No abstract

The use and disposal phase in a garment's life cycle is highly dependent on the choices made by the consumer. Maintenance procedures such as laundering and drying require energy and water use. Garment disposal increases waste in landfill sites, unless incinerated, which can take a toll on the environment through greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, encouraging consumers to launder less frequently and finding ways to extend the useful life of clothing are two ways of increasing sustainability within the clothing industry. Denim jeans are one of the most popular items of clothing worldwide. Changing habits such as reducing the frequency with which a person washes their denim jeans could have a positive impact on the environment through less water and energy use. However, environmental knowledge about what is detrimental to the environment may not necessarily lead to pro‐environmental behaviour. In denim jeans fibre loss results in thinning and loss in colour due to use. Laundering in particular can degrade clothing due to the abrasive forces applied to the surface of wet fibres. Therefore, this study highlights the effect that frequent laundering can have on the degradation of jeans with the aim to provide additional motivation to encourage change in consumers’ laundering habits. Consumers wore jeans for the equivalent of 60 days and either washed their jeans after approximately 2 days of wear or after approximately every 20 days of wear. The findings confirmed that frequent laundering reduced mass, increased colour loss, and reduced tensile strength in the warp direction of the fabric. Although washing is a major contributor to the degradation of jeans, the process of wearing denim jeans also naturally degrades the denim as the thigh region of the jeans showed greater colour loss and reduction in tensile strength than the shin region, which is typically less prone to abrasion through wear. The findings from this study provide compelling evidence to encourage consumers to reconsider their laundering habits in terms of wash frequency as both a means to behave in a more environmentally sustainable way, and to preserve their favourite garments.

Fire-resistant (FR) fabrics used in protective clothing experience a reduction in performance as a result of exposure to various ageing conditions, for instance: heat, ultraviolet (UV) light, moisture, abrasion and laundering procedures. However, there are few visible clues to indicate if the deterioration of the protective clothing has reached a dangerous level. To address this issue, graphene-based end-of-life sensors (heat, UV light, and moisture) are being developed at the University of Alberta in collaboration with five industry partners, including Davey Textile Solutions, Inc (DTS). DTS has the production capacity to manufacture the graphene-based end-of-life sensors, including weaving, finishing, conductive track application, fusing, and product assembly. The lifetime of fire-protective clothing is an important parameter to monitor, and the graphene-based end-of-life sensors are a straightforward, non-destructive, and effective tool for this purpose. The plan is to fabricate, integrate and commercialize the sensors. DTS, alongside academic researchers from the University of Alberta, are in the process of scaling up the manufacturing and testing of the sensors. The health and safety of firefighters will be improved by bringing graphene-based end-of-life sensors to the market.

This study determined the impact of selected chemical protective coveralls (CPC) on physiological responses and comfort sensations. Fifteen males exercised at approximately 6 METS in three CPC (Tyvek®, Gulf and Tychem®) and a control garment. Physiological strain was characterised by core and skin temperatures, heart rate, V̇O2, perceived exertion, hotness and wetness. Physical burden was characterised by restriction to movement, V̇O2 and RPE. The highest levels of physiological strain and physical burden were found in Tychem®, and the lowest in control. Seven statistical regression models were developed through correlation and multiple regression analyses between the human responses and the results from previously conducted fabric and garment property testing. These models showed that physical burden was increased by adding weight and/or restricting movement. Oxygen consumption was best predicted by clothing weight and fabric bending hysteresis. Fabric evaporative resistance and thickness were the two best predictors of physiological and perceptual responses. Practitioner Summary: Traditional evaluation of chemical protective coveralls (CPC) involves testing at the fabric and garment levels and rarely is based on human trials. This study integrates information from fabric, garment and human trials to better understand physiological strain and physical comfort during prolonged exercise in CPC.

Industrial steam presents a worker hazard that has not been addressed within the protective clothing industry to date, and traditional flame-resistant materials provide little protection against this hazard. A test method and associated equipment has been developed and evaluated against field measurements to ensure that the method is able to differentiate among materials and is representative of the actual hazard. A two-level system of ranking textiles has been suggested: Level 1—fabrics that would be used for everyday use, and Level 2—fabrics that could be used for higher risk operations. The two-level system proposed is based on energy transmitted through the material and time to the onset of a second-degree thermal injury