Design for impact- ReBlend yarns Roos Peltenburg & Elvira van der Ploeg

Design for impact- ReBlend yarns Roos Peltenburg & Elvira van der Ploeg

What is ReBlend? ReBlend makes new yarn out undefined old thrown away textiles. They want to create a circular system with less negative impact on the environment. Most of the current textile production for clothing and Interior consists of composite, blended fibers. Current recycling techniques of textile are mostly aimed at regaining of yarn and textiles from textile flows from one material. ReBlend s vision is coming up with new product concepts and recycling methods for textiles from composite materials, which are part of a growing textile market. Their starting point for making the new yarn is not to select on any kind of material but to make new yarn from different materials. The composition of the ReBlend yarns is 80% Reblend and 20% Virgin cotton. They also play with the colors in the residual material and want to create new blended colors without dyeing.

Proces The proces starts by collecting clothing and assorting the clothes on color. This is the work of Humana. After that the fabric goes into the schredderer and the fibers have to get card and spinned. The spinned fibers will be steamed to be stablised. Texperium is responsible for making the new fibers. From the fibers can you make knitted and woven textiles. In cooperatin with the dutch fashion label ByBrown there will be some prototypes showed at the Amsterdam Fashion week the 12th of July.

Research question: How sustanaible are ReBlend yarns? - good working conditions. anymore. People - All clothing is already wornd, no realising of harmful substances

arth will not used up again, - eplanet - Circulary system. commodities will be re-used.

Profit Commodities cheaper than regular commodities Environmental profit:

Interview Ellen Sillekens Does the process have a positive footprint? What we can say about the Reblend process is that we use existing raw materials and no need to use new ones so that the impact on the environment is way less than with regular clothing. The process takes place in Europe, so that means little transport en logistics. It has many benefits regarding the already existing production cycles. The next step is to make a life cycles analysis so that the impact this project has on the environment can be visual. What happens with the blended yards? This stage we re still researching. When we will launch it we ll be looking for fashion labels that will buy these yarns. Are the yarns sold or do you make your own clothing? There are some small productions made but because we re still at a very early stage not many yarns we re produced, yet. We definitely hope this will happen. What do you want to accomplish as company? That we bring the existing raw materials into a circulating process so that we can diminish the impact on the environment. Where do you see Reblend in 10 years? I hope that within 10 years Reblend will be a notion. I also hope that Reblend yarns and textiles will be processed in the clothing and textile world.

Interview Alexiane Moulins, environmental activist and potential client of Reblend yarns. What do you think of the project Reblend yarns? I think this project is great in many ways possible: first, because it has green footprint. Second: the fact that they use already existing materials circulating in our system and not raid new raw materials. And last because of the companies they work with, like Humana. So they not only provide ecological interest for they re project, but also people profit. That s great. Do you think this project will catch on in the textile world and eventually the consumer? I hope it will. There is no reason this project can t be successful. We ll have to wait for the results of the clothing being made like you said when you explained to me the project. But if the results come out good, this project could mean a lot for our future and the future of our planet. Also now a day it s more and more popular to watch out for our planet. People know they can do little things to better our environment and leave a better planet for our children. So I think that when people will know about this project they d be happy to have it hanging in their stores. Would you personally be interested in this project? I always try to make the best decisions regarding the environment of our planet. I already use biological cotton or new textiles like Lyocell, Tencel. But this project goes even further than those ones. This project reuses what we ve already taken from our planet, it s natural resources. So that means we don t leave an empty planet for our children if this project becomes world wide. I think once the first samples are done, they should really make Reblend yarns grow fast into a knowledge known by everyone.

Comparing project - Nudie Jeans Cotton fibers actually last much longer than we normally tend to use or wear them. Nudie jeans is a brand who is constantly looking for new ways to extend the life to the cotton fiber. The old jeans will be recycled by cutting and milling to a cotton-like pulp where they can make new yarns form. From the yarns they make new jeans or rugs. The rugs were made from jeans that were cut into strips and then woven by hand. The proces of Nudie Jeans is almost the same as ReBlend that s what you can see in the film. Conclusion This is a project that can bring a change for more sustainable fashion and textiles. The use of existing materials en no need to us new materials gives a less impact on the environment than regular clothing. There is no chemcical use or a big waste of water. There will be little transport and logistics because it s made all in Europe. ReBlend looks promesing and all textiles has to be reused.