Smart threads make it easy to disassemble and recycle clothes
CategoriesSustainable News

Smart threads make it easy to disassemble and recycle clothes

Spotted: In the drive to become more sustainable, the fashion industry faces a number of serious challenges. One major issue is how to recycle clothing that is made from several different materials. Taking the clothes apart in order to recycle their constituent materials is costly and time-consuming, and often leads to a large loss of usable material. Now, startup Resortecs has an innovative solution.

The company has designed ‘Smart Stitch’ threads that dissolve at different temperatures – either 150, 170, or 200 degrees Celsius. This makes it possible to disassemble garments in stages.

In addition to producing the threads, Resortecs has also developed a low-emission thermal disassembly system. Designed for recyclers, this system allows up to 500 kilogrammes of garments to be dismantled at one time.

By combining the threads with the thermal disassembly system, it is possible to recover up to 90 per cent of a garment’s fabric.

The benefits of this circular system could be extensive. In the fashion industry, around 50 per cent of carbon emissions and 75 per cent of water use occurs during the production and material processing stage. By making it easier to recycle, Resortec could reduce the amount of new material needed, leading to big savings in both carbon and water.

And there are also economic benefits to Resortec’s approach. The company claims its threads and disassembly system can deliver a saving of around €0.50 for each pair of jeans.

Springwise has spotted innovators taking a range of approaches to fashion sustainability, from the use of more sustainable materials to resale options for high-end items and closed-loop production methods. 

Written By: Lisa Magloff

Website: resortecs.com

Contact: resortecs.com/contact

Reference

Davidson Prize winner HomeForest recreate forest bathing with smart tech
CategoriesInterior Design

Davidson Prize winner HomeForest recreate forest bathing with smart tech

HomeForest, an app that uses smart devices to bring the restorative effects of nature into the home, has been named as the winner of the inaugural Davidson Prize.


The contest called for ideas for how the home can adapt in response to the rise of home-working, following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Selected for the £10,000 prize ahead of two other finalists, HomeForest explores how technology can be used to bring the wellbeing effects of biophilia into the home, particularly for people who are living in cities with limited access to green space.

It aims to recreate the experience of “forest bathing”, a practice of walking in nature to restore mental wellbeing, known in Japan as “shinrin-yoku”.

HomeForest designed for cities
HomeForest offers the experience of biophilia to those living in cities

The project was developed by architects Haptic, visualisation studio Squint/Opera, sound designer Coda to Coda, bio-design specialist Yaoyao Meng and poet LionHeart.

Their concept imagines a “digital toolkit” that works with mobile and connected home devices, mapping a user’s home and their daily habits in order to create a digital twin of their living and working environment.

It then overlays sensory experiences “such as the call of birdsong, the smell of rain and projected imagery of a forest canopy” into the home, to create the feeling of a natural environment.

HomeForest uses smart devices
The system uses mobile and connected home devices to understand the user and their home

The system would integrate an air-quality monitor, ASMR-stimulating audio and gobo lighting, allowing it to follow both the natural rhythms of the day and the changing seasons.

“Inspired by research on the positive wellbeing benefits of biophilia and in particular the concept of forest bathing, HomeForest’s digital toolkit works with perception and sensory stimulation to conjure a sense of boundary-less nature in the home,” said the project team.

HomeForest recreates experience of forest bathing
It offers sensory experiences to create the feeling of a natural environment

Launched in 2020 by the Alan Davidson Foundation, the Davidson Prize is an annual award to explore different aspects of the home through the lens of design. It was set up on the wishes of its namesake, architectural visualisation pioneer Alan Davidson, before his death from motor neurone disease in 2018.

HomeForest was selected for the inaugural edition of the prize by judges included architect Alison Brooks, Narinder Sagoo of Foster + Partners, designer Thomas Heatherwick, Dezeen columnist Michelle Ogundehin and Museum of the Home director Sonia Solicari.

Brooks said the project was “like us playing music which feeds our soul”.

“HomeForest brings a more immersive, sensory connection to nature which I find super interesting,” she said.

HomeForest wins Davidson Prize
The system follows both the natural rhythms of the day and the changing seasons

According to Marie Chamillard, a representative for the Davidson Prize, the project would have resonated well with Davidson.

“He was an early adopter of all things digital, he loved trialling new things that would blend discreetly into his home and enhance the atmosphere. He would have absolutely used this,” she added.

Reference