No More Blends!
According to the Cradle to Cradle reading, the most important aspect of maintaining a closed-loop product is to ensure that biological nutrients remain separate from technical nutrients. Biological nutrients would be classified as products that are biodegradable and can return to the earth as a source of nourishment. In order for this to be achieved, the biological nutrient must not be contaminated with chemicals (such as dyes) or synthetic materials (as found in a blended fiber product). Likewise, in order for technical nutrients to return to the technical metabolism as a “food” source, it must not be contaminated with biological nutrients.
Blended textiles are very popular in current times because of the benefits associated with being able to blend the properties of these fibers. For example, a cotton/polyester blend is very popular in t-shirts because the cotton is soft, breathable, and comfortable while the polyester provides durability. However, a cotton/polyester blended t-shirt cannot be disposed of safely into the earth. Likewise, the polyester cannot be retrieved out of the shirt to be reused in other synthetic applications.
In order for Cradle to Cradle to truly take hold in the textile industry, we need to focus on keeping these two “food” sources separate. One way to approach this is from a regulatory standpoint. If it were considered hazardous or illegal to cross-contaminate biological and technical resources, companies would be forced to redesign their products to be true to the appropriate metabolism. This could be determined in a similar fashion to how health and safety inspections are done in food establishments and commercial areas. There would be a “rating” system that would be implemented to allow consumers to be aware of how the company is performing. If the company is performing exceptionally poor, there may even be consequences as harsh as a shut-down until the issues are addressed. Heath department inspections already carry this weight and have the power to shut-down a business due to failing such an inspection. If companies are putting the health of the consumer as risk by practicing irresponsible manufacturing methods and creating environmentally unhealthy products, then the consequences should match the offense.
By rethinking the way that we view sustainability, and shaping policies accordingly, we can really begin to see widespread changes in the way we handle day to day operations. Unsustainable production methods are a health concern. The health of the environment and the health of the people are both as stake when companies fail to use sustainable closed-loop design and production practices. This is why we should implement an inspections and rating system for production and manufacturing.
Beth, I think you have a very valid point when you compare the health department to the textile industry companies. I believe that the "rating" process would be a good idea. It would not only keep the companies safe, it would also keep the environment and ourselves safe, too. The C2CAD article shows us how the production process works and I think that if more manufacturers and designers followed these guidelines, there would be less blended products due to the difficulties of breaking them down and affecting the technical and biological metabolisms. They need to think about how their products will affect the environment and if it will be easy to upcycle the product in the long run. Great blog this week, and I really like your concept. Great comparisons!
ReplyDeleteGrace,
DeleteThank you for your feedback! Production companies should definitely be made aware of the guidelines in the Cradle to Cradle article. I would imagine that it would save a lot of money for companies to be able to reuse materials and not have to purchase the same materials over and over again just so that they can be thrown away. There are so many benefits to Cradle to Cradle and upcycling, it's a mystery why more companies aren't getting on board.
In the Waste Equals Food chapter it states that if humans want to truly prosper, we will have to learn to imitate nature's highly effective cradle-to-cradle system of the nutrient flow and metabolism in which the very concept of waste does not exist. I definitely agree that we are going to have to stop making blends, or we will have to find a way in order to seperate the blends to keep them in their right cycle. Technology continues to keep advancing, and if we can put it to good use, we might be able to keep our blends, just seperate them at the end of their lifecycle to be reused in another.
ReplyDeleteMaegen,
DeleteI had not thought about finding a way to separate the blends to return the materials to their correct metabolisms. This would be a good solution that would allow us to keep using blends for their unique performance properties without compromising their integrity in the biological and technical metabolisms.