Designing and producing circular textiles

Main research question: Can value be created through weaving techniques by adding artistic qualities to circular fabrics?

Materials intended for recycling are selected based on their substance, composition, and colour. This results in mechanically recycled textile yarns with a specific colour selection. The sub-questions that arise from this are:

• Can this selection be expanded by dyeing yarn using natural coloring principles?
• What are the new products, value propositions, and business models associated with this specific aesthetic upgrade? What is their market feasibility, both now and in the future?

With DreamWeave we aim to design circular textiles for interior applications and household use, incorporating mechanically recycled fibers, and to produce these textiles on a pilot scale. To this end, new circular business models are being developed in collaboration with local designers, makers and the industry.

Design phase:

• Prototype textile fabrics and textile products
• Report on consumer evaluations of prototype

Manufacturing phase:

• Pilot-scale production of circular textile products
• Report on manufacturing protocols for pilot-scale machines
• Report on life cycle assessment (LCA) and impact analyses of produced textile products with at least four LCAs

Market phase:

• New business models for the weaving and tufting of yarns that are developed and produced in the design and manufacture phase
• Business models report

Through DreamWeave, new circular business models are being developed that contribute to the emergence of a sustainable textile sector with low or no environmental impact.

Education:

• The knowledge developed regarding digital weaving, using the TC2 prototyping loom, and working with recycled yarn is being integrated into the regular curriculum at Academie Minerva and the Innovation Hub Circular Textiles.
• The existing 'plant-based dyeing' Offcourse (an elective course based on project work) at Academie Minerva shares the knowledge developed during the project via a 'recipe book'. The regular curriculum can make use of this knowledge and the tools for dyeing with organic materials.

Research:

• The results, particularly the methodology regarding business propositions and models, are published in scientific journals and presented at conferences.

Professional field:

• The acquired knowledge is disseminated within the field through the participating companies, the design community and the municipality of Groningen (via the Textielhub Groningen).