THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY OF TEXTILES NEEDS TO EDUCATE CONSUMERS ABOUT WHAT THEY WEAR
Research conducted by the Material Science Research Centre (MSRC) and Textiles Circularity Research Centre (TCC) has concluded that the majority of consumers have little to no idea what they are actually wearing in terms of sustainability. Learning about the impacts of the materials we wear will be key to achieving a circular economy.
The MSRC and TCC claim that it’s the lack of understanding that prevents the public from advocating for responsible consumption. The study reveals that in 2018, consumers in the UK bought clothing valued at £60 billion and that each year the sector sends one million tonnes to landfill for incineration. The research was completed by both centres who were investigating new technologies and trying to raise awareness about the manufacturing process and materials that go into the textiles used in the clothing industry.
MSRC and TCC believe that by educating the masses it will encourage the public to take a bigger interest in how their clothes are made, however people play a small part in the lifespan of textiles and clothing. The recycling and manufacturing processes are where the majority of awareness needs to be focused on. Humanity is living through a crisis that sees our way of life exhausting the resources of the earth and ourselves. The fashion sector shows the negative impacts of conspicuous consumption on our socioenvironmental wellbeing.
The Circular Economy flourishes as a conceptual approach to help society transition to a more sustainable existence. Through the work carried out by MSRC and TCC collaboration on circular economy, the ‘Compositor Tool’ is a concept tool designed to enable consumer participation in the selection and assembly of materials in their products.
The Compositor Tool engages people in multisensory experiences and storytelling involving materials in products to enable consumers to:
- understand biobased circular materials and their reactions to them
- more actively engage in the co-creation of products
- raise awareness of, and slow down, the process of consumption