Waste Flow Analysis
More than 2 days
Individual / Group / Discussion
Collect / Comprehend / Create
Description
Textile waste in the fashion, clothing and textile industries has been identified as one of the great challenges faced today. On average, in a traditional production process, over 18% of textile is discarded, adding considerably to the resource waste in the textile industry chain. However, a series of design strategies may enable a lower waste production at the end of the production stage. In this activity, students will collect information on production processes, map waste flows and create design proposals directly with a company, that help in waste reduction, support transition towards a circular business model and improve economic performance.
How can design contribute to reduce waste within production?
Links to Pillar(s)
Cultural - Economic - Environmental - Social
Delivery
STEP 1: GROUP
In groups of 4-5 students spend one week in a clothing factory and map the production process with the waste flows in mind. To do so, they will make use of policy documents that discuss textile waste management (e.g. Circular Economy Action Plan). Each group focuses on one part of the process (e.g. cutting, packing, sewing, etc.). They take notes on the different actors and practices that are involved in the process and on the quality and quantity of waste produced. At the end of the week, students produce a single report where all the processes are illustrated and a waste flow chart is created.
STEP 2:
Having the waste flow chart in mind, students are invited to identify one type of waste (e.g. cutting leftovers, fabric roll ends, etc.) and propose upcycling design solutions and proposals within the course of one week on how to reduce waste. The main aim of the activity is to circulate material waste back to the industry within its own environment and promote industrial symbiosis.
STEP 3:
The design prototypes are shared with industry representatives and evaluated in regard to their commercial and production viability.
This Activity Links To
Take contact to and make appointments with companies
Waste mapping sample excel sheets
Access to factory machinery
Visual overviews of waste flow charts
Proposals how to reduce waste within the production through design
Proposals for possible industrial symbiosis at the local level
Suggested Readings
Valle-Noronha, J. & Aus, R. (2020) Upcycling Aruna: Experiencing design-led sustainability via situated learning. In Bertola, Paola (ed.) Fashioning Social Innovation. Design empowering communities to foster sustainability in culture intensive industries. Milano: Mandragora.
Niinimäki, K. (ed.) (2018) Sustainable Fashion in a Circular Economy. Espoo: Aalto ARTS Books
Kilmi, J. & Laberenz, L. (2015). ”Out of Fashion” (https://maailmakool.ee/toode/moest-valjas/) (Discussion based on film)