Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: Development of Apparel and Footwear From Renewable Sources
EPA Grant Number: SU834707Title: Development of Apparel and Footwear From Renewable Sources
Investigators: Cao, Huantian , Wool, R. P. , Bonanno, Paula , Kramer, Jillian , Lipschitz, Stacey , Dan, Quan
Institution: University of Delaware
EPA Project Officer: Page, Angela
Phase: I
Project Period: August 15, 2010 through August 14, 2011
Project Amount: $10,000
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2010) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: P3 Challenge Area - Chemical Safety , Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development , P3 Awards , Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Objective:
Consumers purchased and used more and more textile, apparel and footwear products in the past several decades. According to the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) statistics, total U.S. apparel and footwear consumption was 19.5 billion garments and 2.2 billion pairs of shoes in 2008, compared with 14.1 billion garments and 1.7 billion pairs of shoes in 1999. This indicated approximately 38% increase in apparel and 29.4% footwear consumption in the 9-year period. Textile fibers are the beginning materials for textile fabrics, and apparel and footwear products. The increasing apparel and footwear consumption resulted in higher demand for the textile fibers. The significant increase in fiber demand was mainly driven by polyester, which uses petroleum, a non-renewable resource, as the raw material.
In addition to the resource depletion problem associated with petroleum-based fibers, the production of fibers and fabrics for apparel and footwear products causes many other environmental problems. Chromium salts are widely used in leather tanning, a process to treat animal skins and hides and make them more pliable and water and rot resistant. In chrome tanning, a considerable portion of the Chromium is neither bound nor incorporated in the hide tissue and as a result passes into the effluent. Synthetic material polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is a commonly used leather substitute in apparel and footwear. PVC causes environmental problems and human health hazards through manufacture, use, and disposal. As result, many nations, industries, and companies are trying to eliminate the use of PVC.
Dr. Richard Wool’s ACRES (Affordable Composites from Renewable Sources) group at the University of Delaware (UD) investigated the development of composites with a variety of mechanical properties from affordable renewable bio-sources, plant oils. The goal of this project is to use renewable bio-based materials to develop apparel and footwear products and demonstrate a strategy to reduce the apparel and footwear industry’s dependence on nonrenewable petroleum derived materials and to solve the environmental problems associated with traditional apparel and footwear materials such as leather and PVC. More specifically, we design and develop one coat and one pair of shoes for female college students. Our objectives include: (a) developing and evaluating bio-based materials for apparel and footwear products; (b) designing and producing one coat and one pair of shoes using bio-based materials; (c) evaluating the comfort, consumers’ acceptance, and cost of our design and product; (d) revising the design based on evaluation results and developing educational tool.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
Resin, normally viscous and insoluble in water, is a compound which can be hardened after treatment. The starting chemicals for the bio-based resins used in this project are acrylated epoxidized soybean oil (AESO), methacrylated lauric acid (MLAU), and linseed and soybean oil with 30% styrene (CB4-30). AESO, derived from soybean oil, is synthesized through a reaction of acrylic acid and epoxidized soybean oil. MLAU is derived from palm seed oil and CB4-30 from linseed and soybean oil.
The process of making artificial leather, bar samples, shoe sole, heel, buckle, and buttons all proceed through the same guidelines. To begin, the desired amount of resin is obtained. In the case of using AESO/MLAU, depending on the properties desired, different compositions of AESO/MLAU are used. After the obtaining the desired amount of resin, initiator and catalyst are added. Due to the fact that oxygen acts as an inhibitor to the polymerization process, the solution is placed into a vacuum and degassed. Although all the products follow the same guideline, different materials and methods are utilized for different resins and composites used in different parts of apparel and footwear. The materials used in the coat and shoes are summarized in Table 1.
Product | Part | Materials will be used | Materials will be from |
Shoe | Upper | Organic cotton fabric and | Developed by ACRES |
Lining | Organic cotton fabric | Purchased from market | |
Insole | Chicken feather quilted with organic | Developed by FASH | |
Outsole | AESO/MLAU resin | Developed by ACRES | |
Heel | AESO/MLAU resin and chicken feather | Developed by ACRES | |
Coat | Outer shell | Cradle to Cradle Environmentally | Purchased from Pendleton |
Quilted | Chicken feather fiberfill quilted with | Developed by FASH | |
Buckle | Chicken feather fiber/CB4-30 composite | Developed by ACRES |
A sketch of the shoe design was adapted into a 3D pattern using a computer software pattern making program specifically designed for footwear. There are 16 pattern pieces in total for both the outer and inner portion of the shoe. We collaborated with the Product Creation Technologies Team of Reebok International Ltd., Canton, MA. We send our shoe design to Reebok. Two UD students visited Reebok and worked with the Reebok team to develop the shoe pattern, and construct the shoe prototypes. A first prototype was created and there were some problems with the pattern because the material did not stretch. Adjustments were made by adding additional length to the pattern in certain areas so a final prototype could be made. Figure 1 shows the shoe prototype.
Figure 1. The shoe prototype
The pattern for the coat was based off of general jacket block slopers. We adapted the general form into a kimono styled jacket, which means that there are minimal seams in the coat so production would be quicker and less expensive. No shoulder pad needs to be used with this design as well. The front closure is a wrap style so the center front seam is extended in both directions so a belt can be tied on the outside of the coat to keep it closed, and eliminates the need for buttons. Currently, we are construct the coat prototype based on the pattern. We choose wool fabric as the outer shell. To minimize the environmental impact of the wool outer shell, we select 100% wool fabrics made by Pendleton Woolen Mills (Portland, OR) that are certified as “Cradle to Cradle” biological nutrients by McDonough and Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC). The “Cradle to Cradle” certification warrants the fabric production, including dyes and chemicals used, has passed rigorous testing and evaluation protocol, and has been deemed safe for human and environmental health. We use quilted lining to improve warm comfort of the coat. To convert waste into valuable resources, we use chicken feather fiber as the fiber fill for the quilt. Sateen organic cotton fabric (NearSea Natural, Inc., Rowe, NM) is used as the lining fabric. We will display the coat prototype in National Sustainable Design Expo in Washington, DC, April 15 to 17, 2011. The materials used in the coat prototype are summarized in Table 1.
We are in the process of evaluating the comfort, consumers’ acceptance and cost of our prototypes. To measure consumer acceptance of our products, we plan to conduct a survey with a sample of 40 female students on campus. We will conduct a human subject wear test to evaluate the product comfort. We will recruit 10 female students, with appropriate coat and shoe size, on UD campus in this test. The participants will wear the coat and a pair of shoes and walk in the building as well as outdoors. After that, the participants will complete a questionnaire to address the comfort issues of the coat and shoes. After the development of coat prototype, we will assess the cost of the shoe and coat prototypes for both materials and labor. We will report the evaluation results in our project display in National Sustainable Design Expo in Washington, DC, April 15 to 17, 2011.
Conclusions:
Our interdisciplinary project was successful in proving that our bio-based renewable materials can indeed be used as material alternatives to the common materials used in making a pair of shoes and a coat. We have not yet conducted human subjects wearability testing, but we will report the findings on comfort and durability in Washington D.C. Regardless of the wearability results for our specific designs, however, our project was successful in showing that the waste product of chicken feathers and bio-based materials were adequate in the manufacture or our designs, and these materials could easily be extensible to a variety of apparel products.
Our project succeeded in balancing the three elements of people, prosperity, and the planet. The needs of people were addressed by the styles and comfort of our coat and shoes. By designing the coat and shoes to be practical and in modern, wearable styles, our project is desirable by consumers which makes all of our research worthwhile. The versatility of our materials and the creative uses for which we put them to also connects to prosperity. As we continue the development and experimentation with the chicken feathers and bio-based resins, a multitude of possibilities for using these materials becomes available. This means that there will be continual ways to market and sell the materials. Because chicken feathers are an abundant waste product, they are an inexpensive and sustainable alternative to goose down or artificial batting materials. The use of waste products and of bio-based materials as a substitution for the unsustainable use of leather and synthetic materials in apparel and shoes is a very clear way in which this project considers the planet. The coat was made with “Cradle to Cradle” certified wool fabric, organic cotton fabric, and chicken feather insulation lining, proving that jackets can be made without the typical synthetic materials and adhesives.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 1 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
environmentally benign substitute, bio-based feedstock, textile, toxic use reductionP3 Phase II:
Development of Apparel and Footwear From Renewable Sources (Phase II)The 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.