"What is a sustainable textile and why is it so hard to make?"
Moving from a linear to a circular supply chain seems so simple: produce and consume less, choose renewable and recyclable materials, use responsible production methods, design for longevity and biological or technical cycles. So why is most of the textile industry still operating by the old linear model? Why is it so hard to produce sustainable textile products? This is the question asked in Unravelling Complexity, part of the project Going Circular Going Cellulose or “(GC)2”.
To explore the process of creating a sustainable textile product, a very basic textile product was unravelled and analysed: a tea towel. It revealed an enormous complexity of possible design decisions, which all affected the sustainability of the final product. With this in mind, the tea-towel was redesigned and engineered, with the aim of making it as sustainable as currently possible.
To explore the process of creating a sustainable textile product, a very basic textile product was unravelled and analysed: a tea towel. It revealed an enormous complexity of possible design decisions, which all affected the sustainability of the final product. With this in mind, the tea-towel was redesigned and engineered, with the aim of making it as sustainable as currently possible.
Ten prototypes were woven, which show different interpretations and degrees of sustainability. All ten are both sustainable and not sustainable, depending on your focus. If you emphasise a single goal, like designing the product with the lowest environmental impact, that means compromising elsewhere on aspects like affordability and performance. A product that is sustainable in every way, is -for now- impossible.
This research helps to understand why it’s so challenging to make a truly sustainable and/or circular textile, but also highlights opportunities for change and suggests where interventions are most needed and/or likely to have a big impact. The range of prototypes that were produced serve as a tangible communication tool, helping designers and producers in the textile industry to compare how effective and feasible different ways to make a textile more sustainable currently are, and subsequently make better choices.
This research helps to understand why it’s so challenging to make a truly sustainable and/or circular textile, but also highlights opportunities for change and suggests where interventions are most needed and/or likely to have a big impact. The range of prototypes that were produced serve as a tangible communication tool, helping designers and producers in the textile industry to compare how effective and feasible different ways to make a textile more sustainable currently are, and subsequently make better choices.