Scientists are growing colored cotton, the latest in sustainability fashion

Scientists at Australia's national science agency, CSIRO have made headway in sustainable fashion--colored cotton. With their new discovery, it has the potential to transform the global textile industry, as reported by ABC Landline.

The article goes on to say, that while cotton is renewable, recyclable and biodegradable, it still needs to be dyed, and the use of sometimes harmful chemical dyes is considered a blot on the industry's environmental copybook.

The fashion industry plays a large role in the environment, and does more harm than good for the Earth. According to the UN Environment Program, the fashion industry produces 20% of global wastewater and 10 percent of global carbon emissions. Textile dyeing is the second largest polluter of water globally and it take around 2,000 gallons of water to make a typical pair of jeans.

The scientists at CSIRO have been able to genetically modify cotton to make it naturally colored. Perhaps the most fascinating achievement in their research has been the team's work to breed naturally black cotton, which would replace black dyes. Black dyes are the most polluting of textile colors, according to ABC Landline.

Read more: https://www.chron.com/life/style/fashion/article/Scientists-are-growing-colored-cotton-the-latest-15454122.php