Smart Keys: Fashion and chemistry… a dangerous liaison?

Though often viewed as harmful and the opposite of ‘natural’, what are chemistry’s actual risks and benefits? Can we successfully and safely combine eco-responsibility and chemistry?

If fashion is the art of transforming material into a garment,chemistry is the art of transforming material, by altering its characteristics. Viewed as a marker of innovation by some, unnatural and threatening by others, we’re surrounded by chemistry on a daily basis.

Chemical substances are added to give a new look, a new handle or special performance features to a material. Preparation, pre-treatment, dyeing, finishing, tanning:?the chemical transformation of a material requires many stepsbefore it takes on its final appearance and characteristics. Today, chemistry is a key component of our clothing and accessories.

The impact of chemical substances?– allergenic, irritant, endocrine disruptor, carcinogenic, reprotoxic etc. –?and their management was a particularly hot topic in the mid-2000s with the implementation of the Reach regulation in 2007 in Europe, and the revelations unearthed by Greenpeace in its “Dirty Laundry” (2011) and “Toxic Underwear of Fashion” (2012) reports.

Behind the scenes, things began to be set in motion. Under the Greenpeace Detox initiative, numerous companies?committed to reducing 11 classes of substances identified?in these reports. This approach invites the industry to transform itself, to control the management of substances identified as hazardous and to exclude them from its value chain.

Natural or synthetic chemicals?

The confusion that sometimes arises is that chemistry can involve various components, both natural and synthetic. Even the most natural materials are treated with chemicals to achieve their final form.

In the 20th century, synthesis chemistry was seen as a symbol of modernity, a way to free nature from the problems of supply, bad weather and seasonality. However, in the 21st century, it came to be seen as a destroyer of nature because of the pollution engendered.

Why do people worry about chemistry?

• Precisely because it’s everywhere! Everything around us is a result of a chemical transformation, and without chemical processes many of the products that surround us could not be produced.
• The?synthetic molecules used?remain a matter of special concern, and potentially of risk, as the impact of certain substances and molecular chains may not be well known.
• The?number of substances used: as technologies evolve, new active ingredients enter the value chain and need to be observed in order to guarantee their harmlessness over the long term. Exposure is multiple, and traces are frequently found in organisms and the environment.
• Continuation?and?bioaccumulation: what is the life span and long-term impact of these molecules? Various substances are used in the creation of products and their cumulative effect on humans and nature remains a concern.
• The dose makes the poison. Repeat exposure can generate a chronic toxicity, or a short and significant exposure can generate an acute toxicity, depending on the conditions of the exposure to the substances.

So how do we protect ourselves from these impacts? The answer in 3 Smart Keys over here :

https://www.premierevision.com/en/magazine/smart-keys-fashion-and-chemistry-a-dangerous-liaison/?