Sustainable Doesn't Mean "easy"

Sustainable fashion seems to be the newest trend. People have adopted the trend not only in their wardrobe but as a lifestyle. Now we would rather wear garments made out of natural and organic fibers with natural dyes. Anything natural means it's better for the environment. Right? Well what if I told you...

1.  When you take a look at the full life cycle of a natural fiber including the growing manufacturing and more importantly usage, natural fibers are not necessarily more sustainable than synthetic fibers

The characteristics of individual fibers are not only important influences of their footprint. They also determine how textiles will act during manufacture, the type and quantity of dye they take, the frequency and intensity of washing required when they're being worn, and whether or not they are recyclable

1. Natural dyes aren't necessarily better then chemical ones
2. Organic cotton amounts for only 1% of thee world harvest and production cannot be scaled in a sufficient amount quickly enough to cater to main stream needs yet.

It is very important to pay attention to the influence of technical innovations with regards to fibers because seemingly counter-intuitive and surprising facts surface. For example,

• conventional cotton scores worse than virgin polyester in its overall environmental impact
•  organic cotton scores the same as chemically recycled polyester 
• recycled cotton is equally 'good' as mechanically recycled polyester and nylon.
• recycled cotton is too short stapled and not a suitable replacement for virgin cotton fiber
• but recycled polyester is of equal quality as its virgin variety.

This is why technology is so important for sustainable fashion because it helps it live up to its true meaning. Here are a few examples of these technologies,

Tejin Technology

• closed-loop, perpetual recycling system for polyester products whereby the products are broken down into polymers, and then processed into new fiber with characteristics equivalent to virgin fibers. Patagonia uses this technology in many of their outdoor garments.

Victor

• they created a closed-loop perpetual polyester recycling system powered by renewable hydroelectric energy. Many of these fabrics are targeted for the interior design market
• 
  

Climatex

• closed-loop system upholstery fabric is biodegradable. It is also good for human consumption and production waste is used as fertilizer by the farmers in the factory's vicinity. The fabric is prominently flown around the world in the A380 Airbus
• http://www.climatex.com/

Finding alternative natural fibers is as easy at sounds either.

• Kapok (or silk cotton) for example is available in many places across the world. It is a natural cellulose fiber with a hollow body, a sealed tail, a silky surface, and when in season, is abundantly available. All these features make it a desirable candidate for textiles, but other characteristics, like its short fiber length, make it ideal for modern spinning machines.
• Bamboo- the standard process is to break the bamboo down into pulp using chemicals, before turning it into a rayon fiber, a man-made filament type. Unless this process takes place in a closed-loop environment, it can be damaging to both workers and the environment.

Finally The multi-disciplinary nature of the textile industry is both its biggest asset as well as its highest hurdle. Successful innovators, like Teijin work from the bottom up as well as from top down. They create competitive advantage by connecting research and application, working in close collaboration with technologists, spinners, weavers, dyers, designers and future clients to realize their vision. However rare in the current competitive climate, such team work is indispensable if the resulting product is to live up to the requirements of large scale manufacturing on the one hand and individual designers and consumers on the other.

http://www.patagonia.com/us/popup/common_threads/faqs.jsp#q13

http://www.climatex.com/index.cfm?ID=A9738627-ABD9-4810-F526485EC4D0962E

http://www.victor-innovatex.com/en/ecoIntelligence.php

Where technology is Taking YOUR Clothes

Did you ever think of what your clothing will look like in five years?  No, well many companies are doing just that and looking to technology for help.  Companies are producing wearable technology clothing.  Clothing that moves, changes colors, and even guitars on t-shirts that you can play.

Clothing being turned into batteries, that could change clothing as we know it.  Fabric batteries can turn your clothing into portable chargers for phones, smartphones, and ipods or MP3 players.  It works by coating the fibers with a special ink that once dried allows the fibers to become porous and great conductors of electricity.  What's makes this clothing even better, even after laundering the clothing will still continue to conduct electricity.

Another technology perk, flexible and wearable designs such as LED t-shirts.  Think of your light up shoes but only better, now your clothing can light up.  It can allows designers to design a whole new creative look.  There now are millions of more possible clothing options than we ever though before.  This new technology unlike other like it can be placed in just about every fabric including rubber, plastic, and glass.  Who knows maybe soda companies will produce light up cans that makes their brand stand out that much more in the consumers eyes.  A new product was the Rock Guitar Shirt, which had a design of a guitar that could be synced up can be played like an actual guitar.

In additon, this technology has practical uses also not just for fashion, for instance, heated clothing.  Also for those consumer who are looking for the healthy root, this clothing monitor heart rates, blood pressure etc.

Where do you see clothing going in five years?

Don't Wash Your Clothes

Water is a scarce nonrenewable resource.  Much of the developing world does not have access to clean water, a resource that the developed world takes for granted.  I’d like to share some infographics from Water.org that illustrate how dire the water situation is.

After seeing this I began to wonder what could be done to help conserve clean water.  An idea I explored in an earlier blog was the waterless washing machine, and the machine is certainly one thing that can be done to help water usage, but what if clothing didn’t have to be washed at all?

Scientists working for the United States Air Force have developed a finishing process that allows clothing to be worn for weeks without washing that remains hygienic. The new technology attaches nanoparticles to clothing fibers using microwaves. Then, chemicals that can repel water, oil and bacteria are directly bound to the nanoparticles. These two elements combine to create a protective coating on the fibers of the material.

This coating kills bacteria and forces liquids to bead and run off.  

The coating is already being applied to t-shirts and underwear that soldiers wear, but there are many other useful applications including biological and chemical protective clothing for healthcare, food processing, and farm workers.

Another finishing process is being developed by US scientists at the University of California.  The procedure would be simple enough that it can be applied during the dyeing process and would bond to the cellulose group in cotton.

If the clothing we wore did not have to be washed as often we would be able to save approximately 40 gallons of water per load of laundry that did not have to be washed.  If you normally wash a load of laundry a week you would be conserving 120 gallons of water each month by buying clothes that don’t require frequent laundering.

Sources:

http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2011/September/01091103.asp

http://www.livescience.com/9497-cleaning-underwear-weeks-washing.html

-William Diak

Simple Solutions to Complex Problems

Sharklet a plastic film which is inspired by sharks. Shark skin has the ability to prevent the growth of algae on their skins surface. The reason behind this is that they have these scale like structures on their skin which makes the surface smooth in one direction and rough in the other. Nova Science Now has a episode titled Smarter Materials where they feature some biomimcry, engineering and design concepts which are used to solve real world problems.

This plastic film, simply by having this diamond shaped pattern on the surface dramatically reduces the mount of bacteria which can grow on it. This is the ideal solution for hospitals which have a notorious problem as being a bacteria haven. Sharklet has been introduced in some hospitals on door, bedside rails and other surfaces which are touched regularly.Tony Brennen is the person behind the design. He has tried different patterns but the ridged diamond pattern works the best for some reason. Bacteria likes to live in colonies and by adding a texture to the surface they cannot multiply.   

The material does not kill the bacteria, it simply stops it from becoming colonies. Due to the immense amount of drugs we are using to kill them, the bacteria has developed resistance and thus the need for innovative thinking and design has let to this discovery.

Shaklet Website to view more of their products

This is the link to the Nova ScienceNow Episode which is worth watching because of the many innovative concepts and ideas discussed.
NovaScienceNow - Smarter Materials Episode

The youtube vidoe below focuses on the Sharklet material

- Simone Muller

When worlds Collide

The fashionable trend of fashion used to be separate and competitive. The modern fashion trend has led to the collaboration of sectors of the industry to form partnerships in order to be competitive and succeed. The theme of the Copenhagen Fashion Summit this year was dedicated to collaboration. Whether it is through the sectors of industry or key players creating innovative business models. The various speakers focused on the consumer and changing their mind set will turn eco-fashion into just fashion. The trends are changing from fast fashion to fashion which is versatile and this is leading the industry to come up with ways of being more on trend when it comes to business practises.
Key Points of Copenhagen Fashion Summit 2012
More Clips from Copenhagen Fashion Summit 2012

Collaboration is not a new thing to the modern business world because it makes sense. Musicians do it, engineers do it and designers do it. The future lies in the thinking process changing to no longer focus on the creative or analytical side of our brains, but combining the two and finding a new way of thinking. The question might be well how will it apply to fashion?
 Bellantine (an alcohol company) + CuteCircuit (designers)) = tshirt os
What is this? Below is a video that explains it.

 

The owners of the CuteCircuit company are collaborators in themselves. On their website the about tab tells us about their background,All CuteCircuit garments are designed by Francesca Rosella and Ryan Genz. Francesca worked as a fashion designer for Valentino in Italy. Ryan Genz was formally trained as an artist, anthropologist and ultimately Interaction Designer focusing on Wearable Technology and holds patents and patents pending for wearable technologies"

This is a fascinating concept and will lead to bigger and better things in the Apparel industry.

To tie this into sustainable fashion would be for the whole garment to be integrated with the technology in order for the maximum use for the tshirt to be more versatile.

http://www.cutecircuit.com/about_cute/

http://popsop.com/57652

 

By Simone Muller

 

Smart Clothing?

Smart Clothing?

Smart clothing is exactly what one lab is working on producing now for future use.  The lab located in Canada is producing technology on clothing by working with different fibers.  The fibers, which are woven loosely, will allow lights and screens to be seen on clothing.

Tron sound familar?  But unlike in the movie the lab is making the clothing to be more than just a light up accessory.  It can be used in cars such as being able to swipe a finger across a sit to turn up or down your heat or swiping up or down your arm to change the volume of a MP3 player.  The lab has stated that you want you to not be aware of what you are wearing, they do not want the clohting to burden the wearer.  This technology will include batteries, multi touch screen, and microchip transistors.  This could possibly be the base line for clothing that could check vital signs or even be worn as a computer.  The lab was able to pull a fiber out of fabric that is able to conduct electricity and was able to make a prototype touchpad much like the IPad that did work.  This clothing is here and does need to be perfected but a bigger obstacle is the manufacturing.  Many manufacturers are hesistant when working with new materials especially one that require engery.  Many obstacles can arise within these process whether duirng the producing or after.  How can they manufacturers be sure that the product with this technology will last in the consumers hands for an extended period of time.

This technology has proven to be difficult but it has great potential for the future.  For instance, how to keep the technology charged and keep the performance at a high quality.  In addition, since most tehnology is made of chips these chips are not meant for soft fibers so finding the right path to do this is proving to be a challenge.  Another challenge is being able to create the soft textile fibers for the transistors which can prove to be a downfall, but being able to accomplish this feat would mean a huge advancement for apparel.  Consumers would have clothing that would act like gadgets but would fit into everyday wardrobe easily.  Unfornately they lab has the textile they seem to just be missing the electronics.  Who knew that technology could become so futuristic in just a few short years.

Waterless Washing Machine

Well... not exactly.

While watching a video by Natalia Allen about sustainable fashion she mentioned somethign very interesting to me: a washing machine that does not use water.  While doing independent research I was not able to find an existing washing machine that uses no water, but there was one that uses very little water, and only 2% of the energy that a conventional washing machine uses.  

 

This machine is named Xeros after the Greek work for dry.  It uses a just cup of water, 90% less than a conventional machine. It also requires a drop of detergent and reusable nylon polymer beads to clean clothing.  The beads are added to the wash and after the water and detergent dissolve the stains, the beads soak up the water and dirt.  The dirt is absorbed into the core of the nylon polymer beads and is trapped so it does not get the clothes dirty again.

The machine automatically separates the beads from the laundry to save the user the trouble of separating them out on their own, and the beads can be used for about 100 washes.  Since this process does not have a spin cycle or rinse cycle it uses much less energy, and because the beads absorb most of the water from the clothing, using a dryer is not necessary.  Overall Xeros estimates a 40% reduction in carbon emission over a conventional washing machine.

This innovation is invaluable to saving the world's clean water supply since only 2% of the water on earth is drinkable.  Conserving water during the care of a garment is critical because the care of the garment accounts for a large percentage of the total water that goes into a garment's lifecycle.  Hopefully the Xeros machine will be available for purchase soon.

Sources:

http://www.xeroscleaning.com/

By William Diak

3D Body Scanning with a Sustainable Twist

One of the most attractive aspects of 3D body scanning is the fact that you can do much more with than see a 360 degree view of yourself. The biggest let down of the technology is that the machines are large and take up to much space. With the development of the Xbox Kinnect body scanning is suddenly not just a advance for small businesses but also for large ones. The many ways that the technology can be incorporated in the consumers shopping experience is mind boggling. The first video explains how the technology works, though the terminology is much more suited to a technological advanced being the concept can be understood in layman's terms.

The next two videos shows how the technology can be incorporated into the retail environment. The biggest disadvantage of online retailing is that the return rate is so large and with the incorporation of the body scanners in the home this can lower the return rate because one can virtually try on the clothes and therefore make a more informed decision.

This is the future of retailing consumers are moving online and out of stores and with the advancements in technology increasing retail is in for an exciting ride. The return rate is unsustainable and by incorporating this technology retailers can not only deliver a more relaxed customer experience but also make the online sectors more sustainable.

By Simone Mueller

Sustainable fashion talks

"Surfer, designer, member of Fast Company's 100 Most Creative People in Business list for 2010, graduate of Parsons -- where she received the highly coveted Designer of the Year Award - Natalia Allen is the founder of Design Futurist, a New York-based product design consultancy. Design Futurist partners with clients such as Calvin Klein, Dupont and Donna Karan to create innovative and sustainable fashion, accessories and textiles. Design Futurist is using modern technology to create eco-friendly and socially responsible products that are free of "gimmicks and greenwashing." 

Natalia's work has been featured in WWD and New York Magazine, and she has shared her ideas on sustainable design and consumption with audiences at events around the world, including Wearable Futures, Textiles: the Next Horizon and Davos. The World Economic Forum honored her as as a Young Global Leader, a distinction given to a remarkable group of entrepreneurs, academics and politicians under the age of 40 who strive to find innovative solutions for current and future global challenges.

While she likes the idea of being a thought leader, Natalia knows that as a designer, it's essential to materialize concepts, goals and visions into tangible products and services."

By Moriah Akrong

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

It's 2012, many consumers are trying to save money especially in fashion.  Brand names are still going strong but getting those brands for a lower price is the main goal.  Many companies today are making that goal possible, by recycling clothing and reselling to the ultimate consumer at a fraction of the cost.  These companies are helping to reduce the amount of clothing dumped into landfills each year.  

Plato's Closet, a company that recently gained a big following.  They company resells gently used clothing for guys and girls in addition, to shoes, bags, and jewlery.  The company strictly takes gently used brand name clothing such as American Eagle, Abercrombie and Fitch, Hollister, Forever21, etc.  The company wants to continue the life of clothing by reselling to another consumer.  What better way to expand your wardrobe and help the economy at the same time.  

The order of Purple Heart, a organziation run by veterans of the purple heart.  The organzation takes everything used from clothing to cars.   They are taking reduce, reuse, recycle to the highest level.  The company is all over the world sending trucks to collect the goods which in turn helps veterans with welfare and rehabilitation services.  They recieve donations from the community level, annual level, and donation level.  These in turn also help hospitalized veterans and their family.  This is at no cost to the consumer except handing over unused products.

Shwopping, a term coined by Sunny Cove Studios where consumer and swap or donate their clothing within their stores.  A plus do not have to buy anything but you can still donate your clothing, which they turn and sell through a company called OxFam.  All this with the intention of reducing the one billion items dumped into UK landfills each year.  In addition, if you have a pair of riz boardshorts you can wear them and then return to the company called, rizcycling, the company will recycle them and they also will give a 25% off for a new pair.  This company is the only swimwear company where the clothing is recyclable and who offer this amazing service.

You as a consumer can be involved in these companies and organzation for no money and with two companies and you can receive money.  Next time you are going through your clothes dont' trash them take them to your local plato's Closet and get some money, call the purple heart and have them donated.  Let's give clothing a life of more than just a few short years, let's give it a lifetime with tons of love from  generation to generation.

plato'scloset commerical

Sustainability and Economic Recovery for Haiti

More than two years have passed since an earthquake devastated Haiti, and Haiti is still in the early stages of recovery.  As of August 25, 2012 more than 400,000 Haitians are still displaced or homeless as a result of the 2010 earthquake.  While food, money and medical supplies have made it to Haiti little has been done to improve the long-term economic stability of the country.

A group of entrepreneurs is trying to change that.  The Haitian Redevelopment Directive (THREAD) is devoted to building a factory that turns plastic bottles into fabric for apparel.  The factory would initially be able to employ 10 to 15 workers and pay them a fair wage, and later expand to hire more workers.  The factory would be able to supply their fabric to end users at lower costs that companies in other parts of the world.

“I’ve been all over world,” said THREAD’s president and CEO Ian Rosenberger. “The two things I see most are poverty and trash."  The proposed factory would solve both problems.  It would encourage Haitian citizens to recycle while providing jobs that would help to develop Haiti's economy.  

The technology to turn soda bottles into polyester already exists and I've attached a video that explains the process if you are unfamiliar with it.  Recycled polyester is already being used by companies such as Patagonia and Nike, but the plan for THREAD's factory would be to re-engineer the production process so it could be done on a smaller scale. THREAD also believes that Haiti is well-suited for textile exports because Haiti already has a foundation in the textile industry.  

Here's a video showing how plastic bottles are turned into polyester.

The factory is expected to be open by the end of the year so it will be interesting to see if this project comes to fruition.


Sources: http://www.livescience.com/9248-haiti-key-economic-recovery-garbage.html

 -William Diak

The Role of Social Media in Sustainable Fashion

I have recently been introduced to Pinterest. Yes I do realize the website has been up for a while but like most things technological I'm slow on the up take but fast on the follow through. Our main focus as a group is sustainable fashion and the use of technology to promote or keep it that way. While browsing through the Pinterest website I started to see how designers and crafters alike were marketing their ideas through the site. They were coming up with creative ways of reusing and recycling garments to make new products.

 

For those who do not know about Pinterest, it is a website that allows people to gather points or "pins" of interest and pin it to a board. The site allows the user to pin projects, photos even quotes they like. Others view the " pins" and may decide to "repin" the project thereby allow many users to see the project. The mission statement of the company explains it very well, "Our goal is to connect everyone in the world through the 'things' they find interesting. We think that a favorite book, toy, or recipe can reveal a common link between two people. With millions of new pins added every week, Pinterest is connecting people all over the world based on shared tastes and interests".

The combination of the technology, Pinterest and the ideas on reusing garments or fabric is making unfashionable items more useful by extending the life of that product. Below I have grouped various pins, which show how different apparel and footwear can be refashioned into different products. To continue with the spreading messages through social media, I clicked the “like” button and now all my Facebook friends can view the post. The more people like it the further the images travel. Social media has really played a big role in spreading the message of sustainable fashion

Reuse it's not Refuse

Simone Muller

Clothing Sorter of the Future or Present?

Today , in this very, pro "go green" world the textile/fashion industry has had to play a major part in stepping up to help solve one the most current and concerning issues of helping to create a better, more sustainable environment. Everyday there's another brand coming out with an Eco-friendly label, or creating a line of organic tee's in an effort to make an environmental impact. And lets face it, the textile industry is not the most earth friendly industry at all. The process alone of making, coloring and finishing fabrics, can at times be wasteful and hazardous to the environment even despite the changes in technology to these processes. But what about after the fabric has been made into a garment, sold to a consumer, and worn out by the consumer? What is done with all our clothes? Where do they go?

Sadly most of today's textiles end up in a landfill. However an even sadder fact is that 93% of textiles that go to waste are successfully recycled but 85% of textiles end up going straight to landfills.

 "Experts estimate that British consumers throw out more than a million tonnes (1.1 million U.S. tons) of textiles in the form of clothes and other products every year. A European Union environmental report calls fabric Britain’s “fastest growing waste stream.""

A single kilogram of collected used clothing can help reduce up to 3.6 kilograms, or almost 8 pounds, of CO₂ emissions. Even better, Recycling textiles instead of producing new ones from raw materials can also eliminate the use of 6000 liters of water (1600 gallons), 300 grams of fertilizer (10 1/2 ounces) and 200 grams, or 7 ounces, of pesticide. While recycling is the obvious and clear solution it's unfortunately not the easiest answer. 
Eco-Innovation, eight consortium partners Launched a project in 2009 called Textiles 4  Textiles, is testing an automated fabric sorter. This machine would have the capabilities of sorting clothes by their fabric type using infrared technology. When I first saw the promo video for this machine I immediately thought of the Jetsons. A machine like this seems like something from the future. This machine would be able to handle volumes of clothes that human laborers couldn't handle. In my opinion this machine would not solve all of the environmental issues this world faces but it would make a great step towards getting there. 

Post by Moriah Akrong