While compostable textiles seem to be a sustainable solution, MAKE brings to the market a new biodegradable and log-lasting polymer
Innovation in biodegradable fashion
Along with long-lasting and durable garments, biodegradability appears to be the direction to take, according to Sam Osborne. The founder of MAKE, a Cardiff brand that tackles fashion’s sustainability crisis, has developed a new biodegradable material called Gweave, after a process that took around two years. When asked about Gweave, Osborne explains, «it’s a compostable and resistant yarn made of polyester, but with additive build in the polymer that, once buried, attracts microbes that break up the polymer chain, making it 100% biodegradable».
Biodegradable does not mean sustainable
The fashion industry is moving fast in this direction, looking to find and develop new biodegradable materials and dyes, which decompose after being discarded, in hope of addressing its pollution problem. According to greenmatters.com, a material can be defined as biodegradable when it decays in nature due to biological agents such as plants, animals, bacteria, or physical ones such as the sun or rain that transform these substances into nutrients for the soil.
Saying a textile is biodegradable sometimes is not enough: labeling a garment this way may suggest it decays relatively fast, but the speed depends on factors. Natural fabrics like cotton and hemp tend to break down faster than manufactured fabrics such as polyester, although specific polymers, like rayon, constitute an exception. The issue with these natural fibers is that they are either not environmentally friendly, like cotton, or not easy to work with, because of their stiffness, as with hemp.
Hybrid alternatives
Looking for alternatives to meet the need for compostable materials and high abrasion resistance, Sam Osborne and the MAKE team created Gweave. It is the world’s first biodegradable high abrasion material that provides long-lasting protection through the toughest of conditions. Osborne affirms: «When we started to experiment with these yarns, we talked daily with our partners in Taiwan in order to find high-resistant fibers for the market. It is the best place to get technical materials».
Taiwan is known in the fashion industry as the most innovative manufacturer of technical textiles, but importing fabrics from other countries has a cost in terms of pollution. «We are aware of the transportation issues and the pollution related to them. We always try to ship by sea, which is not polluting free, but it is better than by air. Working with logistics, you need to meet a certain amount to make it work financially. That’s why we partner with other people to make it work in the most sustainable way. We are open to sharing information about our logistic methods and how to reduce the impact on the environment».
Gweave – biodegradable high abrasion material
Osborne explains how the biodegradable process works: «once the yarn is buried, it attracts the microbes into the soil, and they break it up. This disrupts the polymer chain and making it decompose. Our yarn disappears at different speeds and conditions, depending on soil and climate. If the soil is rich in food and animal waste, it biodegrades quicker. With a standard soil, it takes around 500-600 days», he says. Two years decaying time can seem much, considering that fabrics like hemp take somewhere between a few weeks to a month in good soil conditions.
Gweave is not only biodegradable, but its hybrid nature combines the compostable factor with high abrasion. This allows it to last longer, making it a perfect fit for outdoor garments that resist challenging climate conditions. «We partnered with the Holt Renfrew in Canada, producing a capsule collection made with Gweave material to be released this autumn. We are testing the samples, which include some flexible and comfortable ski pieces, work trousers, and jerseys».
Biodegradable textile products in the market
Compared to common biodegradable textile products, Gweave is ahead of fibers such as hemp, cotton, or silk. They can be biodegradable but are not necessarily sustainable. Silk is the best example of this issue. It is a robust and resilient fabric that takes about three to four years to entirely biodegrade. It is hypoallergenic, antifungal, and pleasant on the skin, but it takes around 3.000 silkworms to make just 1 pound of silk, according to PETA. Just because it’s biodegradable it does not mean it’s sustainable.
Cotton is one of the most biodegradable fabrics, especially if it is not mixed with other materials such as viscose. Cotton may biodegrade within as little as a week, but it takes about five months and requires nearly twice as much land as hemp per finished textiles. It takes 10.000 liters of water to grow one kilogram of cotton.
The majority is also not grown organically, using pesticides that have adverse effects on the environment, fauna and human health. Organic cotton is better — but in terms of sustainability, it’s beaten by other fabrics. Another issue with cotton is that, while it is biodegradable, the pesticides and dyes permeate the soil once the material decays. Considering that an artificial textile made of nylon and polyester as a biodegradable material can seem odd. Brands and manufacturers work hard to develop new materials that can change the state of the art when it comes to fashion and sustainability.
The downside of biodegradable garments
When asked about the future of fashion, Osborne is optimistic. «With this search of innovation all around the world, and movements in fashion and cultures, these are under pressure, due to consumer demand».
About this, Lauren Lotka, advisor and partner at MAKE, adds, «Consumers’ values are shifting in the last couple of years. Gen Z cares about what is happening and pushes the industry forward». Focusing only on biodegradable garments presents a downside though. Creating and working with biodegradable garments can affect their durability and reuse, increasing new products’ demands.
Compostable materials could even release harmful chemicals while decomposing, polluting soil and groundwater. Osborne reenforces that the real sustainable factor in their products it’s the durability of garments, as well as the possibility to reuse them according to the principles of the circular economy.
Gweave is a hybrid that mixes high abrasion resistance, sustainability and the capability to decay once reused multiple times. «This first-generation proprietary fabrication will vitally change how we see sustainable materials today and in the future». Even though there are compostable fabrics available on the market, not all of them are completely sustainable or eco-friendly. The risk is that the industry will need to produce even more items to replace the discarded ones. The solution could be materials such as Gweave.
MAKE clothing brand
Based in Cardiff, MAKE is a brand founded by Sam Osborne. It tackles fashion’s sustainability crisis through the development of new biodegradable material – Gweave.
