SUMMARY
Developing ideas around waste reuse and recovery is key in creating sustainable futures for our planet. By using circular design methods, my goal is to reduce both food and textile waste, offering a sustainable alternative for fashion and design industries. My process for this project consisted of researching, developing, and testing various fruit and vegetable matter into recipes for different biomaterials. By transforming organic matter like coffee grounds, eggshells, fruit peels, and potato into durable, compostable fabrics and bioplastics, I created materials that can uphold a circular life cycle with zero waste.
challenge
The textile and food industries are some of the largest contributors to global waste. Overconsumption is rampant and hard to control, but by creating good products with what has been left behind, we can introduce a circular design system to consumers. Some of my stakeholders include restaurants, community gardens and compost centers, and wearers of sustainable fashion. I’ve been able to generate many interesting insights from these stakeholders, such as a desire to interact with biomaterials, as well as the crucial need for restaurants to responsibly dispose of food waste.
Outcome
I developed five biodegradable materials that are waterproof and stitchable by hand or machine, each with distinct textures, flexibility, and strength based on their organic matter. Additionally, I designed two compostable "biobags" using cotton thread and recycled abalone shell buttons. To support these materials, I created a food-waste-to-biomaterial system for restaurant kitchens: food scraps are sorted in individual buckets at the prep stations in kitchens. Fruit and vegetable scraps become biofabric, while things like seafood shells are reused as trimmings. After wear, the garments can be composted through NYC community composts.
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