From algae to thread
A deep dive into a circular textile industry
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Abstract
Plastic is one of the most visibly polluting elements in our environment. From big plastic accumulation zones at sea to microplastic entering our everyday drinking water, plastic is becoming a more evident pollutant every day, which is damaging ecosystems, marine life and human health.
This paper will envision a possible solution for plastic pollution in North West Europe, through the retrieval and recycling of plastic, and by proposing an alternative for plastics in the current textile industry; algae. The strategy of this project aims to create a more circular and local economy by envisioning how substituting bio-plastics in a specific industry can be a solution towards minimising overall plastic pollution.
Drawing on climate change as an environmental impactor; algae bloom, which is seen as a negative climate change product, will in this project become a catalyst for a change within the textile industry by making bioplastics.
Through introducing a new perspective on how the relationship between consumer hubs and production hubs could be adjusted to become more sustainable, this project aims to showcase a solution that could be implemented in other areas with plastic pollution, by taking North-West Europe as a test case. Simultaneously, the project aims to pinpoint how crisis can become an opportunity in times like these.