An alternative approach to evaluating inter-basin water transfer links: A case study of the Inter-Linking of Rivers Project in India

Water managers face significant challenges in managing water supply and are constantly looking for new ways to meet demand. Inter-basin water transfer (IBWT) is a preferred solution, especially in developing countries such as India. Proponents have praised IBWT for its benefits but critics have raised several concerns, among which, concerns related to the IBWT decision-making process are fundamental. The proposed Inter-linking of Rivers project (ILR) in India has been extensively criticised for its decision-making process. This thesis evaluated the decision-making process of two ILR Projects in India, namely the Sankh-South Koel (S-SK) and South Koel-Subarnarekha (SK-Sr) ILR links, using data and tools available in the public domain. The research acquired a holistic and multi-disciplinary understanding of the catchments involved in the two ILR projects. The knowledge gained assisted in identifying key inputs, informing assumptions and explaining the research outcomes. Based on the best-practices in the IBWT field, the study developed an integrated appraisal of potential annual and seasonal surplus/deficit of water in the donor and recipient catchments of both links. Both ILR links and their catchments were simulated for their annual and seasonal performance assessments under a range of current and future water management scenarios. The simulation outputs were used to assess the risks in meeting water requirements by the catchments and the links. The ILR links were also assessed for their vulnerabilities in meeting the proposed water transfer amount. The research critiqued existing ILR plans and found that the ILR planners have over-estimated the water surplus in the donor catchments of both links and that the links will fail to meet their projected aspirations. The donor catchments themselves need efforts to ensure their current and foreseeable future water demand. The recipient catchments show no urgent need to import water from another basin currently or in the foreseeable future; although low water availability has been noted in them during the non-monsoon season which needs attention. Thus, the ILR planners are advised to reconsider their decisions and revisit their planning

Creating a global vision for sustainable fashion

Textiles, the fastest growing sector in household waste, have created an exponential rise in the export of second hand clothes (SHC) to overseas markets such as Kenya and Tanzania. Despite the few advantages for the destination markets (eg, enterprise opportunities), this has exasperated a difficult situation for domestic production. Increased cheap imports from Asia have also led to decline in SHC markets, resulting in increased land filling and the associated environmental impacts. Our research proposes remanufacturing fashion from the unwanted SHC, embellishing using local (destination market) craft/design. From literature review conducted, reuse and remanufacture of clothing causes the least impact on energy use and appears to be the most environmentally and socially friendly approach to sustainability efforts. Remanufacture of clothing is currently practiced at niche market levels, for it to have a broader impact; it needs to gain entry into the mass-market retail arena. In the mass market arena, the apparel value chain is organized around several parts with a marketing network at the retail level. Lead firms predominantly construct these value chains, are predominantly located in developed countries, and may be large retailers and brand-name firms, playing a significant role in specifying what is to be produced, how, and by whom. Our goal is to understand how designers, manufacturers and retailers may work together in a remanufacturing process. We present findings from interviews with Tanzanian second hand clothes retailers and artisans, UK fashion remanufacturers and retailers. We discuss the implications on the fashion design process and propose a new product development method for sustainable consumption of fashion. We conclude by reflecting on potential mechanisms of the supply chain integration and how the large multinationals may become engaged. Key words: remanufacturing, design process, supply chain, second hand clothe

Supply chain challenges for sustainability: the case of waste textiles as raw materials

Purpose: This paper addresses the growing problem of textile waste in the rapidly developing cities of subSaharan Africa and examines, from a supply chain perspective, the potential for waste textile materials to be transformed into the raw materials for new consumer products. Research Approach: The paper reflects on the outcomes of a field trip to Dar es Salaam in which stakeholders in a hypothesised textile waste supply chain were interviewed and waste textile materials were analysed in order to determine their content and appropriateness for reuse. Findings from the field study have been compared with current literature on logistics and market creation, waste generation, management and recycling in sub-Saharan Africa. Findings and Originality: The findings show that a rudimentary system has been in place for many years to collect and recycle textiles in Dar es Salaam. However, at the same time as textile waste is projected to increase in the city, collection rates are falling. The chief reasons for the falling rates are failures in the ‘modernised mixture’ approach to waste collection employed by Dar es Salaam City Council and market failure for the collected materials. Alternative combinations of ‘modernised mixtures’, incorporating community-based organisations, are likely to increase textile yields from unplanned urban areas but previous high-profile failures in such systems within Dar es Salaam mean there is caution on both sides in entering into such a relationship. The more pressing problem is to identify appropriate end markets for the textile materials, since in a country where recycling is entirely market-driven, failure to do so will undermine any attempt to improve the collection system. Whilst many studies have considered general recycling practices in sub-Saharan Africa, there are few investigations into textile waste. Furthermore, those existing studies do not consider the importance of understanding fibre composition of the materials in order to determine the most appropriate end markets. Research Impact: The research contributes to the growing body of knowledge on ‘bottom of the pyramid’ approaches to sustainable futures. Practical Impact: The work presented considers supply chain problems and offers approaches to tackling the increasing waste management issues of Dar es Salaam and proposes a mechanism for doing so which has the potential to provide income for the poorest sectors of the urban society

Systems thinking in designing automotive textiles

We present the complexities in terms of designing automotive exterior seating materials (seat coverings and interior linings) at Sage Automotive Interiors (UK), which is a division of a global international automotive textile supplier with headquarters in the US. Sustainability and innovation are emphasized in documents communicating the company’s vision. Using a case study approach, we consider the current design, development and manufacture process and examine it for the potential for feedback loops, identify potential leverage points to effect change and how the process could divert wastes from disposal. We will highlight where sustainable decisions can be incorporated and the difficulties in achieving true sustainability. We argue that a systems approach is needed from conception to final product to ensure economic recycling of textiles and fibres used in automotive seating. Without which, the reality is at best incineration for energy and/or landfill, thus losing important, finite resources forever from a diminishing resource pool of raw materials

Antimicrobial protein and Peptide concentrations and activity in human breast milk consumed by preterm infants at risk of late-onset neonatal sepsis

Objective: We investigated the levels and antimicrobial activity of antimicrobial proteins and peptides (AMPs) in breast milk consumed by preterm infants, and whether deficiencies of these factors were associated with late-onset neonatal sepsis (LOS), a bacterial infection that frequently occurs in preterm infants in the neonatal period. Study design: Breast milk from mothers of preterm infants (≤32 weeks gestation) was collected on days 7 (n = 88) and 21 (n = 77) postpartum. Concentrations of lactoferrin, LL-37, beta-defensins 1 and 2, and alpha-defensin 5 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The antimicrobial activity of breast milk samples against Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Streptococcus agalactiae was compared to the activity of infant formula, alone or supplemented with physiological levels of AMPs. Samples of breast milk fed to infants with and without subsequent LOS were compared for levels of AMPs and inhibition of bacterial growth. Results: Levels of most AMPs and antibacterial activity in preterm breast milk were higher at day 7 than at day 21. Lactoferrin was the only AMP that limited pathogen growth >50% when added to formula at a concentration equivalent to that present in breast milk. Levels of AMPs were similar in the breast milk fed to infants with and without LOS, however, infants who developed LOS consumed significantly less breast milk and lower doses of milk AMPs than those who were free from LOS. Conclusions: The concentrations of lactoferrin and defensins in preterm breast milk have antimicrobial activity against common neonatal pathogens

Developing Fashion/Textile Design Education in Dar es Salaam

Interviews conducted during May 2007 and at a subsequent workshop on 16th January 2008 confirm that employment opportunities in textile design tend to be limited to the small scale entrepreneurs taking on trainees or staff or to become self employed. Self-employment appears to be the most immediate form of business operation in the fashion/textile design business. The local entrepreneurs interviewed in the study were involved in design through manufacture to retail. To help the entrepreneurs maximise their opportunities, there are short courses in business development, management, marketing and craft skills and links with organisations such as CTI and TraidCraft (through which they have gained information such as colour trends but this is sporadic). At a workshop on January 16th 2008, representatives from handcraft and small-scale organisations (eg ADAT, MIKONO, Kwanza Collection, AMKA) raised a number of issues that, in their experiences, have prevented them from becoming attractive to an international market: Lack of consistent quality in the raw materials (such as yarns, dyes and chemicals) used to make the products with, suggesting that the Government ought to lobby the raw material manufacturers to produce to a certain quality or to set up factories of their own: the yarns do not produce fabric to the required standards of the international market and the pigment dyes often fade in the wash. Need for adequate preparation for exhibiting at the large international shows Lack of access to current standards of technology The second hand clothing market has an impact on the local designers and needs some form of intervention from the government. There are restricted employment prospects in textile design in the industrial sector (mainly in the Export Processing Zone). The companies are allowed to employ a certain number of people from outside of Tanzania; these invariably include the designers. Reasons for not employing local designers include: Local designers had received no formal industrial sewing techniques or design training so large companies had no confidence in employing them in the design function The large factories train local employees as operators but not design. The design departments often used computer-aided design, a tool not found in the small-scale sector or short-term courses or training centres. Retail buyers ordered staple items (such as bed sheets or uniforms), not fashion (trend led) from large industrial companies so designs requirements were for amendments rather than brand new designs

Computer Technology and Woven Textile Design / or CAD

This chapter introduces some key issues regarding the use and role of CAD within the global textiles trading environment, such as: cost, expertise and skills training, impact on the supply chain and development of new products and new market areas. The chapter concludes by discussing some of the current research being undertaken with CAD applications for woven textiles with a view towards future trends and sources of useful information for readers wishing to explore the issues raised in greater depth. Key words: CAD, consumer woven fabrics, technical textiles, supply chain impac

Creating a global vision for sustainable textiles

Certification, such as eco-labels, plays a major role in giving credible assurance to retailers and end consumers that products comply with standards based on social, ecological & environmental standards. Of the 309 eco-labels identified world wide, 41 cover textiles (Ecolabelling, 2008) and some 9000 textile & clothing manufacturing companies have been certified. Organic Exchange Fibre Report (2008/09) estimated a 54% increase in cultivation of organic cotton from the previous year, but production of organic cotton only 0.959% of conventional cotton, ie the growth in eco-labelled textiles is not reflected in consumer demand, raising questions about the impact eco-labelled or ‘sustainable’ textiles. A number of issues may impede the spread of eco-labelled textiles through the supply chain: costs and time required to achieve, use and renew the eco-label, recession and potential loss of competitive advantages. This paper will present the findings from in depth interviews examining the decision making around buying and sourcing of eco-labelled fibre, fabrics or textile products. The seven companies located both in India and the UK, spanned the supply chain, from fibre to product: textile manufacturers, eco-parameter testing labs, Certification Company and retailer. The aim of the research was to understand and investigate the marketing strategies for sustainable textile products. Our goal was to understand how designers, manufacturers and retailers may collaborate to deliver eco-labelled textiles attractive to the end consumer and we conclude by reflecting on potential implications for the supply chain integration Keywords: eco-label, textiles supply chain, consume