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Sewn From Scrap

Sustainability driven project focused on material and dye exploration.

Sponsored Studio

This project was part of a sponsored studio with Proctor and Gamble. We received feedback throughout the semester from members of their design team and finished the project by presenting at their headquarters. 

Prompt

Mindful Consumption : Employ sustainable design methods such as circular design or mutualistic design which include sourcing, energy, water and materiality in order to explore ways that eliminate waste, make waste to work, employ renewability and ensure business viability. Students will work individually for their design projects and will identify projects of their choosing to redesign through the lens of sustainability

The Problem

Food Waste

1 / 3

of all food produced globally for human consumption goes to waste

Where is this food coming from?

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40%

restaurants, grocery stores, food service companies

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43%

homes

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16%

farms

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2%

manufacturers

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14%

of restaurants currently compost

How Might We...

Redirect the waste produced by small food and beverage businesses in a way that benefits the business while fostering community and encouraging circularity?

Partnership

In an effort to root this project in reality and test my ideas on a local scale,  I reached out to multiple Cincinnati based food and beverage businesses, pitching my idea and seeking out interest for collaboration.

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Mom 'N 'Em

Mom 'N 'Em, a local coffee shop with multiple locations in the Cincinnati area, was excited about the idea and happy to help. They are a family operated & community oriented business started by the Ferrari Brothers. They prioritize local ingredients and offer an arrangement of coffee, breakfast & lunch foods, wines, and tinned fish.

 

They offered to share the results of this project through selling a batch of products or hanging a one off that represents a strong story in the shop.

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Waste Analysis

Mom N' M's owner, Austin, gave me a tour of the coffee shop and a rundown of how they handle their waste outputs. They currently use up everything as much as they can then compost the rest. Coffee grounds go in their own bin along with a few receipts and miscellaneous items, remaining food scrap is all put into one bin.

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Coffee Grounds

70-80 lbs per month

Avocado Pits

1000+ per month

Mom 'N 'Em's

Abundunt Food Scraps

Direction

Use food waste to make a one off of naturally dyed product, branded for the business of origin, demonstrating the potential for waste to worth.

Benefits

Natural Dyes

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Using food scraps for natural dyes would intercept the existing waste stream and expand the life span of this perceived waste, giving it a new use before it is disposed of.​

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On a small scale, natural dyes can serve as a more sustainable solution to colored textiles as they do not produce the same toxins as some synthetics. When done right, they are a healthier for humans and our environment

Alternative

Synethetic Dyes

90%

of clothes made today are dyed synthetically

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200 Tons

of water are used per ton of fabric manufactured

Post-production water containing residual dye, mordants, chemicals, and micro-fibers is often expelled into water streams as untreated toxic waste.

 

Water that is densely polluted from residual dye materials hides sunlight’s ability to pass through and stunts growth of aquatic flora and fauna.

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Sourcing Considerations

Textile waste is abundant, it’s time we utilize it as a resource. Sourcing textiles for this project will be done entirely second hand, utilizing the following local resources:

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St. Vincent De Paul Outlet Store In Northside. Here, clothes are sold as bulk goods before being sent to the landfill. They have a by the pound pricing system which makes this a very affordable option

 

SFI Scrap Closet is a resource within DAAP that saves and organizes textile scraps to be repurposed.

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Process

Using the food scraps collected from Mom 'N 'Em's, I began to experiment with different natural dying methods. 

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Color Modifying

Through experimentation of adding different acidic and alkaline substances, I found ways to alter the color of the dye bath.

Iron Solution

I made an iron solution by leaving rusty nails in vinegar for several weeks. When added to the die bath, this solution made the most dramatic shift in color. It caused the light pink avocado dye to instantly turn a deep purple blue.  

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Printing Discovery

Fabric is often presoaked in a mordant solution prior to going in a dye bath. This process improves the fabric's ability to take on dye and frequently results in slight alterations of color. Soy milk is a natural non toxic mordant alternative that is commonly used during the natural dying process.

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Through my research I found people painting soy milk onto their textiles to create simple marks and patterns. I sought out to refine the capabilities of printing with soy milk. Through experimentation, I was able to thicken the soy milk mixture and use the paste to clearly screen print detailed designs onto the fabric. I later use this method to print Mom 'N 'Em's logo.

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Product Ideas

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Mom 'N 'Ems Brand

Through conversations with Mom 'N 'Em, we decided that a tote bag would be a good product for this process and their business. I turned to their existing brand language and beautiful interiors for inspiration that could be translated into the bag. 

Planning & Construction

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Final Product

Composed of second hand textiles that were in route to landfill and dyed with salvaged food scraps, this bag is an example of how we can create value out of perceived waste.

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My hopes are that this process could be adapted and implemented among other businesses to help tackle our food and textile waste crisis's in a localized manner that fosters community collaboration between local restaurants and makers while bringing in new opportunities for revenue and marketing.

See more about this project here:

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Thank you for looking!

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