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Sustainable textile design

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Life cycle analysis

Designers should consider the whole life cycle of the products they design to make them more sustainable.

• All the processes from fibre to end of product life need identifying.

• Textiles products are made from fibres, then into fabric, onto garments which are transported and sold.

• Textiles need washing, drying, ironing to keep clean.• Designers need to think about product disposal and build that

into the life cycle.

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Life cycle analysisLife cycle analysis shows the environmental impact at each stage of the cycle.

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Textile life cycle analysis

• How are the fibres produced?• How are the raw materials processed to make fibre?• How is the fibre made into fabric and are the workers treated

fairly?• How is the fabric made into a product?• How is the product shipped and packed to the shop?• How will you look after the product?• When it is finished, how will it be disposed?

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Fibres and the environment

World fibre production (source China Textile Engineering Society)

•Synthetic fibres 56%•Cotton 36%•Regenerated cellulose fibres 5%•Wool 2%•Silk 1%

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Synthetic fibres

• 56% of world fibre production• These include polyester and nylon

and are made from crude oil which is a non renewable resource.

• Polyester is lightweight, launders at low temperatures and dries quickly.

• At the moment the fibres are inexpensive and have low labour costs.

• In future as oil becomes scarce, these fibres will increase in price.

Synthetic fabric is lightweight and easycare

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Cotton

• 36% of world fibre production• Cotton is a natural fibre which

uses fertilizers, pesticides and a lot of water in its production.

• In some countries people are paid a low wage to pick cotton.

• Cotton is a hugely popular fibre and ways are being found to reduce its environmental impact.

http://www.ejfoundation.orgClick to see the film White Gold - The True Cost

of Cotton

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Organic cotton

• Organic cotton is grown without the use of toxic chemicals and pesticides.

• Genetically modified plants cannot be used for organic cotton.

• Organic cotton makes up 1% of the total cotton market, but demand is increasing.

• Organic cotton can be more expensive than conventional cotton.

• The Global Organic Textile Standard sets standards for organic textile production which must be reached to get the label.

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Gossypium’s Indian cotton

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What is Fairtrade?

• The aim of Fairtrade is to stop poverty and help people create better lives.

• Buyers are encouraged to pay higher prices for goods such as cotton that are produced by Fairtrade suppliers

• The suppliers make sure that workers are fairly paid and have good working conditions.

• Fairtrade products can be labelled with the Fairtrade mark.

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Wool

• 2% of world fibre production• A natural, sustainable fibre

from a renewable resource.• Sheep are shorn once a year

and their wool fleece continues to grow.

• Wool is a natural insulator that keeps you warm in winter.

• Farmers are getting very low prices for their wool fleeces.

• Wool is being used for alternative products such as insulation and coffins.

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Silk

• 1% of world fibre production• Cocoons are boiled to kill the

silkworms inside, then the silk strand is wound onto reels.

• Peace silk allows the silkworm to emerge as a moth from its cocoon. The moth damages the cocoon which breaks the silk filament. Peace silk fabric is expensive.

Silk cocoons with strands of silk

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Regenerated fibres

• 5% of world fibre production • Regenerated cellulosic fibres are

produced from materials such as wood pulp from trees. The materials are reformed into cellulosic fibres, extruded as a continuous filament and twisted for yarns.

• The first commercial regenerated fibre was rayon later known as viscose.

• Acetate is a regenerated fibre made from very short cotton fibres combined with acetic acid.

Fibre can be made from wood

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Regenerated fibres

Lyocell • Lyocell is a regenerated fibre

made from wood pulp which is a sustainable resource.

• The pulp is processed so that water and solvents are recycled with little loss, which reduces the environmental impact.

• Tencel is an example of this fibre.• Garments are soft with good

drape.

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Regenerated fibres

Bamboo • Bamboo fibre is a regenerated

cellulose fibre made into fibre by extrusion.

• Bamboo is a fast growing plant from a renewable resource.

• The process does use chemicals which have an impact on the environment.

Fibre can be made from bamboo

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Biofibres

• These new types of fibre are made from renewable plant materials such as sweetcorn, soya beans and wheat.

• Using food crops for biofibre and biofuel is a complex issue!

• Natural sugars from plants is fermented to lactic acid then refined into polylactic acid PLA.

PLA is a thermoplastic which is processed into polylactic fibre by extrusion.

Fibre made from soya beans

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Ingeo – fibre from corn

• IngeoTM uses sugar from plants to make a polymer which can be used for food packaging, bottles, and fibre.

• Today the plant sugars come from sweetcorn, but it can also be made from cellulosic agricultural wastes and non food plants.

• Ingeo fibre can be made into a wide range of textile products

Fibre made from sweetcorn

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Plastics recycling

• Great efforts are made to recycle plastic bottles and fleeces as post consumer waste.

• Fossil fuel is made into a range of plastics and these must be sorted for recycling.

• Plastic bottles, at the moment have to be sorted by hand and this is expensive.

• Recycled polyester chips are a variety of colours and this makes dyeing difficult.

• Plastic eco fleece is made from recycled plastic bottle fibre.

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Chemicals in textiles

A large range of chemicals is used in fibre and fabric production.

These include• Pre treatment chemicals• Dyeing chemicals• Printing chemicals• Finishing chemicals• Anti-static agentsThe Oeko-Tex Cerification

Standard 100 limits levels for the presence of certain chemicals in textiles products.

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Washing textiles

Washing, drying and ironing clothes uses energy, water and chemicals.Wash clothes at 30°CUse environmentally friendly detergentsAir dry instead of a tumbler drierIron only when necessary.

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Textiles waste

• The total clothing and textiles waste in the UK 2.35 million tonnes

• This is about 40 kg per person per year

• Over 900,000 million items of clothing are thrown away.

• Only 25% of the waste is reclaimed• 50% of textiles thrown away could be

recycled.• The rest – about 30 kg per person per

year – goes to landfill• In landfill, textiles produce methane

gas and synthetic textiles take a long time to decay.

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A recycled blouse

The blouse goes in a Textiles bank, is sorted by a Textiles Recycling organisation and packed, sent abroad where it can be resold.

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The 6 R’s

The 6 R’s are actions we can take so that the textiles we buy and use are more sustainable.• Recycle• Reuse• Reduce • Refuse • Rethink• Repair

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Recycle, reuse, reduce

RecyclePost consumer textiles from people are collected by charity shops and Clothes banksPost industrial waste is collected from textile and yarn manufacturers.ReuseClothes can be sold again, redesigned or if they are too damaged, used for cloths.ReduceCut down on the number of clothes and textiles that we buy.This saves money and reduces the amount of textiles going to landfill.

Clothing for recycling

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Refuse, rethink, repair

Refuse Refuse to buy products which are not sustainably designed and manufactured

RethinkThink about what you buy. Is it made using Fair trade practices?

Does the product use recycled components?

How much energy is needed in its production and maintenance?

RepairFix things if they are torn or broken.Create a design around an old T shirt.

Appliqué over a tear in trousers.

Chocolate Rain reuses old fabrics

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Use of old textiles

Use of old textiles

second hand clothing43%

wiping cloths12%

filling materials22%

fibre reclaimed7%

shoes9%

rejected items7%

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Upcycling

The purpose of upcycling is to create something that is of equal or greater value than the materials that make it. This means making a product from waste materials such as used textiles.

Examples include • Embroidering old jackets with

new designs• Using old cans to make

necklaces• Weaving juice cartons to make

bags

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Worn againWorn Again reuses fabrics from Eurostar uniforms

The uniform is cut out, remade and screen printed.

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Textiles designs

Juggling balls made from fabric scraps

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Textiles designs

Fabrics can be reused for corsages and bed covers.

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Textiles designs

Fabrics stitched and transfer paper places images on fabric

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Lauren Shanley Textiles

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Keywords

6 RsBiodegradableBiofibresCarbon emissionsClosed loop recycling Global warmingGreenhouse gasesLife cycle analysisNon renewable energyPLAPost consumer waste

Pre consumer wasteRecyclableRegenerated fibresRenewable energyRenewable resourcesSustainable resourcesUpcyclingWaste to energy

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Websites

• www.demi.org.uk/• www.laurenshanley.co.uk• www.gossypium.co.uk• www.cleanupfashion.co.uk• www.ethicalfashionforum.com• www.fairtrade.net• www.revampfashion.co.uk• www.tencel.at• www.terratex.com/• www.traid.org.uk• www.wornagain.co.uk• www.wrap.org.uk

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What will you do?

This old story is hundreds of years old and comes from the Teaching of Buddha. Its message about reusing things is just as important today.

What will you do with an old garment?We will make bedcovers out of them.What will you do with the old bedcovers?We will make pillowcases.What will you do with the old pillowcases?We will make floor covers of them.What will you do with the old floor covers?We will use them for foot towels.What will you do with the old foot towels?We will use them for floor mops.What will you do with the old floor mops?Your Highness, we will tear them into pieces, mix them with mud and use the mud to plaster the house walls.