Printing Fashion For Sustainability

by Caroline Giraldo

Leftover Textiles 
http://is.alicdn.com/img/pb/168/716/536/536716168_302.jpg

Ann Runnel’s “How Much Does the Garment Industry Actually Waste?” touches on a key issue in the fashion industry: textile waste. While exact figures for the amount of textile waste generated by the global garment industry are not available (an issue in itself), Reverse Resources did assess the amount of leftover textiles and accessories from the garment industry by proxy. By using various case studies and conducting interviews with over 40 factory managers, Reverse Resources determined the following: 10% to 30% of waste is from intake materials, bigger production correlates with a higher amount of leftovers per product, and the use of patterned fabric in a design inherently results in more leftovers (Runnel, 2016). This analysis does not include any figures for trims, yarn, dead stock, defected fabrics, polluted water, CO2, dyes, or other chemicals. Still, we must start somewhere when evaluating the issue of the sustainability of fashion. 

Leftover Textiles 
https://grainlinestudio.com/2012/01/05/fabric-recycling-what-do-you-do-with-your-scraps/

These leftover textiles and accessories, even if the figures are approximated, end up in landfills rather than being used elsewhere. The inputs used to create the textile or accessory are also wasted because they are consumed for an end product that is not used. For example, of 272.4 m2 of textile purchased for the production of 100 t-shirts, 16.36% was disposed of as cutting waste, 6.73% was sewing waste, and .9% was quality control waste (Runnel, 2016). More waste is also generated with the process of sampling. As a garment goes through the design lifecycle, prototypes are made and disposed of—repeatedly. Ultimately, this waste affects the planet, people, and profit because of the misused resources and the carbon footprint that goes along with each step in the process. 

As we presently experience the fourth industrial revolution as defined the World Economic Forum, there are eight essential technologies—or megatrends—that offer innovative and “emerging game-changing climate solutions” (Herweijer, 2017). While these offer unmatched opportunities, they must be supported by effective policy and regulation in order to limit unintended consequences. For tackling textile waste, 3D printing presents a world of opportunity. The “additive manufacturing techniques used to create three-dimensional objects based on digital models by layering or ‘printing’ successive layers of materials…relies on innovative ‘inks’ including [bio-degradable] plastics, metal…glass, and wood” (Herweijer, 2017).  While 3D printing is still in the early stages of development, application, and solution, the potential to use it as a way to decrease textile waste is definitely there. Fundamentally, 3D printing eliminates waste as items are “printed” with detail and specificity that is not very plausible with fabric and designs that aren’t intended to be waste-free from the start (Dagirmanjian, n.d.).

3D printed XYZ Workshop “Lace” Dress

http://www.xyzworkshop.com/flv_portfolio/fashionlaunch/

At this very moment, 3D printing has the capacity of dramatically reducing, if not eliminating all together, the waste that results from sampling. Samples can be created via 3D printing before it goes into mass production which would allow for multiple samples to be made and then reused because the printing material is endlessly renewable (Dagirmanjian, n.d.). While the capacity to print “fabric” is not fully here yet, the efforts are being made. For example, XYZ Workshop made a printed “lace” dress out of flexible PLA for $100 in materials (XYZ Workshop, n.d.). In addition to reducing input materials, 3D printing also offers opportunities to reduce packaging and shipping. While it may not be possible for 3D printing to replace traditional clothing production right now, we are headed in a positive direction. As more brands attempt to leverage 3D printing in an effort to differentiate designs, maximize cost efficiency, and innovate, the move towards using 3D printing for mass production becomes more viable.

References

Dagirmanjian, J. (n.d.). The future of 3D printing and sustainable fashion. Retrieved from https://www.purible.com/stories/3Dprinting

Herweijer, C. (2017, March 22). Sustainability megatrends: technological innovations for the Earth. Retrieved from https://www.edie.net/library/Sustainability-megatrends-technology-and-innovation-business-developments/6756

Runnel, A. (2016, August 31). How much does the garment industry actually waste? Retrieved from http://reverseresources.net/news/how-much-does-garment-industry-actually-waste

XYZ Workshop. (n.d.). 3D printed fashion suite launched by XYZ workshop x ultimaker. Retrieved from http://www.xyzworkshop.com/flv_portfolio/fashionlaunch/