The Functionality of Bio-Materials and How They Could Help to Solve the Growing Problem of Waste in the Design Industry.

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This research will explore current understanding of bio-material design and describe their physical and sociallimitations. It focuses on challenging their life-span, user issues, and perceptions of bio-materials as practicalmaterials. The research will question the need for industrial production of synthetic materials and focus onthe importance of a self-sustaining, respectful approach to materials in textile and product design, whilstencouraging others to do so. The existence of synthetic waste and its relation to consumption, ethics,ecology, human-centred design and how this impacts on our relationship with materials and the 'naturalworld' will be questioned.This proposed PhD will be practice led (textile and product design), throughout which a range of bio-materialprototypes will be developed. The research will test how the lifespan of bio-materials can be prolonged inorder to compete with the functional qualities of synthetic materials. This research is timely given the currentpublic discussion regarding the environment and how textile and product designers should be moreprominent within this debate.