Search

Today, the textile sector is one of the largest economic sectors globally in terms of production amount, labor employment, and gross domestic product. At the same time, it is also one of the least sustainable sectors due to its profound negative environmental and social impacts. In the absence of a single legislative body at the global level, as well as a lack of global inter-governmental cooperation, there is also no unified legislation regarding the sustainability of the textile sector. However, the Earth is a single interconnected ecosystem; therefore, the responsibility for mitigating the negative consequences must be shared. The transition of the textile sector to a sustainable model requires a complete transformation of perception and behavior patterns at the governance, industry, and consumption levels. This research contributes to the existing literature about the social, environmental, and economic assessment of the textile sector focusing on the sustainability challenges in all three domains; furthermore, the paper provides a broad overview of existing and planned global and regional policies, regulations, and initiatives related to the transition of the textile industry to a sustainable development model.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the provision of appropriate protective clothing for medical staff who must continue to perform their duties at this period is of particular importance. Physiotherapists are not allowed to suspend working during this time either, and the specifics of their work is close contact with the patient within various movements during the therapy process. Inadequate (intended for general use) protective clothing affects work capacity in the aspects of movement restriction, thermal comfort and thereby increasing energy consumption. For the design and supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) and protective clothing of the best possible quality, PPE should be explored in a systemic approach (holistics) to assess anthropometric fit and ergonomics, material properties and thermal performance. This study investigated anthropometric characteristics of target group representatives; sizing, fit and design flaws of protective suits for physiotherapists; provision of mobility in the protective clothing of physiotherapists; the protective suit fabric layer interaction with the human body and the importance of subjective evaluation of fit and ergonomics of PPE (made by specialists and wearers). The results of the study promote the usage of objective knowledge of anthropometry and ergonomics as well as subjective assessment findings in the development of protective suits for physiotherapists.

Correct body posture is a balanced musculoskeletal body position; however, today many people face severe posture defects, and their body posture may be far from a normal, causing progressive musculoskeletal deformities and pain, as well as affecting the functionality and appearance of the body. Human daily habits, lack of physical activities and overall a sedentary lifestyle cause such phenomena. The research focuses on studies of human body measurements and body characteristics while wearing posture-corrective equipment for the assessment of the effectiveness of different posture correctors (abbreviated as PoC). Four test-persons were selected and scanned using 3D anthropometrical scanner in relaxed stand position wearing five different posture correctors for a prolonged period of time in order to determine the effectiveness and functionality of each PoC. Four distance (linear) human body measurements were gained to quantify postural changes - scapula position depth, upper torso position, shoulder projection height and hip-waist depth. General feedbacks on each subject impression of wearing PoCs were also received. Correction of posture could serve as a preventive or treatment for spine-related problems; though, commercially available correctors could negatively affect wearer’s health due to non-conformity of the design and/or used material. Therefore, PoC selection and wearing procedures should be solved with more personalized and customized approaches.