development
principles into corporate
strategic plans

Product: Integration of
ecodesign approach into
product development
www.thrc-
 Keys Findings
Key affected occupations: R&D Specialists,
Senior/Specialist Managers, Marketing & Sales, and
Procurement.
Skills companies need to develop in their workforce
to make their businesses more sustainable and
better able to serve technical markets are not only
technical in nature general business skills are
required for restructuring both internal and
external/client-facing working relationships.
Closing the skills gap aligning green and technical
textile manufacturing needs with business priorities
and product life cycle analysis.
Practical tools for small business and benchmarking
strategies for manufacturers operating both
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