the nature of fashion · 2020-05-27 · 1. regenerative farm and fiber systems 2. cellulosic...
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The Nature of Fashion
Designing for True Circularity and Biological Systems
Beth Rattner, Executive DirectorMegan Schuknecht, Senior Biomimicry ProfessionalMay 20, 2020
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Catch and Release• Natural materials cycle endlessly. Nature cannot distinguish
between good molecules and bad, nor can their movement be stopped.
• The essence of the second law of thermodynamics is that disorder increases over time. This means nature disperses.
• A global net helps nature capture valuable (dispersed) building blocks.
• Primary producers, consumers, and decomposers make the system possible
• Matter and energy are inextricably linked.
Fashion as an Ecosystem | The Biomimicry Institute 2
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Catch and Release• Natural materials cycle endlessly. Nature cannot distinguish
between good molecules and bad, nor can their movement be stopped.
• The essence of the second law of thermodynamics is that disorder increases over time. This means nature disperses.
• A global net helps nature capture valuable (dispersed) building blocks.
• Primary producers, consumers, and decomposers make the system possible
• Matter and energy are inextricably linked.
The outermost loop is always the biosphere: air, water, and soil.
Fashion as an Ecosystem | The Biomimicry Institute 3
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Nature’s Dynamic Equilibrium
Fashion as an Ecosystem | The Biomimicry Institute 4
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The Problem with Plastics
• Clothing made from recycled polyester terephthalate (rPET) still contains toxic chemicals not meant to go next to human skin.
• rPET is lower quality and degrades over time.
• “Perpetual plastic” is a false narrative
• rPET is still plastic and shed microfibers pose a huge threat to marine ecosystems.
• Plastics/clothing collection at scale and mechanical sorting of textiles are both challenging
Fashion as an Ecosystem | The Biomimicry Institute 5
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The Problem with Plastics
• Clothing made from recycled polyester terephthalate (rPET) still contains toxic chemicals not meant to go next to human skin.
• rPET is lower quality and degrades over time.
• “Perpetual plastic” is a false narrative
• rPET is still plastic and shed microfibers pose a huge threat to marine ecosystems.
• Plastics/clothing collection at scale and mechanical sorting of textiles are both challenging
Nature doesn’t sort; it disperses.
Fashion as an Ecosystem | The Biomimicry Institute 6
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Current Fashion System
Fashion as an Ecosystem | The Biomimicry Institute 7
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Moving to a Regenerative System
1. Regenerative farm and fiber systems
2. Cellulosic feedstocks, including agricultural waste
3. Fermentation
Cleaning up
4. Chemical recycling
5. Gasification + fermentation
Fashion as an Ecosystem | The Biomimicry Institute 8
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Biomimetic Fashion System
Fashion as an Ecosystem | The Biomimicry Institute 9
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Levers for Change
1. Invest in local cycles - Repair and upgrade equipment
- Catalog regional waste streams
- Create industrial symbioses
- Send the pattern, not the clothes
- Focus on the whole value chain
2. Build regenerative agricultural cycles - Conservation pays
- Cluster fiber research and demand
- Fund new research - Create new funding vehicles
3. Incentivize creation of new biomaterials - Biomimetic biomaterials - “ComPost Modern” design challenge - Advance the knowledge commons
Fashion as an Ecosystem | The Biomimicry Institute 10
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Beth Rattner
Megan Schuknecht
Fashion as an Ecosystem | The Biomimicry Institute 11
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