日本研發植物人造纖維 做衣服更美更環保
服飾產業是世界第二大汙染源，其中常用的大宗原料聚脂纖維是由石油所提煉，占全世界化學纖維生產量80%。生產時使用大量的化學製品造成環境汙染。日本化工企業東麗（東レ）與美國新創公司Virent合作，成功以甘蔗、玉米等原料試作出100%純植物性聚酯纖維，這項突破將能大大減少紡織業對石油的使用量，製程更加環保減碳，今後用植物聚酯纖維做衣服更美更環保。
「女生的衣櫥永遠少一件衣服」這句話是服飾品牌常用來宣傳的口號，隨著快時尚的崛起，服裝變成一種流行指標，每一季衣櫥都要大翻新一次，因為價格低廉而一直買，沒有想過自己是不是真的適合。
紡織業所產生大量的碳排放量受到全球關注，其中更是倚賴聚酯纖維（又稱滌綸，英文名 polyester）為主要材質，占全世界化學纖維產量的80%，其主要原料「對苯二甲酸聚酯」和「乙二醇聚酯」均由石油中提煉而成。
東麗集團在一份聲明中表示：「有專家預測，依目前石油的開採速度，儲量將在50年內耗盡，這意味著我們需要替代能源。而我們日常生活中使用的塑料和紡織品很多都是石油衍生產品。」
東麗目前的技術可以將甘蔗加工過程中剩下的糖蜜轉化成乙二醇，目前已經有30%使用植物原料製成的聚酯纖維。東麗表示，部分來源於植物的聚酯材料可以減少13%的二氧化碳排放量；而100%的植物基聚酯材料可以減少58%的二氧化碳排放量。東麗希望未來這種材料將用於戶外運動服、工作服、汽車內飾和其他產品。
東麗還表示：「雖然植物聚酯纖維仍處於開發階段，成本也比較高，但服裝業技術迅速進展。未來相對成本也會逐步下降。而石油儲量的迅速消耗，未來植物性聚酯纖維的優勢將更加明顯。
業界的轉變看在東麗眼裡是一大商機。他們計畫到2030將環保材料供應量增加到2013年的4倍。
在道德方面，也越來越多企業放棄使用以石油為原料的纖維，尋求更環保的替代原料。如瑞典快時尚巨頭H&M集團去年表示，到2030年將完全改用可持續材料。優衣庫（Uniqlo）的運營商迅銷集團（Fast Retailing）也已經在一些產品中使用生物纖維。
今年1月，迅銷集團加入《聯合國時尚業氣候行動憲章》（United Nations Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action），該憲章的目標是到2030年將時裝業的溫室氣體排放量減少30%。截至目前已有90多家公司簽署這一憲章。
日本一家紡織品貿易公司的負責人說:「在美國和歐洲，如果不使用環保材料，生意會越來越難做。」 據英國「良心消費者」《Ethical Consumer》雜誌的數據，僅在英國，2018年可持續服裝的購買量就增長了16%，達到5000萬英鎊，是1999年的12.5倍。
不過儘管已經研發出植物性的聚酯纖維，還是要從消費上省思，不要過度消費，購買適量的需求才是真正的環保愛地球。
新聞來源：The Merit Times
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Toray develops 'first' 100% plant-based polyester
Japanese materials maker Toray Industries looks to start mass production of polyester made entirely from plants, a breakthrough poised to cut reliance on petroleum and slash carbon emissions, Nikkei has learned.
Toray developed what is being described as the world's first 100% plant-based polyester jointly with Virent, a U.S. biofuels startup. Production is set to begin in the early part of this decade, people familiar with the matter said.
Textiles have come under global scrutiny for their large carbon footprint. Polyesters in particular account for 80% of chemical fibers produced worldwide.
Ethical concerns are pushing apparel companies to shift away from petroleum-based fibers. H&M said last year that it will switch completely to sustainable materials by 2030.
"In the U.S. and Europe, you are increasingly unable to do business unless you use environmentally friendly material," said the head of a Japanese textiles trading firm.
Fast Retailing, the Japanese operator of casualwear chain Uniqlo, already uses biofibers in some of its products. In January, the group joined the United Nations Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action, which targets a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from the sector by 2030. More than 90 companies have signed on to the charter.
Both the terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol that form polyester are derived from petroleum. Technology already exists to extract ethylene glycol from sugarcane, and Toray uses the plant-based alternative in some of the fibers it sells.
Virent is able to create a biologically derived version of terephthalic acid, which constitutes 70% of polyester content. Inedible portions of sugarcane and corn apparently will be processed to make the chemical.
The plant-based fiber is said to have the same durability and ease of processing as conventional polyesters. Toray and Virent envision the material being used in sportswear, automotive interiors and other products.
Toray, Japan's biggest textile company by sales, plans to quadruple supplies of environmentally friendly material by fiscal 2030 compared with fiscal 2013 as demand for such products grows.
In the U.K. alone, purchases of ethical clothing rose 16% in 2018 to 50 million pounds ($65 million) -- 12 and a half times as much as in 1999, according to Ethical Consumer, a magazine.
Original Artical: Nikkei Asian Review