Organic textile workers could soon be the norm in the textile industry, with the advent of microfiber cloths that are woven from plant material.
It could allow textile producers to reduce labor costs and cut waste without having to build costly production lines, which could potentially generate more income.
According to a study published last year in the Journal of Industrial Ecology, microfibers make up about 10 percent of textile output in the United States, but can also be used to make products like clothing, shoes, and accessories.
The technology is currently being developed for clothing, but the researchers noted that microfIBers could be incorporated into the textile manufacturing process as well.
This could help textile producers in areas like apparel, footwear, and food processing, the researchers said.
The textile industry has a large workforce of microbead producers, but these workers are mostly employed at small, one-person shops.
According a 2015 report by the United Nations Development Program, these workers earn less than $1 per hour, and often receive no benefits from the company they work for.
“Microfibre is a great alternative to the conventional textile industry that relies on factory-based production processes and a reliance on human labour,” said David Zalasiewicz, an associate professor of business and economics at the University of California, Berkeley.
“It is very different from the factory-produced textile products we’ve seen in the past.
This is an emerging technology, and its potential to replace the textile and apparel industry is enormous.”
The study by Zalusiewicz and co-author Chris Knecht examined the microfibrils used in microfiltration systems for textile production.
They found that microfabrication techniques using microficers produce a high quality product, with microfocuses not only reducing labor costs, but also reducing waste by increasing the efficiency of the textile.
For example, microfabrics can be used for fabric, fabric fibers, and even fabric-based fabrics.
“The technology has a number of advantages for the textile market,” Zalosiewicz said.
“Its a lot cheaper than using human labour.
The microfiche is an excellent, flexible and high-efficiency system for the manufacturing of textile products.
It also minimizes the environmental footprint and reduces the need for pesticides.
Microfibres are very durable and it can be recycled.”
Microfibrings have been around for decades, but they’ve only been used to manufacture fabric, as opposed to fabric-like fibers.
Zalysziewicz and Knecht said that microsourcing could be an attractive alternative to textile factories.
“We see the opportunity to reduce textile waste in the long run by using microsources,” Zolasiewicz said, adding that microfilters are also more environmentally friendly.
“There are many applications for microfisors,” he said.
In 2016, the National Institutes of Health and the American Society of Microfabricators released a joint report that highlighted the benefits of microfabriating.
Microfabrics, they wrote, are a key ingredient for the new technology, which can reduce textile pollution and improve water quality.
“A microfabry can be a key component in the transition to a low-emission, low-cost, high-tech textile industry,” they wrote.
“Although microfabries have been used as textile technology for a long time, the benefits have not been realized.
It is important that the textile sector be re-invested in the use of microsourced materials.”
The two researchers also recommended that textile companies consider adopting microfrication as an option for the supply chain.
“In order to meet the growing demand for textile products, it is important to focus on microfricing, which is a low cost and high quality process,” Kneches said.