PREFACEPREFACE
by Svend Auken, Danish Minister for the Environment and Energy
(from 1993 to 2001)
It does not take much to make a minister for the environment happy. All you need to do is topresent him with a project which makes it realistic for a wide range of people to respect theenvironment during their daily work. Such a project has now been carried out – in the form ofthis attractive environmental handbook for textile designers and buyers.Designers and buyers have a considerable inuence on the way textiles affect theenvironment. If a designer chooses to work with qualities and dyes which are inappropriatefrom an environmental perspective, or if the buyer has chosen to disregard these issues,nature will foot the bill. In contrast only a few environmentally sound decisions need to bemade during the design and procurement phase to increase the environmental benetconsiderably.The production of textiles is one of the most polluting processes in the world. Even so, it hasbeen difcult for environmental ideas to break through in the industry. But that attitude hasgone. Today the environmental industry is as fashionable as the fashion industry itself, andthis trend will gather momentum in the years ahead.The three authors of this handbook are all designers who have worked with textiles andthe environment for a number of years and they are aware that it can be difcult to solvethe puzzle. We of the Danish Ministry of the Environment and Energy are happy that theywill share their experience with the rest of the industry. And it is my hope that this book willinspire a growing circle of talented designers and clever buyers so that related industries willalso take up the challenge.So far Denmark has been renowned throughout the world for the high-quality of its design ofclothes, art, craft and furniture. If we choose to incorporate the environmental dimension aswell the phrase line, “Made in Denmark” will have a quality dimension which we can truly beproud of.
Leave a Comment
Thank you