DESIGN IMPACT
2017 - MA thesis at Lund School of Industrial Design
design positively affecting environmental sustainability in the textile product industry
How does a designer affect the environmental impact of a textile product through their design decisions?
Through qualitative research such as study visits and interviews of stakeholders in the textile industry, I collected insights to understand the state of the art of textile product development. And more importantly, the issues we face for changing the industry for the better.
”The design process makes up to 90% of the decisions that affect the Environment” Mistra Future Fashion Manifesto 2015
With the insights from the qualitative research, I created a design manifesto. The manifesto was then used as the design brief to create a physical product, a daypack for hiking, to explain my findings in an easy to understand, tangible way.
Throughout the design process, I consulted a user group through qualitative interviews, shadowing and testing prototypes in a natural environment. The user group had a mix of outdoor enthusiasts and the occasional hiker. The users helped guide decisions on what features are really needed and gave me insights to how the products is used, loved & hated. It helped me understand what happens to the product between purchase to end of life.
Evolution of form and function of the bag.
Sketch models and material exploration. The product was tested and evaluated in the right environment, together with the test user group.
Final design - illustrated
The final product
The backpack - designed guided by the design manifesto and the end users.
Below you can see a few of the details of the bag.
The care label is sewn inside the bag, visible every time the bag is being used. It explains how to care for the bag and how to eventually give it a new life if not needed by the first user anymore. Hopefully the future will hold more second and third generation users, rather than products ending their life after one user. The care label is traditionally placed hidden on a product, but here it is a part of the bag and is meant to be a daily reminder to the value of the product and the importance of keeping it going. As an addition, the bag also gives advice on hiking safety, to keep the consumer going further too!
The carry handle is made out of paracord, a material commonly used by the outdoor community. It is braided directly onto the bag and can easily be taken off when the adventure calls for some material. It can easily be replaced again with any cord of choice.
No matter how well designed a product is, there is always a risk that it breaks apart. The wooden buckle on the bag symbolizes how we can make products survive by simply saying - it is ok to break, we can fix it again!
Inspired by an emerging new target group of hikers that may need a helping hand on the trail. A first aid kit easy to access and easy to remember to bring.
Just the right amount of storage for a bag for day hikes. The top lid holds a small item storage pocket. The side pockets hold your water.
The decisions we make matter. Have the production plant, end user, second hand end users and recycling facilities in mind already at the start. Be mindful in what features and materials go into products being made. Keep an open mind - many solutions to the issues we face today are still to be discovered.