Factories of the future - synthetic biology: a sustainable technology for future textile manufacturing?
Hansell, Hannah (2016) Factories of the future - synthetic biology: a sustainable technology for future textile manufacturing? In: Sustainable Innovation 2016, 7 - 8 November 2016, UCA Epsom.
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It is predicted that by 2050, we will reach a global population of 9.6 billion people (United Nations, 2013) and estimated that the current global population is using 50% more planetary resources than is available (Moore and Rees, 2013; 42). As the second largest polluting industry on the planet, after oil (Deloitte, Danish Fashion Institute, 2013) there is a desperate need for the fashion and textile industry to reduce its ecological impact whilst meeting the demands of a growing population on a finite planet. How can we really move forward and explore new perspectives of sustainable technologically led manufacture in circular biological systems?
BIOmatters is a practice-based research project conducted at the University of Brighton exploring whether synthetic biology could become a sustainable technology for future textile manufacturing. BIOmatters investigates the intersection of textile design and synthetic biology to propose future fabrication processes for textiles, exploring what this landscape might look like in industry. It does this through the proposal of theoretical models and speculative design propositions as a means to test assumptions and promote discourse. This paper presents key outcomes from BIOmatters and reflects on the potential of critical and contestable design practice to question through making the opportunities and challenges of a future ‘biotextile’ industry.
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