Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: C2CAD: A Sustainable Apparel Design and Production Conceptual Framework
EPA Grant Number: SU832483Title: C2CAD: A Sustainable Apparel Design and Production Conceptual Framework
Investigators: Cao, Huantian , Farr, Cheryl , Heine, Lauren , Gam, Haejin , Hur, Jun-Young
Institution: Oklahoma State University
EPA Project Officer: Page, Angela
Phase: I
Project Period: September 30, 2005 through May 30, 2006
Project Amount: $10,000
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2005) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: P3 Challenge Area - Chemical Safety , Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development , P3 Awards , Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Objective:
The apparel industry is a major contributor to environmental problems from textile material manufacturing through apparel production to landfills replete with synthetic fabrics. There are several process models very useful in apparel design and manufacturing. However, no apparel design and production model put designers’ role in environmental sustainability into consideration. Their focuses are function, aesthetic and economic.
McDonough and Braungart’s “cradle to cradle” model provides designers with a new way to design products and eliminate many environmental problems during the design phase of the product life cycle. Although “cradle to cradle” design has been successfully applied by some textile and apparel manufacturers such as Nike and DesignTex, there are no guidelines available for apparel designers and manufacturers on how to apply “cradle to cradle” in the apparel industry. The purpose of this project is to develop, implement and evaluate a new apparel design and production model, C2CAD, which integrates “cradle to cradle” into apparel design and production models. Knitwear design and production is used to implement C2CAD as a proof-of-concept, and will be a case study for the educational unit that integrates C2CAD in the curriculum for apparel design and merchandising majors. The project objectives are to: (1) develop C2CAD that integrates “cradle to cradle” into apparel design and production models;( 2) implement C2CAD in knitwear design and production and produce a C2CAD knitwear; (3) evaluate the performance and cost of this C2CAD knitwear; and (4) revise C2CAD based on evaluation results and prepare an instructional unit to teach C2CAD and knitwear production case study for apparel design and merchandising students.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
Initially proposed C2CAD model has four main parts: (1) problem definition and research, (2) material selection, (3) solution development and collaboration, and (4) production. In Step 1, designers define problems and analyze market and company situations. Designers need to understand the users’ functional, aesthetical, and economical needs, and decide apparel style. In Step 2, designers assess chemical ingredients based on “cradle to cradle” model, in which materials are either “biological nutrients” that easily reenter the water or soil without depositing synthetic materials and toxins, or “technical nutrients” that continuously circulate as pure and valuable materials within “closed-loop” industrial cycles. Step 3 of C2CAD is solution development and collaboration. In current industrial division, most apparel manufacturers do not produce textile fabrics, dyes, and other apparel materials. Apparel designers and manufacturers will collaborate with other companies in the supply chain to solve material problems. The last step, Step 4, in C2CAD is production. Unlike other apparel production models, C2CAD considers aesthetics, functions and performance, as well as sustainability. In addition to safety of material inputs and sustainable material flows, considerations regarding sustainability in production include energy use, air emissions, water and solid waste.
Knitwear design and production is used to implement C2CAD as a proof-of-concept. The reason of selecting knitwear for our proof-of-concept is that we can observe almost all processes from the yarn to the final product in knitwear production because knitwear is made by intertwining yarns in a series of connected loops. Also, the knitwear industry is one of most important component of the apparel industry and like other apparel products, knitwear production generates environmental problems throughout its life cycle from raw materials through production to using and disposing.
Our team attempted to follow the processes in C2CAD model. In step 1, our team decided the target market and designed knitwear. Since children are vulnerable to the potential toxins such as unsafe dyes used in apparel and one of key points of sustainable development is we preserve the environment for our children, we selected children’s knitwear as our target market. Design theme for this project was “4-season sustainability” spring, summer, fall and winter knitwear apparels for children using the sustainable apparel design model, C2CAD. In Step 2, our team conducted materials selection and testing, and cost and design evaluation. In this project, we used 100% organic cotton fibers which were grown without harmful chemicals used in the field, and made the whole knitwear a biological nutrient. For biological nutrients, all chemicals used should be able to easily re-enter the water or soil without depositing toxins. We have eight different colors in our design and used five natural dyes and three synthetic dyes. In step 3, we collaborated with our partners Dr. Lauren Heine of Green Blue Institute and Mr. Albin Kälin of the Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency (EPEA) in Germany to evaluate the three synthetic dyes. EPEA further partnered with dye manufacturer Ciba Specialty Chemicals. Ciba provided us three synthetic direct dyes and the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) based on European regulations which contain more documentation on eco-toxicological properties than what is required in the U.S. Ciba also provided EPEA with proprietary information on their dye structures and syntheses. Though EPEA did not release Ciba’s proprietary information to us, EPEA assured us that they support the use of these three dyes for biological cycles based on knowledge on structure and synthesis pathways, all information that are proprietary to Ciba. With the advising of Dr. Heine and based on the toxicological information on MSDS sheets and EPEA’s biological nutrient assurance, we concluded these 3 synthetic dyes have no known adverse effect on human and environmental health. This process demonstrated how apparel designers and producers can collaborate with chemical manufacturers and third party institutions on chemical evaluation to assure inherent safety. In step 4, we sent our “4-season sustainability” knitwear working sketch and dyed organic cotton yarns to our partner, Maeil, a knitwear manufacturer in Kyunggi, Korea. Using their industrial full-fashion intarsia knitting machine, Maeil helped us produce the “4-season sustainability” knitwear as in Figure 1.
Figure 1. “4-season sustainability” children’s knitwear
In order to evaluate the performance of the “4-season sustainability” children’s knitwear, we tested strength and color fastness and compare our “biological nutrients” yarn and fabric with traditional cotton yarn and fabric. For yarn strength, traditional cotton yarn is significantly stronger and has significantly higher elongation than organic cotton yarn. For color fastness tests, after laundry, organic cotton knit fabric has significantly less color changing (better color fastness) than traditional cotton knit fabric. Both organic and traditional cotton knit fabrics have no peeling after the tumble peeling test. After implementing C2CAD model in knitwear design and production, we revised the C2CAD model as in Figure 2.
Figure 2. Revised C2CAD model for apparel design and production
Conclusions:
In addition to functional, aesthetic and economic considerations, C2CAD provides apparel designers and manufacturers guidelines to choose inherently benign materials for apparel production, and benefits people, prosperity and the planet as illustrated in Table 1.
Table 1. The addressing of people, prosperity and the planet in the project
Elements | Features and issues. |
People | Better occupational safety and health for employees; better environment and living quality for local communities; better health for users. |
Prosperity | Save apparel manufacturers lots of money in pollution prevention and treatment; improve |
Planet | Reduce environmental impact of apparel industry by reducing the use of toxic chemicals; |
Apparel production is a global industry with a current movement trend from developed countries to developing countries for lower labor cost. As an old industry, there is no big difference in apparel production between developed and developing countries. The C2CAD model can be used by apparel designers and producers in both developed and developing countries.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 1 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
Environmentally conscious manufacturing, effluent, waste reduction, industry (apparel, textile), RFA, Scientific Discipline, INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION, TREATMENT/CONTROL, Sustainable Industry/Business, Sustainable Environment, Technology, Technology for Sustainable Environment, Economics and Business, pollution prevention, clean technologies, cleaner production, environmentally conscious manufacturing, waste reduction, ecological design, alternative materials, pollution prevention design, product life cycle, apparel design and production modelThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.