Disaya Chudasri is researching the sustainability of textiles with two objectives:

  1. The development of an information website for fashion designers
  2. The development of environmental reporting templates for textile and clothing manufacturers.
Establishing adequate criteria for sustainable materials is a difficult task and assessments are often not rigorous on sustainable material databases. One of the obstacles is gleaning relevant information from producers. While developing a resource for sustainable textiles, this project will endeavour to address some of the methodological issues surrounding environmental reporting. The project is therefore divided in two parts:
  1. Information website for Sustainable Textiles
  2. Environmental Reporting templates for textile and clothing manufacturers.
1. Information Website for Sustainable Textiles
A web-based resource for designers and students addressing the environmental impacts of textiles. Project Plan
  1. Gather information about the environmental impacts associated with textiles
  2. Analyse and classify information
  3. Transform data into dynamic visuals
  4. Web design and development
2. Environmental Reporting Templates
To promote the business benefits of environmental impact reduction and environmental reporting to small-to-medium sized textiles and clothing manufacturers Project Plan
  1. Identify potential manufacturers
  2. Look at individual product lifecycles and design lifecycle improvements.
  3. Identify ways that these improvements can be reported that would be beneficial to business and informative for external stakeholders.

Resources and Links
Centre for Environmental Research Information (U.S.) (1996), Best Management Practices For Pollution Prevention in the Textile Industry, Cincinnati, Ohio: Centre for Environmental Research Information, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, Office of Research and development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Eberle, H. and et.al. (1999) Clothing TechnologyLewis, H. and Gertsakis, J. (2001). Design+Environment: A global guide to designing greener goods. Sheffield: Greenleaf.
Pascal, V. (2000) Virtual clothing: theory and practice. Berlin; London: Springer.
UNEP. (1993). The Textile Industry and the Environment, Paris: United Nations Publication.
Watson, J. (1991). Textile and the Environment, London: Business International Limited.Yeager, J. (1988). Textiles for Residential and Commercial Interiors. NY: Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc.

Danish Environmental Protection Agency
Demi guide to design for sustainability
http://www.globalreporting.org
http://www.greenbiz.com
http://greenmarketplace.com
http://www.terratex.com
http://www.cbsm.com

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Questions & Comments Welcome | Last Updated April 2004