Biodiversity and Textiles

Biodiversity and Textiles is an exploration of the rootedness of textiles in nature that has been explored at three levels;

How knowledge on agro-ecology and regenerative farming links - or does not link - to current practices within sustainability of textiles, here including certification schemes and practices of leading Danish sustainability consultants within the fashion- and textiles sector. This project was conducted by research assistant Jesper Richardy.

How knowledge on fiber polymers can lead to new ways of connecting local plant fibers with fiber development and fiber recycling, with departure in grass pulp. This project was conducted by post. doc. Birgit Bonefeld from Aarhus University/Foulum.

How knowledge about local fibers and fiber processing might lead to new ways of considering regenerative perspectives in the design process of interior objects. this project was conducted by Alexander Vedel Ottensteen and Mathias Mentze.

The project was financed by the Royal Danish Academy

Key findings dispersed on the individual projects were;
- how there is currently very few links between knowledge on regenerative farming of textile fiber feedstock on the one hand, and current practices and benchmarks for sustainability of textiles.
- how ideas of regenerated fibers generally links to very linear business models and do not integrate a more holistic perspective where the interconnection between nature, fashion production and fashion consumption is taken into consideration
- how wellknown design processes and textile techniques for local fibers in Denmark have been lost to a great extent but could potentially inform new sustainability approaches in the junction between textiles and interior