Sustainable natural textiles: Upcycling paperboard and denim waste into non-woven textiles for the design of a fashion tote bag.
Date
2023-12
Authors
Ciarla, Jessica May
Major Professor
Advisor
Eike, Rachel J.
Sanders, Eulanda
Zhang, Ling
Paschke, Teresa
Iancu, Raluca
Committee Member
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Abstract
Sustainability within the fashion industry has become an increasingly important topic across the globe because of the harmful, non-sustainable methods of production placed on the environment and the negative impact the process has on the people who make the products. The textile materials sourced for product development is an integral step in determining if a product is going to be recyclable, biodegradable, or destined for landfill, as material selection has the most impact on whether a garment/product is sustainable (Armstrong & Lehew, 2011).
By diverting these discarded goods from the landfill and creating a sustainable textile material, advancement for circularity in fashion product development may be possible.
The goal of this study was to identify and evaluate methods of upcycling paperboard and textile denim waste to produce non-woven, sustainable textile prototypes that are similar to the aesthetic hand performance and visual surface appearance of washi paper fabric used for tote bags. To investigate this outcome, six experiments were performed using a variation of ingredients including upcycled paperboard, post-consumer cotton denim, new virgin plant-based textile fibers, and a konnyaku textile sealant to determine which methods (e.g., formula and processes) produced the most similar results to the aesthetic hand performance and visual surface appearance of washi paper fabric used for tote bags. Results concluded that experiment #4 utilizing a 1:1 ratio of paperboard and cotton denim waste to 50% kozo produced the most similar aesthetic hand and visual surface appearance compared to the washi control sample. Future studies may explore a commercialized approach in contrast to this research and development method to create textiles using advanced equipment.
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Type
dissertation