Archives

Gen Phoenix aircraft seats designed for recycling

October 1st, 2024

Being able to recycle all parts of an aircraft seat, from seat cover to cushion to frame, meant taking that goal into consideration from the start of the design. Gen Phoenix aims to have the recycled seat covers available early next year. Image: Gen Phoenix and Doy Design Gen Phoenix, of Peterborough, England, recently unveiled […]

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Nonwoven wipes manufacturers focus on sustainability

September 1st, 2024

Daniel Locke, senior research and development manager of Kimberly-Clark, took audience questions at the World of Wipes conference following his presentation. Image: Specialty Fabrics Review/Cathy Jones As in the larger textile industry, sustainability is at the forefront of efforts in the nonwoven wipes market. From the preservatives that keep the wipe from growing bacteria and […]

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Cotton processing waste as an antimicrobial material source

July 1st, 2024

Leftovers from ginning cotton were used to synthesize and generate silver nanoparticles without costly chemical agents and could offer a more sustainable method to create nanocomposite materials for use in antimicrobial textiles and other products. Image: USDA Agriculture Research Service/Sunghyun Nam Researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agriculture Research Service (ARS) have found […]

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The glamping boom is good business for tent manufacturers

June 1st, 2024

Tenting in Luxury’s waterfront en suite tents along the inlet of the fjord at Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge’s five-star glamping resort on Vancouver Island, B.C., Canada. Tents are constructed from 12-ounce Sunforger treated canvas. During the pandemic, many people sought to spend more time in nature. That trend hasn’t subsided, but they also want connectivity and […]

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Movie screens upcycled into lamps, furniture

May 1st, 2024

Designer Haneul Kim created lighting and furniture from a movie screen that was being discarded. The small table lamp has a circumference of 14 centimeters (5.5 inches) and is 21 centimeters (8.3 inches) high. He also created a lamp style (below) in homage to Mario Botta’s Shogun Tavolo lamp. Images: Haneul Kim/Donghyi Kim If you build […]

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Researchers create biopolymer film

May 1st, 2024

The bio-composite films look similar to many synthetic plastics (left); their structure is hierarchically reinforced as seen in the fluorescence microscopy image (right). Image: NC State/Orlin Velev Materials with enhanced structure derived from crustaceans and seaweed could be part of a next-generation answer to the challenge of replacing petroleum-based plastic films, according to new research […]

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AI enables customization of enzymes to recycle plastic waste

March 1st, 2024

Protein Evolution uses artificial intelligence to determine the correct enzymes to recycle textile and plastic waste into fresh materials. The first garment made with the biologically recycled polyester process by Protein Evolution Inc., a “parachute” parka, was on display at the 28th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP28) in December in Dubai, United […]

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Fun-filled felt furniture made from factory remnants

March 1st, 2024

Stackabl’s Baer Collection for the Mindy Solomon Gallery was inspired by color schemes in Miami hotels built during the late 1930s. Image: Mindy Solomon/James Harris for Design Miami In an effort to repurpose industrial textile waste before it hits a landfill, the Toronto, Ont., Canada-based furniture design company Stackabl, in partnership with select New York […]

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SHEIN empowers new designers

February 1st, 2024

Each of the six U.S.-based SHEIN X designers launching new evoluSHEIN collections were handpicked based on their passion for sustainable fashion. They include: Anke Wonder (left front), Jacqueline City (left center), Alexandria Carroll (left back), Farah Naz (not pictured), Lauren Flagg (right center) and Lillian Butterworth (right back). Also pictured is SHEIN’s director of sustainability, […]

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Biodegradable pads from sisal to combat period poverty

February 1st, 2024

From left: Anton Molina, Anesta Kothari and Manu Prakash show the sisal fiber and the cotton-like material they’ve produced from the sisal. They hope this material could be used to make more accessible and sustainable menstrual pads. Image: Stanford University/Andrew Brodhead Of all the things that keep girls out of school in developing nations, biological […]

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