Grow your own textiles: Fostering a circular economy through self sufficiency.

本DTA的目的是（客观地）探索“本土”天然纤维素纤维在整个生命周期中的影响。2020年，UKRI宣布了一项2250万英镑的政府投资，以促进更循环的经济。纺织业和时装业是一个优先事项，因为它们是对气候变化产生重大影响的第四大行业（UKRI, 2020）。目前，纺织和时尚行业以线性模式（take-make-dispose）为主，这带来了各种可持续性（经济、社会、环境）问题。人们认为，通过将材料重新循环到供应链中，并更多地利用闲置产能，循环经济可以抵消各种负面影响。然而，有人指出，“从理论到实践的进步要难得多，需要大量的技术、组织和制度创新”（EPSRC, 2019: 1）。这可以通过将生命周期评估与循环思维和纺织技术相结合来实现，因为问题不能孤立地解决，而是需要跨学科的视角（Gallego-Schmid等人，2020；Henninger等人，2020）我们已经看到可以在欧盟/欧洲经济区内种植的天然纤维素纤维（例如亚麻）的增加，试图促进区域自给自足并减少纤维对自然和社会环境的整体环境影响。目前尚未得到充分研究的是这些“本土”纤维素纤维在整个生命周期中的总体影响。该跨学科项目将循环商业模式创新、生命周期评估（LCA）和纺织技术结合在一起，通过以下几个方面：天然纤维素纤维（如亚麻）的染色工艺及其对lca的影响在EEA（2021）的研究基础上进行扩展，该项目将通过两阶段工艺为天然纤维素纤维（如亚麻）的环境影响提供新的见解。第一阶段探索不同的染色工艺（活性染色、直接染色、天然染色）及其对天然纤维素纤维染色的有效性和适用性。第二阶段对1公斤未经处理的梭织纤维素纤维（如亚麻）与1公斤已染色的梭织纤维素纤维（如亚麻）进行对比LCA（每个染色过程一个样品：活性、直接、天然）。基于LCA的结果，结合理论和实践，本项目通过进一步探索创建循环经济的可行性，开展了利益相关者测绘工作，循环经济不仅允许自我和资源效率，而且还概述了潜在的挑战和解决方案。- EPSRC重点：可持续产业- EPSRC主题：面向未来的制造业- EPSRC研究领域分类：资源效率；该项目与EPSRC确定的可持续产业的关键优先事项保持一致，重点关注循环经济的当前主题，并能够创造一个可持续的未来。该项目关注的是一个关键领域，因为它关注的是仅次于石油行业的第二大污染行业（WRAP, 2020a, b），该行业呼吁建立更加循环的经济，并将利益相关者纳入这一过程。考虑到这一挑战，该项目利用纺织技术来促进理解染色工艺对LCA的影响，同时进一步提供对LCA的详细见解，并探索商业可行性和利益相关者的支持。因此，该项目解决了EPSRC的各种目标，涉及“先进制造，提高效率，加速创新，实现新的商业模式和技术”。

The purpose of this DTA is to (objectively) explore the impact of 'homegrown' natural cellulosic fibres across the entirety of the life-cycle. In 2020 the UKRI has announced a £22.5 million government investment to promote a more circular economy. Textiles and the fashion industry are a priority, as they are the 4th largest sector that has a significant impact on climate change (UKRI, 2020).Currently the textile and fashion industry are dominated by a linear model (take-make-dispose), which brings forward a variety of sustainability (economic, social, environmental) issues. The circular economy is seen to counteract various of these negative implications by re-looping materials back into the supply chain and making more use of idle capacities. Yet, it was pointed out that "it is very much less easy to progress from theory to practice and there is a need for substantial technological, organisational and institutional innovation" (EPSRC, 2019: 1). This can be achieved by combining life-cycle assessment, with circular thinking, and textile technology, as issues cannot be addressed in isolation, but needs an interdisciplinary perspective (Gallego-Schmid et al., 2020; Henninger et al., 2020) We have seen an increase of natural cellulosic fibres (e.g. flax) that can be grown within the EU/EEA in an attempt to promote self-sufficiency of regions and reduce the overall environmental impact of fibres on the natural and social environment. What currently remains under-researched is the overarching impact of these 'homegrown' cellulosic fibres through the entirety of the life-cycle. This interdisciplinary project combines circular business model innovations, Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA), and textile technology, through the following aspects: 1. Dyeing Process of natural cellulosic fibres (e.g. flax) and impact on LCAExpanding on research by the EEA (2021) this project will provide new insights into the environmental impacts of natural cellulosic fibres (e.g. flax) through a two-phase process. Phase 1 explores different dyeing processes (reactive, direct, natural) and their effectiveness and suitability to colour natural cellulosic fibres. Phase 2 conducts a comparative LCA of 1kg of woven cellulosic fibres (e.g. flax) that is untreated, with 1 kg of woven cellulosic fibres (e.g. flax) that has been dyed (one sample per dyeing process: reactive, direct, natural).2. Stakeholder mapping and engagement Based on the results from the LCA and in-line with bridging theory and practice this project conducts a stakeholder mapping exercise, by further exploring the feasibility of creating a circular economy that not only allows for self- and resource efficiency, but also outlines potential challenges and solutions. - EPSRC Priority: Sustainable Industries - EPSRC Theme: Manufacturing for the Future - EPSRC Research Area Classification: Resource Efficiency; Manufacturing Technology This project aligns with a key priority identified by the EPSRC of sustainable industries and focuses on the current topic of the circular economy and being able create a sustainable future. This project addresses a key area, as it focuses on the second most polluting industry, after the oil industry (WRAP, 2020a, b), which has seen a call for fostering a more circular economy and including stakeholders in the process. In looking at this challenge this project draws upon textile technology to stimulate understand the impact of dyeing processes on LCA, whilst furthermore provides detailed insights into LCA and explores commercial viability and stakeholder buy-in.This project therefore addresses a variety of EPSRC objectives, which concern 'advanced manufacturing, increasing efficiency, speeding up innovation, and enabling new business models and technologies'.