T·YARN

Project

267874

Status

Submitted

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NEW EUROPEAN BAUHAUS AWARDS : existing completed examples

Project title

T·YARN

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Description

T·YARN redesigns systems in the textile industry by activating local garment waste as a raw material for fabrication. We transform discarded t-shirts into yarns that we optimize for digital and manufacturing machines such as knitting, weaving and rope making. By reusing high quality fibers and harvesting all possible colours from waste, our design process revolutionises the notion of recycled textiles, while sketching production models for a more sustainable local textile landscape.

Where was your project implemented in the EU?

When was your project implemented?

Has your project benefited from EU programmes or funds?

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Please provide a summary of your project

The current design landscape for fashion and textiles is seeking alternatives to transform the overly wasteful production models into more sustainable options. The Urban Fibers team has a solution to shift the model towards a regenerative industry by activating local garment waste as a raw material: it’s called T·YARN.  A lot of the waste garments are made of 100% cotton and still hold a lot of value. However, it requires an optimised design process to turn them into material. Our use of digital technologies adds a great design upgrade and revolutionises the notion of recycling textiles. We enabled techniques to prepare 100% cotton jersey yarns from discarded t-shirts that can be as thin as 2mm in diameter and are suitable to be both woven or knitted digitally by manufacturers equipped with CAD machines in Germany. Now, plenty of local high quality waste materials can be remanufactured industrially. Thanks to recently developed technologies for textile construction and prototyping, such as small size jacquard digital weaving and knitting machines, local remanufacturing solutions in an urban scale are finally possible. Not only the products made locally from recycled yarns can be outstanding, also these technological solutions can inspire other textile companies and designers to change their material mindset and disrupt the linear fibre-to-landfill production model. The T·YARN project has different product solutions for the market. We offer products encompassed by yarns made from repurposed t-shirts (and in the future further rescued materials), and three kinds of textiles suited for interior, fashion and accessories: woven digital jacquard textiles; the innovative knitted textiles with t-shirt yarn weft and mechanically produced twisted ropes. These textiles have been developed by ourselves at textile research institutes and labs and with the support of technicians and small manufacturers.

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of sustainability and how these have been met

The key sustainability objectives for T·YARN are: Identify urban waste streams for cotton t-shirts: We are in contact with non profit organisations that collect clothing donations for redistribution, especially in the benefit of people in need, but also for their second hand stores. We worked with them to identify the kinds of high-fiber-quality garments that are no longer useful for a future wearer and end up downcycled, incinerated or shipped to other countries. We found that many cotton t-shirts are not useful as clothes due to their design, print, too large size or because they are damaged, but as material they retain great qualities and charming colours.   Designing a system to activate this post consumer textile waste locally:   We seeked for the best methods to create yarns from these unusable t-shirts and adapt them to several manufacturing techniques that would allow a local remanufacture of the material. This meant producing yarn in very thin qualities, with soft edges and continuous yarns, so that it could be used in industrial machines that produce woven and knitted textiles. We work closely with technicians at research institutes to test and adapt our yarns to the machines. This process is important to gradually replace virgin materials produced in other continents (often under critical working conditions) for materials that are a surplus locally. Create smarter sustainable products from T·YARN yarns: We work on the design of textiles that are actually sustainable: our yarns are made from discarded t-shirts and together with industrially recycled yarns we can fulfill our aim to create 100% recycled textiles. We apply the material for a collection of textiles that can be used in interior ( for instance blankets, upholstery, curtains, carpets) and for fashion and accessories (for example handbags, coats, tops and scarves) to supply ethical consumers.

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience beyond functionality and how these have been met

Upgrade the aesthetic value of recycled textiles: We transform unwanted clothing into new products with aesthetic qualities beyond the traditional recycling look. Working with post-consumer waste requires an individual assessment of the material and construction of each t-shirt, to determine the best possible yarn and textile outcome. Our design approach involves dedicated research and a plan of action for each garment type. With the help of digital manufacturing machines such as jacquard weaving and digital knitting we elevate the quality of the textiles to contemporary state-of-the-art pieces. Preserve the luxurious cotton haptics: In order to recycle fabrics mechanically, different paths can be undertaken. However, to extend the life of the high quality material of the cotton in the t-shirts we chose to cut it into yarns instead of shredding the textile into fibers. When shredding fabrics back into fibers, the length of each single fiber is shortened and the quality and softness of the resulting yarns and textiles gets compromised. In our case, we chose to use the existing quality and preserve it for the refabrication of textiles. Turn the unpredictability of the available colours into an asset:  None of the colour shades is available in large quantities. Therefore, it’s challenging to plan the pieces in exact colour detail, but at the same time we count with an immense richness of colours. We harvest the existing colours without polluting environmental resources and we create combinations for the collections that can fit in dozens of colour palettes. We used several colour concepts: Colour contrast, where timeless combinations of complementary colours enhance each other. Colour addition, where we use colour illusion techniques to produce further colour effects by placing repetitive patterns in proximity yarns. And colour gradients, where we mix different shades of one colour to enhance the visual appeal through subtle variations.

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of inclusion and how these have been met

Implement local solutions for the local garment waste problem: T·YARN was initiated to solve problems that affect a series of communities locally and globally. The sourcing of raw materials and textiles in Europe often comes from uncertified sources. There is a lack of accountability for the cotton supply chains globally and after the recent cases of forced labour in Xinjiang (China), it has become clear that offshore production allows for disastrous social impacts. Besides, the transport of fibers and materials from these production sites to Europe produces high environmental pollution and CO2 that affects the most vulnerable communities. Also, the overflowing amounts of local garment waste that has been sent to other countries in the past. In places such as Accra (Ghana) the import of used garments has a big environmental impact. A high percentage of the exports are not useful for resale and end up in landfills. Unfortunately, there is no safe clothing waste infrastructure in Accra, so European garment waste is a threat to the population in this area. By reprocessing the waste in Europe locally we take responsibility for a problem that we created. Reconnect local end users with material sources and means of production:  Currently not only the production of textiles has been offshored, but also local retailers are facing high competition against online marketplaces. The growth of e-commerce brings specific threats in the development of cities. So-called ghost-stores that only store goods for (same-day) delivery but are not accessible to end-consumers threaten to weaken the neighbourhood networks and alienate citizens. By producing and selling in the city or it’s surroundings and thanks to newly available small scale digital weaving and knitting textile fabrication machines, we close the gap between makers and consumers and we reestablish a culture of exchange, empathy and connection.

Please give information on the results/impacts achieved by your project in relation to the category you apply for

Outstanding yarns and textiles made from reused t-shirts: In a quest to divert as much valuable material from landfill, we successfully cut continuous yarns from discarded t-shirt material. We tested as many textile applications as possible for our T·YARN yarns: so far in weaving, knitting and rope machines. The results showcase resistant fabrics with delicate qualities that can take on many patterns, colour variations and densities. The fabric applications range from interiors to fashion and accessories. Our process shows a high degree of adaptability to machines and usage needs. Non virgin but biologically degradable cotton material diverted from landfill: Even though we don’t use virgin materials, we have focused on recovering materials that will not carry further ecological impacts across their lifecycle. We use 100% cotton t-shirts that remain hypoallergenic and don’t produce any microplastics or toxins during or after their lifespan and can still be mechanically or chemically recycled. New system of production using existing technology: We found a technique that is revolutionary for the textile industry: we divert valuable material from landfill transforming it into new attractive textiles without adding any additives and avoiding the environmental costs of shipping. It proves the possibility to remanufacture high quality garments locally. It shows manufacturers and end users that it is possible to disrupt the typical linear production model that goes directly from harvest to landfill. It supports the transition towards reused materials for end users, designers and manufacturers, making efforts to talk to companies and technicians about how to adapt the yarns and the machines to use recycled materials.

Please explain the way citizens benefiting from or affected by the project and civil society have been involved in the project and what has been the impact of this involvement on the project

Questioning the culture of waste with learning guides, workshops and textile products: We promote a culture of questioning the status quo and believe that contact to the resources and the production is key for end users to understand the importance of investing in sustainable products. We have created t-shirt sorting and cutting guides and offered t-shirt reusing workshops to enlighten people of different backgrounds about the potential of their clothing waste. We want to showcase the possibilities of the material, to exemplify what could look like a sustainable textile production landscape for other designers and producers, and to bring this shift closer to end consumers and local communities. Connecting craftsmanship, industry and sustainable practices and promoting local labor: We also want to demonstrate that craftsmanship can involve sustainable practices if we substitute virgin materials (that don’t grow well locally) by available surplus materials that are usually downcycled or landfilled. This project has the potential to provide high quality working positions in cities across Europe and benefit local manufacturing, crafts, intellectual and cultural working communities Support structural efforts of collecting and redistributing valuable post-consumer material: On the level of communal structures, there are local associations distributing used garments for designers and recyclers within the European area that don’t yet find enough local remanufacturing outlets for the material or economic support for their efforts. By purchasing and using their material we want to promote the practice of local sorters and redistributors and support the growth of this infrastructure.

Please highlight the innovative character of the project

T·YARN is a project about innovation through circular textiles Outstanding transformation of the T·YARN material and digital processes: We have managed to introduce a used (considered worthless) material into the textile industry by focusing on optimising its size, shape, continuity, and texture and disrupted the linear system of production. We have combined crafts and DIY-upcycling ideas with the use of digital and industrial manufacturing and we have uplifted the quality of recycling textiles by discovering creative ways to use digital fabrication machines. We use smart electric and electronic systems for cutting the garments into yarns such as laser cutting machines and electric roll cutters. This way we not only accelerate the processes, but we achieve more varied and precise results. Remanufacturing textiles in close proximity to the users, makers and consumers: We introduce the idea of recycling textiles on an urban level by creating collections that can be developed in the city. The t-shirt-to-textile story of the T·YARN concept exemplifies a solution that can affect many communities: it can be developed in an urban production unit and enable access to many kinds of collaborators. People that want to give away their old clothing in an ethical way can remain in proximity to the manufacturing site or they can even be involved in it. End users can witness and become conscious about the importance of investing in high quality materials as well as support recycling manufacturers. Harvesting not only the wasted materials but also a rich palette of colours: T·YARN uses the richness of available colours as an asset to create the most appealing textiles without causing any further environmental impacts due to polluting dyestuff or fixation chemicals. We don’t add any synthetic colouring to the materials, instead we use creative design methods to combine the existing colours in a way that they enhance the end results and they become desirable.

Please explain how the project led to results or learnings which could be transferred to other interested parties

Link craft DIY upcycling with the industry and diversify material sources: Historically, designers learned to differentiate between crafts and industrial processes; but in order to formulate solutions that fit the current textile crisis, these disciplines need to work together. The sustainability mindset involves a range of specialised solutions and diversification of materials sources. One of the biggest ecological problems the industry faces are the extreme extraction of a few kinds of fibers in monocultures (i.e. virgin cotton) and the consequential uniformation of labour. By proposing an alternative and innovative use of industrial machines with a material based approach that unites crafts and industry we pave the way for other innovative material revolutions. Assess waste material quality and optimise it for the use in fabrication machines: We learned to design and communicate valuable methods of remanufacturing local waste textiles together with partners and technicians. Before we created the products, we developed a practical research about the quality of the materials and made them suitable for remanufacturing in each kind of machinery. This expertise can be applied to a number of initiatives that are focused on combining the reuse of wasted or unsorted material and remanufacturing. Democratisation of digital textiles through open processes Not only industrial machines can produce textiles digitally, smaller machines such as the TC2 Loom and the Kniterate are available in smaller scale and don’t require specialized software. In practice, this means that we can program a weaving pattern simply with photoshop. The process is more open to customisation and accessible to non technical collaborators and designers that want to be a part of the T·YARN process. At the same time, these new technologies offer the possibility to be much more intentional about controlling the scale of production and avoid unnecessary deadstocks.

Is an evaluation report or any relevant independent evaluation source available?

By ticking this box, you declare that all the information provided in this form is factually correct, that the proposed project has not been proposed for the Awards more than once under the same category and that it has not been subject to any type of investigation, which could lead to a financial correction because of irregularities or fraud.