Weaving Sustainability: A planetary perspective on fibers in fashion
From Firenze University Press Journal: Fashion Highlight
Carolina Obregón, 2Parsons School of Design, School of Fashion, School of Strategic Design & Management
Giovanna Danies, Universidad de los Andes
Fibers are pivotal in textile production and deeply interconnected with industrial, ecological, financial, and societal systems. Traditionally, fibers are viewed through a functional lens. However, adopting a planetary perspective reveals their complex interactions across agriculture, supply chains, consumer behaviors, and eventual disposal in multiple geographies and topographies. This complexity necessitates a broader understanding of where fibers are materials and key ecological and technological actors (Smelik, 2023). Relevant literature offers valuable insights into the role of wool in promoting regional economies, ethical production practices, and environmen-tally conscious systems such as Local, Slow, and Sustainable Fashion: Wool as a Fabric for Change (Klepp & Tobiasson, 2022). This work highlights wool as an exemplary material within slow and local fashion paradigms, supporting community resources and ethical practices addressing globalized fashion’s ecological and socio-economic challenges. Although some farms and regions, such as Australia, adhere to high standards of animal welfare (Singer, 2023), wool production has been associated with ethical and environmental issues, including negligence toward animal welfare and the environmental impact of its unsustainable practices (Plannthin, 2016). Woocoa — a biobased biodegrad-able alternative to wool — pushes industries to explore non-traditional sources such as marijuana (Cannabis sativa L.) (Bonime, 2018). Woocoa represents an advancement in ethical materials, using plant-based fibers and a biotechnological treatment offering an environmentally friendly possibility. The development of Woocoa demonstrates the potential of biofabricated materials to contribute to innovation in the textile i n du st r y.Recent consumer research indicates a growing interest in innovative materials that are environ-mentally friendly and ethically produced. This trend has been driven by heightened sustainability awareness and a preference for biodegradable alternatives, as highlighted in the Global Fashion Agenda (2023) report (Syrett & Lammas, 2023). Cannabis sativa L. stems, typically discarded during medical marijuana processing, illustrate how waste can transition into valuable resources for textiles, packaging, and construction (Obregón et al., 2023). Incorporating these perspectives offers a comparative lens through which fibers like wool and Cannabis sativa L. can be understood as tools for fostering resilience and innovation within sustainable fashion systems.Even though agricultural practices produce more than 12 billion tons of agricultural refuse globally each year (Klepp & Tobiasson, 2022), examples of how these have been successfully exploited in the textile industry are scarce. Agricultural waste from coconut, pineapple, sugarcane, banana, and corn has demonstrated the potential to be used as a textile fiber (Pilco et al., 2023). Two commercially available examples include Piñatex® (Dela Cruz, 2016) and Bananatex® (QWSTION, n.d.), which use agricultural waste from pineapple (Ananas comosus) and banana (Musa textilis), respective-ly, providing an eco-friendly alternative to conventional textile fibers. Sustainable options are increasingly in demand within the fashion industry. A shift in consumer mindset towards valuing quality, repairing garments, and making deliberate purchasing decisions is highly needed. This shift exemplifies fibers’ potential to influence and be influenced by interconnected human, non-human, and ecological systems. Here we present a case study that encapsulates the evolving narrative of fibers within the sustainability framework.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/fh-3015
Read Full Text: https://riviste.fupress.net/index.php/fh/article/view/3015
