1. Introduction Since the beginning of the industrial revolution in the late 18th century, came the era of large scale mechanized production lines and mass manufacturing of goods. The textile industry was among the first to be fully mechanized, with the advent of the power loom.(Landes, 2003) The quest for raw materials to meet the demands of the manufacturing industry led to the British Empire turning towards its colonies for raw materials such as spices, tea, silk, cotton, opium, etc.(Brain, 2019) This in time, reshaped history and paved way to the industrialized world that we currently know and live in. Along with industrialization came the increased use of earth’s resources to meet the demands of mass production and a rapid rise in pollution of the environment. From the turn of the current century, there has been an increased focus on sustainability and protection of the earth from environmental degradation. As per the dictionary, sustainability is defined as “a method of harvesting or using a resource so as to not deplete or damage it permanently.”(Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2020). With the ever increasing population, there is a tremendous strain on the earth to supply enough resources for survival. This is compounded by uneven distribution of wealth and access to resources which leads to unsustainable consumption patterns throughout the world.(The University of Nottingham, 2019) Therefore, it is crucial that sustainability is adapted for our manufacturing industries. Sustainability can be divided into three pillars, as shown in Figure 1 below.
Figure 1. The Three Pillars of Sustainability Image Source: (The University of Nottingham, 2019)
Navyasri Parasa – 31401627 Sustainability in Business and Design
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