Sara Han
Sara Li-Chou Han
PhD Candidate
My dual passions for the environment and good design have led me towards the path I now following as a researcher. With a background in fashion design, styling and PR, I chose to move into freelance eco fashion design and upcycling, in order to attempt to answer the question of whether sustainable design can also be stylish and desirable for modern consumers. This has also led me towards becoming one of the six founding members of Stitched Up, Manchester’s own sustainable fashion collective. As a group, Stitched Up promotes the teaching and sharing of skills and knowledge in mending, upcycling and making, to children, adults and young people, throughout the North West.
As a designer I am interested in the use of discarded products and waste textiles as source materials for new products, a process dubbed upcycling by sustainable design advocates. During my year studying for an MSc by Research, I sought to establish and model the emerging process of upcycling amongst new British designers, furthering both my knowledge and expertise as an upcycling designer and my understanding as a researcher and environmentalist.
I now feel it is the right time to take the research further and look deeper into the process and culture of waste textiles in the UK, and to establish greater commercial links for upcycled design, in order to maximise the environmental benefits this method of ethical fashion has to offer.
I have found that the Hollings Faculty of MMU has been a great place to study, with excellent support from my academic supervisors. The department is well resourced with the latest technology and equipment, and technical support is readily on hand to support every aspect of my research needs. There is strong element of community between fellow research students and staff, meaning researchers can always rely on being part of a group, without having to feel alone on a post-graduate journey.
During the next three years of my study, I hope to establish a resource for ethical fashion which will allow designers to make clear and informed decisions on what materials are available to them for upcycling and recycling, in good quality and clear quantities. This will give me the opportunity to establish and strengthen links between textile recyclers, designers, retailers and education, while offering solutions to reduce textile waste in the UK.
Phone: 07964 072 879
PhD Candidate
My dual passions for the environment and good design have led me towards the path I now following as a researcher. With a background in fashion design, styling and PR, I chose to move into freelance eco fashion design and upcycling, in order to attempt to answer the question of whether sustainable design can also be stylish and desirable for modern consumers. This has also led me towards becoming one of the six founding members of Stitched Up, Manchester’s own sustainable fashion collective. As a group, Stitched Up promotes the teaching and sharing of skills and knowledge in mending, upcycling and making, to children, adults and young people, throughout the North West.
As a designer I am interested in the use of discarded products and waste textiles as source materials for new products, a process dubbed upcycling by sustainable design advocates. During my year studying for an MSc by Research, I sought to establish and model the emerging process of upcycling amongst new British designers, furthering both my knowledge and expertise as an upcycling designer and my understanding as a researcher and environmentalist.
I now feel it is the right time to take the research further and look deeper into the process and culture of waste textiles in the UK, and to establish greater commercial links for upcycled design, in order to maximise the environmental benefits this method of ethical fashion has to offer.
I have found that the Hollings Faculty of MMU has been a great place to study, with excellent support from my academic supervisors. The department is well resourced with the latest technology and equipment, and technical support is readily on hand to support every aspect of my research needs. There is strong element of community between fellow research students and staff, meaning researchers can always rely on being part of a group, without having to feel alone on a post-graduate journey.
During the next three years of my study, I hope to establish a resource for ethical fashion which will allow designers to make clear and informed decisions on what materials are available to them for upcycling and recycling, in good quality and clear quantities. This will give me the opportunity to establish and strengthen links between textile recyclers, designers, retailers and education, while offering solutions to reduce textile waste in the UK.
Phone: 07964 072 879
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Upcycling seeks to provide a transitional solution to the textile waste problem, by optimising the lifetimes of discarded products from an inefficient system, as technology moves to develop more sustainable approaches. As a design based waste solution, upcycled fashion production utilises textile waste to create products with a higher retail value than traditionally recycled goods.
This paper aims to analyse the innovative ways in which UK based upcycling designers are recreating style and value from discarded materials, and the benefits of this process. The author’s own design process, as a UK based upcycling designer, was documented and examined. Challenges and solutions to upcycled production were then further investigated through structured interviews and observational field trips with leading UK based upcycling practitioners.
The practical implications of this research include the development of an innovative, UK based sustainable design and production approach, which directly tackles the issue of textile waste and offers scope for further employment and training within the industry. Social implications include recommendations on how best to engage with the public on environmental issues in the apparel industry, and the wider implications of these issues.
Upcycling seeks to provide a transitional solution to the textile waste problem, by optimising the lifetime of discarded products from an inefficient system, as technology moves to develop more sustainable approaches. As a design based waste solution, upcycled fashion production utilises textile waste to create products with a higher retail value than traditionally recycled goods.
This paper aims to analyse the innovative ways in which UK based upcycling designers are recreating style and value from discarded materials, and the benefits of this process. The author’s own design process, as a UK based upcycling designer, was documented and examined. Challenges and solutions to upcycled production were then further investigated through structured interviews and observational field trips with leading UK based upcycling practitioners.
The consumer perspective was addressed through a series of focus groups interviews, used to gain insights on attitudes, consumption behaviour, taste and trends. This qualitative data was collated from a specific cohort of participants, chosen through market research information. The information from all aspects of this research was then analysed to identify the main benefits and considerations for designing upcycled fashion.
These factors were then used to create a conceptual upcycling model for the design and large-scale manufacturing of upcycled fashion products, including effective marketing strategies. This model was then critically analysed in comparison to current design and manufacturing processes and forms a foundation for further research and testing.
The practical implications of this research include the development of an innovative, UK based sustainable design and production approach, which directly tackles the issue of textile waste and offers scope for further employment and training within the industry. Social implications include recommendations on how best to engage with the public on environmental issues in the apparel industry, and the wider implications of these issues.
Upcycling also supports sustainable economic localisation, utilising locally sourced materials, work-force and skills, plus adding to the development of local communities through engagement in activities related to sustainable consumption, skill sharing and education.
Additional benefits to local communities and groups also occur when upcycling businesses support social and environmental projects through funding and resources, and provide employment for disadvantaged individuals through worker’s co-operatives and initiatives.
Key words
Upcycling; Textile Waste; Design; Production; Sustainability; Social; Economic; Environment
Data collection by Sara Han
Thanks so much!
Sara
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MMUfashionshopping
Papers by Sara Han
project is looking at the possibility
of creating a circular economy
concept for the textile and chemical
industries. Valérie Julie Boiten,
with the Prospex Institute, together
with Sara Li-Chou Han, a research
associate at Manchester Metropolitan
University, and David Tyler, a reader
in manufacturing technologies and
systems at Manchester Metropolitan
University, give us an overview of
the challenges and the aims for the
project.
This report builds on previous work on textile recycling commissioned by WRAP and Defra. It explores whether technology can be used to increase the fraction of discarded clothing and household textiles that are reprocessed in a financially viable way. A technical and economic assessment identified four candidates:
ƒÞ manual sorting, the incumbent method;
ƒÞ fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR);
ƒÞ radio frequency identification (RFID) tags; and
ƒÞ 2D bar codes.
The current method is manual sorting. It operates at a small margin and it is only possible to sort by parameters that humans can readily determine. These do not necessarily match high value markets for recyclates.
FTIR is potentially able to determine the colour and fibre content of textiles and as a result the selected recyclate outputs should be able to command slightly higher prices. Further work is needed to develop the technology so that it functions in this industrial environment.
Every textile item could potentially have a unique RFID tag applied to it. In theory this could permit dynamic sorting at low cost on a wide range of criteria, in response to market demand, and thereby achieve a high margin for recyclates. However, RFID tags that can survive the use phase of the textile, particularly the laundry cycle, do not yet exist at a sufficiently low price and in a suitable form for this application. Furthermore, tag readers are not yet able to determine the physical location of an individual tag in a jumble, which is an essential requirement to instruct automated sorting machinery.
A 2D bar code label could be used to inform the reprocessor how to sort an item, achieving the same benefits as RFID tags. The 2D bar code label must be manually presented to a reader, meaning the condition and quality of the textile can be ascertained at the same time.
There is an important distinction between these options in that, for manual sorting and FTIR identification, the reprocessor incurs the capital and operational expense but receives all the remuneration. For RFID tags and 2D bar codes the manufacturer/retailer incurs the cost of tag or label management, while the benefits accrue mostly to the reprocessor.
The technology that is potentially closest to helping achieve a circular economy in textiles is 2D bar codes:
ƒÞ The modest cost of making and attaching the bar code label would fall to retailers but, in return, they would benefit from a new marketing channel to customers and corporate social responsibility benefits.
ƒÞ As consumers can read the 2D bar codes with a smart phone App, the environmental information provided could help with new approaches to take-back and recycling.
ƒÞ Reprocessors can also read 2D bar codes to sort accurately and reliably by new criteria, using a technology that can be integrated into their existing manual sorting process. This characteristic will be an advantage during the long interim phase when only a limited proportion of textiles carry 2D bar codes.
ƒÞ Further work is first required to define the bar code format and identify a label material that remains machine readable at end of life.
Upcycling seeks to provide a transitional solution to the textile waste problem, by optimising the lifetimes of discarded products from an inefficient system, as technology moves to develop more sustainable approaches. As a design based waste solution, upcycled fashion production utilises textile waste to create products with a higher retail value than traditionally recycled goods.
This paper aims to analyse the innovative ways in which UK based upcycling designers are recreating style and value from discarded materials, and the benefits of this process. The author’s own design process, as a UK based upcycling designer, was documented and examined. Challenges and solutions to upcycled production were then further investigated through structured interviews and observational field trips with leading UK based upcycling practitioners.
The practical implications of this research include the development of an innovative, UK based sustainable design and production approach, which directly tackles the issue of textile waste and offers scope for further employment and training within the industry. Social implications include recommendations on how best to engage with the public on environmental issues in the apparel industry, and the wider implications of these issues.
Upcycling seeks to provide a transitional solution to the textile waste problem, by optimising the lifetime of discarded products from an inefficient system, as technology moves to develop more sustainable approaches. As a design based waste solution, upcycled fashion production utilises textile waste to create products with a higher retail value than traditionally recycled goods.
This paper aims to analyse the innovative ways in which UK based upcycling designers are recreating style and value from discarded materials, and the benefits of this process. The author’s own design process, as a UK based upcycling designer, was documented and examined. Challenges and solutions to upcycled production were then further investigated through structured interviews and observational field trips with leading UK based upcycling practitioners.
The consumer perspective was addressed through a series of focus groups interviews, used to gain insights on attitudes, consumption behaviour, taste and trends. This qualitative data was collated from a specific cohort of participants, chosen through market research information. The information from all aspects of this research was then analysed to identify the main benefits and considerations for designing upcycled fashion.
These factors were then used to create a conceptual upcycling model for the design and large-scale manufacturing of upcycled fashion products, including effective marketing strategies. This model was then critically analysed in comparison to current design and manufacturing processes and forms a foundation for further research and testing.
The practical implications of this research include the development of an innovative, UK based sustainable design and production approach, which directly tackles the issue of textile waste and offers scope for further employment and training within the industry. Social implications include recommendations on how best to engage with the public on environmental issues in the apparel industry, and the wider implications of these issues.
Upcycling also supports sustainable economic localisation, utilising locally sourced materials, work-force and skills, plus adding to the development of local communities through engagement in activities related to sustainable consumption, skill sharing and education.
Additional benefits to local communities and groups also occur when upcycling businesses support social and environmental projects through funding and resources, and provide employment for disadvantaged individuals through worker’s co-operatives and initiatives.
Key words
Upcycling; Textile Waste; Design; Production; Sustainability; Social; Economic; Environment
Thanks so much!
Sara
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MMUfashionshopping
project is looking at the possibility
of creating a circular economy
concept for the textile and chemical
industries. Valérie Julie Boiten,
with the Prospex Institute, together
with Sara Li-Chou Han, a research
associate at Manchester Metropolitan
University, and David Tyler, a reader
in manufacturing technologies and
systems at Manchester Metropolitan
University, give us an overview of
the challenges and the aims for the
project.
This report builds on previous work on textile recycling commissioned by WRAP and Defra. It explores whether technology can be used to increase the fraction of discarded clothing and household textiles that are reprocessed in a financially viable way. A technical and economic assessment identified four candidates:
ƒÞ manual sorting, the incumbent method;
ƒÞ fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR);
ƒÞ radio frequency identification (RFID) tags; and
ƒÞ 2D bar codes.
The current method is manual sorting. It operates at a small margin and it is only possible to sort by parameters that humans can readily determine. These do not necessarily match high value markets for recyclates.
FTIR is potentially able to determine the colour and fibre content of textiles and as a result the selected recyclate outputs should be able to command slightly higher prices. Further work is needed to develop the technology so that it functions in this industrial environment.
Every textile item could potentially have a unique RFID tag applied to it. In theory this could permit dynamic sorting at low cost on a wide range of criteria, in response to market demand, and thereby achieve a high margin for recyclates. However, RFID tags that can survive the use phase of the textile, particularly the laundry cycle, do not yet exist at a sufficiently low price and in a suitable form for this application. Furthermore, tag readers are not yet able to determine the physical location of an individual tag in a jumble, which is an essential requirement to instruct automated sorting machinery.
A 2D bar code label could be used to inform the reprocessor how to sort an item, achieving the same benefits as RFID tags. The 2D bar code label must be manually presented to a reader, meaning the condition and quality of the textile can be ascertained at the same time.
There is an important distinction between these options in that, for manual sorting and FTIR identification, the reprocessor incurs the capital and operational expense but receives all the remuneration. For RFID tags and 2D bar codes the manufacturer/retailer incurs the cost of tag or label management, while the benefits accrue mostly to the reprocessor.
The technology that is potentially closest to helping achieve a circular economy in textiles is 2D bar codes:
ƒÞ The modest cost of making and attaching the bar code label would fall to retailers but, in return, they would benefit from a new marketing channel to customers and corporate social responsibility benefits.
ƒÞ As consumers can read the 2D bar codes with a smart phone App, the environmental information provided could help with new approaches to take-back and recycling.
ƒÞ Reprocessors can also read 2D bar codes to sort accurately and reliably by new criteria, using a technology that can be integrated into their existing manual sorting process. This characteristic will be an advantage during the long interim phase when only a limited proportion of textiles carry 2D bar codes.
ƒÞ Further work is first required to define the bar code format and identify a label material that remains machine readable at end of life.