Sustainable textile with my colour project

While I made my textile collection for this project. I just though only how I can explore my inspired to real work. After I studied sustainable textile. I was interested about these theories of the ted's ten research. I wish to create a collection that can related to sustainable textile as much as. I need to created my fabric used techniques that made less pollution to environment as soon as possible.This is developing ideas within the mantle of textile environment design. Specifically of interest to me with my project are No.1 (Design to minimize waste), No.2 (Design for Cyclability), No.4 (design to Reduce Energy and Water use), No. 5 (Design that Explores Clean/Better Technologies), and No.6 (Design That Takes models from Natural/ History). Each of these philosophies interacts with my concept naturally and better technologies.

I managed to created my collar inspired by my recent trip to the sea at Phuket island, and It was all PVC and polyester material for use less energy to cleaned the fabric. The idea to created this collar from sustainable strategy that I am used worked on. And I made a shape the collar instead of cutting out the pattern from scarp of paper for prototype and in the final product I choose to made from scrap fabrics from cutting out the pattern from large piece one of my sample which created too much wastage. Moreover, I have the flat pattern so can translate that relatively easily into a shape organic fabric pattern from scrap fabric and I can use PVC and natural fabric which I dyed with natural dyes.

4 -Design to reduce Energy & Water use

After being inspired from lasted post " 3- Design to Reduce Chemical Impacts". I decided to  start explored some companies that plan targeting water and energy combustion. Most water consumption is used in the production stages with dying and washing garments to make them ready for sales. As a designer. I feel that designers need to source the most energy efficient and natural/organic materials as they can to ensure that they are passed on to the consumer that they will treat the garments in the better way.

"60% of the total energy consumption in the lifecycle of t-shirt occurs in the use phase. i.e washing, ironing, drying" (Allowed et al,2006)

Levi Strauss & Co., they are focused on building sustainability into everything they can do. They have already begun to examine their work ethics and have produced a life-cycle assessment (LCA) to find out the process of their most popular a pair of Levi's 501 and Dockers Original Khaki from cotton seed to the landfill. They find out the fact to see how much water, the climate change, and energy are used in the process of their product. It provides the designer with details on how to make a more sustainable and ecological product.

Levi's lifecycle of a jean

1. Cotton Production - As 95% of their product are made from cotton. They looked to source sustainable cotton by working with The Better Cotton Initiative to ensure their cotton is not damaging to environment.

2. Fabric Production - Textile mills around the world will turn the fabric with the supporter of  NRDC's Responsible Sourcing Initiative to encouraging mills to reduce their water chemical and energy used.

3. Garment Manufacturing -  Curt, Sew and finishes.

4. Transport and distribution - Retail, online and wholesale around the world. Attempt to reduce global carbon footprint by looking at the amount of energy use and greenhouse gas emission records.

5. Consumer Use - Consumers can reduce the fill lifecycle climate change impact of their jeans by up to 50 percent by line drying and wash them in cold water

6. Recycling -  A care-tag has been produced in the jeans to encourage the consumer to donate their old jeans to Goodwill rather than adding to the 23.8 billion pounds that ends in landfill yearly.

7. End of life - In 2009, Levi added recycled cotton fibers to their Eco line. Also had begun looking at how denim can be recycled and used for housing insulation.

References

Levi Strauss & Co. (n.d.) Life Cycle Of a Jeans. [Internet] Available from:<http://www.levistrauss.com/sustainability/innovative-practices/planet/> [Accessed 3 January 2015]