Textile Design for Disassembly: A creative textile design methodology for designing detachable connections for material combinations

Textile waste is a growing issue and with increasing consumption rates, solutions must be explored to close the loop. Currently, only 1-2% of this waste stream is recycled to new textiles (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017a). To enable a shift towards a more circular textile economy, current barriers to effective recovery and recycling of materials must be lifted. Existing and emerging technologies are currently better adapted to mono-material inputs as blends hinder recycling processes (Cupit, 1996; Östlund et al., 2015). However, the creativity of textile design thrives on combinations of resources for aesthetic or functional effects. The problem of blends therefore partially originates from creative textile design, and this study uses this same approach to explore potential solutions. This research suggests the adaptation of Design for Disassembly (DfD) to Textile Design for Disassembly (TDfD) as a strategy to create textile combinations which can be taken apart into their recyclable components at end of life as well as contribute to the longevity of textile products. DfD originates from engineering and industrial product design. This study therefore provides an original textile design perspective on the strategy and its application to practice, it is supported by an expanded understanding of problematic blends themselves. The current engineering approach to the understanding of textile recyclability as defined by Gulich (2006) is adapted to a creative textile design context to enable the effective redesign of detachable material combinations and articulate a methodological framework for TDfD.