From Clothing Rations to Fast Fashion: Utilising Regenerated Protein Fibres to Alleviate Pressures on Mass Production

Sustainable methods of practice within the fashion and textile industry (FTI) often strive to employ a circular economy that aims to eliminate waste through the continual use of resources. Complex problems such as waste, consumption, and overproduction are heavily intertwined; the main aim of this p...

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Main Authors: Marie Stenton, Veronika Kapsali, Richard S. Blackburn, Joseph A. Houghton
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-09-01
Series:Energies
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/18/5654
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author Marie Stenton
Veronika Kapsali
Richard S. Blackburn
Joseph A. Houghton
author_facet Marie Stenton
Veronika Kapsali
Richard S. Blackburn
Joseph A. Houghton
author_sort Marie Stenton
collection DOAJ
description Sustainable methods of practice within the fashion and textile industry (FTI) often strive to employ a circular economy that aims to eliminate waste through the continual use of resources. Complex problems such as waste, consumption, and overproduction are heavily intertwined; the main aim of this paper is to report on research focused on re-examining the potential of food waste streams as a commercially viable and circular source of raw materials for the FTI. Herein, regenerated protein fibres (RPFs) from food production waste streams rich in protein have been chosen as the main topic of focus. RPFs have a rich and relevant history from a local manufacturing perspective during wartime and post-war clothing rationing (1941–1949) in the UK. RPFs were used to meet civilian needs for wool-based textiles as part of a wider series of ‘make do and mend’ strategies designed to manage the consumption of new textile products. However, RPFs demonstrated inferior quality in terms of durability when compared to wool-based textiles, a significant contributing factor to the consequent commercial phasing out of RPFs. In today’s take–make–waste model, the FTI landscape can be defined by speed, from slow (high-quality materials and construction, long-lasting products) to fast (seasonal, disposable, low-quality materials and construction), the latter infamous for dire environmental impacts. A key objective of this research is to review the association of quality and longevity within the context of a local and circular fashion economy in which textile quality and lifecycle analysis are holistically matched to the longevity of the textile, garment, or product to reduce waste across the supply chain.
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spelling doaj.art-86e27b5ba6e64048bd6e8f7140800e932023-11-22T12:50:55ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732021-09-011418565410.3390/en14185654From Clothing Rations to Fast Fashion: Utilising Regenerated Protein Fibres to Alleviate Pressures on Mass ProductionMarie Stenton0Veronika Kapsali1Richard S. Blackburn2Joseph A. Houghton3London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London, London SW1P 4JU, UKLondon College of Fashion, University of the Arts London, London SW1P 4JU, UKSchool of Design, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UKSchool of Design, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UKSustainable methods of practice within the fashion and textile industry (FTI) often strive to employ a circular economy that aims to eliminate waste through the continual use of resources. Complex problems such as waste, consumption, and overproduction are heavily intertwined; the main aim of this paper is to report on research focused on re-examining the potential of food waste streams as a commercially viable and circular source of raw materials for the FTI. Herein, regenerated protein fibres (RPFs) from food production waste streams rich in protein have been chosen as the main topic of focus. RPFs have a rich and relevant history from a local manufacturing perspective during wartime and post-war clothing rationing (1941–1949) in the UK. RPFs were used to meet civilian needs for wool-based textiles as part of a wider series of ‘make do and mend’ strategies designed to manage the consumption of new textile products. However, RPFs demonstrated inferior quality in terms of durability when compared to wool-based textiles, a significant contributing factor to the consequent commercial phasing out of RPFs. In today’s take–make–waste model, the FTI landscape can be defined by speed, from slow (high-quality materials and construction, long-lasting products) to fast (seasonal, disposable, low-quality materials and construction), the latter infamous for dire environmental impacts. A key objective of this research is to review the association of quality and longevity within the context of a local and circular fashion economy in which textile quality and lifecycle analysis are holistically matched to the longevity of the textile, garment, or product to reduce waste across the supply chain.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/18/5654wasteregenerated protein fibresregenerated fibrestextilesspeedcyclesconsumption
spellingShingle Marie Stenton
Veronika Kapsali
Richard S. Blackburn
Joseph A. Houghton
From Clothing Rations to Fast Fashion: Utilising Regenerated Protein Fibres to Alleviate Pressures on Mass Production
Energies
waste
regenerated protein fibres
regenerated fibres
textiles
speedcycles
consumption
title From Clothing Rations to Fast Fashion: Utilising Regenerated Protein Fibres to Alleviate Pressures on Mass Production
title_full From Clothing Rations to Fast Fashion: Utilising Regenerated Protein Fibres to Alleviate Pressures on Mass Production
title_fullStr From Clothing Rations to Fast Fashion: Utilising Regenerated Protein Fibres to Alleviate Pressures on Mass Production
title_full_unstemmed From Clothing Rations to Fast Fashion: Utilising Regenerated Protein Fibres to Alleviate Pressures on Mass Production
title_short From Clothing Rations to Fast Fashion: Utilising Regenerated Protein Fibres to Alleviate Pressures on Mass Production
title_sort from clothing rations to fast fashion utilising regenerated protein fibres to alleviate pressures on mass production
topic waste
regenerated protein fibres
regenerated fibres
textiles
speedcycles
consumption
url https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/18/5654
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