Design in Society Conservation and Resources

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Design in SocietyConservation and Resources

• A2 Textiles

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Introduction

• We will look at
• Environmental implications of the industrial age.
• The use of resources and energy.
• Renewable sources of energy.
• Environmentally friendly manufacturing processes.
• Using sustainable technology.
• The management of waste and pollution control.
• The impact of biotechnology on manufacturing.
• The advantages and disadvantages of recycling.

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Environmental Implications of the Industrial Age

• This section covers
• Products and the environment.
• Design and the environment.
• Supporting longer term use.
• Conservation and the environment.
• Sustainable development.

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Environmental Implications of the Industrial Age

• Consumption of non-renewable (finite) resources
  is a big issue
• For example, coal, gas, oil and minerals.
• They will run out unless we conserve / manage
  them.

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Products and the Environment

• Our society encourages people to buy more and
  more products.
• We are a throw away society.
• This has produced loads of products due to
  competition.
• Fashion and fashionable products are part of this
  society.

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Design and the Environment

• Product designers must consider the environment.
• Designers must stop the design of throw away
  products.
• How will fashion survive if the environment is to
  be saved?

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Supporting Longer Term Use

• Designers must design longer-term use products.
• Fashion must be slowed down.
• Non-renewable materials must be used less.
• Consumers must be made to stop shop til you
  drop and buying new clothes because there is a
  new season.

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Supporting Longer Term Use

• This could be encouraged by
• Making people buy because they need it not just
  because they want it.
• Rental of household goods.
• Paying for use, repair and service of a product.
• Returning the product to the manufacturer for
  recycling or reusing.

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Conservation and the Environment

• Conservation includes
• Protecting the (natural and urban) environment
  for future generations to use.
• Managing existing resources.
• Reducing consumption of non-renewable resources.
• Using renewable energy sources like hydro
  (water), solar and wind power.

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Sustainable Development

• Development needs to meet the needs of the
  present without compromising the ability of
  future generations to meet their own needs.
• What does this mean?

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The Use of Resources and Energy

• Manufacture of textiles and fashion products
  involves use of
• Renewable resources.
• Non-renewable resources.
• Non-renewable energy.
• Natural fibres are renewable.
• Regenerated fibres are made from regenerated wood
  pulp from managed forests.
• Synthetic fibres are made from non-renewable oil.

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The Use of Resources and Energy

• Although synthetic fibres are made from oil they
  have both benefits and disadvantages for the
  environment.
• Low of oil worldwide in comparison with use of
  oil for fuel.
• Synthetics provide enhanced or engineered
  properties which can prolong the life of
  technical, industrial, performance and fashion
  products.
• Synthetic fibres can be recycled (fibre blends
  cannot though).

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The Use of Resources and Energy

• Electricity used in product manufacture is
  derived from coal, gas, oil or nuclear power.
• Managing finite resources is important for
  textiles products companies.
• The efficient management of resources in
  manufacturing
• Reduces the quantity of materials used.
• Makes more efficient use of energy.
• Uses less wasteful production methods.
• Re-uses waste materials.
• Recycles waste materials.
• Designs for easy product after case (less energy
  needed to maintain it).
• Designer products that can be fully / partly
  re-used / recycled.

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Renewable Sources of Energy

• This section looks at
• Renewable sources of energy.
• Making more efficient use of energy.
• Reducing costs.

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Renewable Sources of Energy

• Flow naturally from nature.
• Wind, tides, rivers, solar energy, geothermal,
  biomass.
• Renewable sources living things that can be
  regrown.
• Forests, cotton, flax.
• Forests are renewable if they not used faster
  than they can be replaced.
• Cellulose (used for textiles fibres eg modal,
  viscose, Tencel, Lyocell) comes from softwoods
  from managed forests.

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Renewable Sources of Energy

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Making More Efficient Use of Energy

• Production uses large amounts of raw materials
  and energy.
• Manufacturers must be encouraged to
• Contribute to sustainable development.
• Reduce energy costs
• Adopt more efficient manufacturing processes.
• Redesign the product or production process to be
  more environmentally friendly.

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Reducing Costs

• Textiles companies must take notice of
• Environmental legislation.
• Rising water costs.
• Rising raw materials costs.
• It is vital that to make companies more
  competitive they.
• Use raw materials more efficiently.
• Improve production processes.
• EMS (Environmental management system enables this
  to happen.
• The advantages of EMS are
• Based around reducing waste and operating costs.
• The aim is to
• Reduce consumption of raw materials.
• Improve output.
• Reduce waste treatment and disposal costs.

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Environmentally Friendly Manufacturing Processes

• This section looks at
• Lyocell
• Envirowise
• Using Cleaner Technology
• Cleaner design and life cycle analysis

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Lyocell

• Made from regenerated cellulose fibre.
• Traditional viscose process uses sodium hydroxide
  to dissolve the cellulose.
• The lyocell process uses an organic non-toxic
  solvent (amine oxide) and water to dissolve the
  cellulose.
• The lyocell process is simpler and recycles the
  amine oxide which can then be reused.
• Lyocell can be recycled, incinerated, land filed
  or digested in sewage.
• The fibre degrades completely in 8 days to leave
  water and carbon dioxide which can be used to
  power the sewage plan itself.

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Envirowise

• www.envirowise .gov.uk works with textiles
  companies to help them address issues such as
• Rising water costs
• Stricter effluent regulations
• Increasing water disposal costs
• The Envirowise programme helps manufacturing
  companies
• Improve their environmental performance
• Increase their competitiveness
• The main themes are
• Waste minimisation making cost saving through
  use of simple, no / low cost measures. Reduces
  use of materials, water and energy.
• Cost effective, cleaner technology means using
  equipment or processes that produce less waste or
  emissions than normal methods.

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Using Cleaner Technology

• Colour standards for discharges from sewage
  treatment works were set by the Environment
  Agency in 1990.
• Local water companies imposed these requirements
  on dye houses.
• Companies had to review their processes.
• Courtaulds sock company did the following
• Used an innovative, absorbent system based on
  layers of synthetic inorganic clay particles.
• Warm, colourless water is stored and used for
  scouring and other processes.
• The synthetic clay system reduced costs and
  removed the threat of having to pay a surcharge
  to the water company.

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Cleaner Design and Life Cycle Analysis

• Two important elements of cleaner technology are
  cleaner design and life cycle analysis (LCA).
• They identify exactly where in the manufacturing
  process changes can be made in order to bring
  about environmental benefits and cost savings.
• Cleaner design aims to reduce a products
  environmental impact from cradle to grave.
• LCA evaluates the materials, energy and waste
  resulting from the design, manufacture,
  distribution, use and disposal, re use or
  recycling of a product.

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Using Sustainable Technology

• The earth and all its resources are assets which
  will one day run out (if unmanaged).
• Sustainable technology using processes that
  preserve the environment for future generations.
• Sustainable technology includes
• Meeting human needs for work, energy, water and
  sanitation.
• Conserving resources.
• Linking environmental and economic issues to
  decision making.
• Ensuring a sustainable level of population.
• Making industrial development more inclusive.
• Giving priority to the essential needs of the
  worlds poor.

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Environmentally Friendly Manufacturing Processes

• Redesigning a product / process can make
  manufacturing more efficient.
• It can make the company
• Comply with environmental legislation
• Have a better public image.
• Increase profits.
• Green products are becoming more desirable.

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The Management of Waste and Pollution Control

• This section will cover
• Disposal of products and pollution control
• Skip and tip

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The Management of Waste and Pollution Control

• Waste is generated in the form of
• Fabric
• Thread
• Trimmings
• Yarn
• Plastic
• Cardboard
• Paper
• Fabric waste from garment cutting can amount to
  10-20 of fabric consumption.
• Waste in the knitwear sector is c. 6 for shaped
  knitwear.
• For cut and sew manufacture waste accounts for up
  to 20
• Fabric waste in the household sector is between
  4-10

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The Management of Waste and Pollution Control

• Reducing waste improves profits.
• Waste should be re-used, reduced or recycled.
• There is a market for fabric waste. These
  include
• Re-spinning companies (natural and manufactured
  fibres).
• Felt making companies
• Companies that make dish cloths, dusters, toys
  (stuffing).
• Companies that make fertiliser (from wool waste).
• Geotextiles and the car industry (upholstery can
  be made from recycled polyester).

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The Disposal of Products and Pollution Control

• 90 of rubbish in the UK is buried in land fill
  sites.
• 5 is incinerated.
• 5 is recycled. This is far too low!
• Companies \ designers must
• Design for recycling.
• Design durable products that will last.
• Encourage consumers to use a product until it
  runs out / wears out.
• Change the fashion culture.

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Skip and Tip

• For the disposal of industrial waste.
• Goes to landfill or sewers.
• Landfill used to be cheap.
• Laws are now enforcing change landfill tax has
  increased the cost of waste disposal.
• In the UK the 1990 Environmental Protection Act
  (EPA) controls pollution.
• It covers
• Discharge to air, water and land.
• The policy of the polluter pays.
• The aim is to
• Limit harmful materials entering the environment.
• Place responsibility on companies.
• Companies can be fined huge amounts.

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The Impact of Biotechnology on Manufacture

• This section will look at
• New processes.
• Genetic developments
• Helping the environment

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The Impact of Biotechnology on Manufacture

• Biotechnology use of enzymes to create products
  and processes.
• Like the enzymes that help us digest food,
  compost garden waste and clean clothes.
• Biological wash powders use enzymes to wash
  clothes.

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New Processes

• In textile processing the enzymatic removal of
  starch from woven fabrics has been used for 100
  years.
• Fermentation is used for dyeing.
• Biotechnology allows companies to offer new
  industrial processes that require
• Less energy
• Use renewable raw materials
• New biotechnology processes include
• Biostoning (replaces stone washing)
• Biopolishing (makes smoother fabric)

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Genetic Developments

• Biotechnology can produce
• Better
• Faster
• Cleaner
• Cheaper
• More efficient ways of doing processes.
• The use of enzymes, genetic fingerprinting can be
  used to identify speciality fibres to prevent
  fraud eg for labelling cashmere.
• New bio-fibres produced by microbial fermentation
  of waste or low value materials such as straw and
  starch are being developed.
• Improved plant varieties are being used to
  produce fibres.

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Helping the Environment

• Biotechnology plays a part in
• Colour and pesticide removal from effluent.
• Treating odours and emissions from industrial
  plants.
• Treating industrial, agricultural organic waste
  and domestic wastes through composting.
• Cleaning up contaminated land with bioremediation
  techniques.

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The Advantages and Disadvantages of Recycling

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Recycling Textiles

• Shoddy merchants trade waste fibre.
• Reclaimers recycle garments and yarn.
• Reclaimers pull waste to produce separate
  fibres which are blended to produce flock.
• Flock is used for lower quality products such as
  felt and blankets.
• Some reclaimers produce high quality fibres where
  the natural and manufactured fibre content is
  tested and certified.

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Advantages

• Cost related.
• Environmental issues related to recycling
  including
• The conservation of non renewable resources.
• Reduced energy consumption.
• Fewer greenhouse gas emissions.
• Cleaner air and waterways.
• A decreased dependency on raw materials.

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Disadvantages

• Recycling disadvantages are mainly to do with the
  time and effort it takes to adopt a structured
  recycling approach.
• Another problem associated with recycling waste
  is the use of blended fibres making the recycling
  of some products very expensive or impossible.

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Recycling Latex

• Latex is used on the back of carpets to retain
  the tuft.
• The latex is applied by passing the carpet
  through a dipping trough containing foamed latex
  mix (30 latex and 20 limestone powder in
  water).
• At the end of production the latex mix used to be
  disposed of because it forms a skin if exposed to
  air.
• The company are now reusing the mix because they
  pump the leftovers into an airtight tank.

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Recycling Latex