Posts in Materials > Sustainable Materials
Textile Revolution: Raw Materials to Retail

If left unregulated, by 2050, the fashion industry might account for 25% of the carbon budget – the amount of CO2 emissions permitted to keep the global temperature from rising too much.

Fast fashion has programmed multiple generations to believe that garments can be inexplicably cheap at the cost of unfair wages and horrible working conditions. An understanding that sustainable fashion might be a little bit more expensive but of better quality and long durability, will be a cultural shift.

Read More
Composite Materials: Engineering the Matrix

Strong, durable and — relative to load-bearing capacity — light are what characterize composite materials. Thousands of years ago the Egyptians added straw to mud to create a stronger brick and in the future, composites will be along for the ride to new planets due to their strength and light weight. But while composites undergird our modern culture, they’re also raising alarms. Cheap, disposable packaging and household goods are made using dirty processes that threaten the health of species and the planet’s natural systems.

Read More