Circular by Design Pilot
A training programme supporting textile and apparel industries' transition to circular design practises
Overview
Project duration: Pilot ran from March 2022 – November 2022. Ongoing annual rollout of programme to the textiles industry from 2023
Partners: Creative Futures Academy (CFA), National College of Art and Design (NCAD), Design and Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI)
Funding: Circular by Design was proudly supported by a grant from the CIRCULÉIRE Innovation Fund under Grant Number INF-2901-010-2021.CIRCULÉIRE is Ireland’s first industry-led innovation network dedicated to accelerating the circular economy. Irish Manufacturing Research (IMR) is the secretariat of CIRCULÉIRE which is funded by the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and EIT Climate-KIC
Impact
Eleven Irish textiles companies participated in the pilot. Upon completion;
- 100% ideated, prototyped and began testing scalable circular solutions in the market;
- 100% feel empowered to identify and tackle circular challenges specific to their business and redesign products according to circular principles;
- 87.5% report an strong increase in knowledge and understanding of circular design
- 94% identified relevant network opportunities, and 7 out of 11 have already begun collaborating with other stakeholders on a circular project.
Circular solutions were showcased at the Innovation Festival, to an audience of 745+ stakeholders from industry, academia and government and published via the toolkit.
"CbD has helped us to focus our efforts on creating a holistic approach to our process, by highlighting many consequential aspects of how we make our choices. It has made us aware of a community of like minded people with whom we hope to remain in contact .It has given us great encouragement and confidence in continuing to walk the path we have chosen."Colm Kenny, Founder and Owner, Ceadogán Rugmakers
"The CbD programme has been a great experience. The facilitators knowledge is impressive, their energy inspiring and support second to none. Thank you for your hard work. CbD was a fascinating process to be involved with; stimulation company and room to imagine. The knowledge, awareness and community developed through this programme has prompted us to look at how and what we are making, and is inspiring new ideas and processes."Dobrawa Brach, Managing Director and Laura Magahy, Creative Director Arran Street East
"The CbD programme has given me revived energy and time to hone my focus towards a new direction for my brand. I had the desire to move towards using Irish yarns for the past few years. However, time got away from me. The time on the course and the masterclasses gave me the tools to really look at my business in depth and see the areas that could be improved. The knowledge I have gained is not only great for my brand but also to share this knowledge with others and to filter down through all decisions when choosing to invest in a product and being able to assess its circularity."Liadain Aiken, Founder, LA Knitwear
Challenge
Textiles is one of the most pollutive and wasteful industries, responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions and following a ‘take-make-waste’ model. Ireland’s linear textiles industry currently generates 35% more waste per person than the EU average.
We need to transition to a circular industry, whereby waste and pollution are designed out, products are kept in use for as long as possible, and natural systems are regenerated.
However, the transition requires new knowledge and skills. This is particularly true for designers, as an estimated 80% of a product’s environmental impact is decided at the design stage, before production even begins.
Process
CbD had three objectives;
- Build knowledge, capacity and demand for circular design innovation by equipping Irish textile businesses with the knowledge and skills needed
- Establish networks by connecting Irish textile businesses with experts and innovators, nationally and internationally, through a Community of Practice (CoP).
- Demonstrate and showcase circular design innovation by elevating the topic and disseminating best practices through an open-access Innovation Festival and Toolkit.
These were realised through three work packages;
Needs assessment: Through interviews and surveys with DCCI’s clients, NCAD assessed current levels of awareness and knowledge across the value chain, as well as the drivers and barriers to innovation. These insights helped to pinpoint the industry’s learning needs.
Pilot Outreach and Development: Based on these findings, NCAD designed a pilot programme that combined theory and practice, covering topics such as circular design, materials and business models. In April 2022, DCCI launched an open ‘Call for Applications’ to over 800 textile designers, brands and manufacturers, before selecting 12 pilot companies.
Pilot Delivery: Finally, from June to September, NCAD rolled out the CbD training, which consisted of six Masterclasses. In November the learning and outcomes of the pilot were showcased at the Innovation Festival, and captured in the Toolkit.
Output
All companies ideated, prototyped and launched circular solutions. E.g.
- Ceadogán Rug’s ‘For the Birds’ eliminated synthetic glues and fibres from production. They are now assessing the viability of establishing a farm-to-workshop mill, in which natural fibres could be produced onsite.
- Arran Street East’s ‘Intertwined’ remanufactures ‘waste selvedge’ from a Irish Mill into a range of products, whilst redirecting 140 kg of “waste” wool from landfill per month.
- Liadain Aiken Knitwear’s ‘Love All Wool’ creates durable, natural knitwear, with a fully Irish supply chain. Wool is sourced from a farm in Clare, spun in Cavan and naturally dyed by TalúEarth.
