Design, the environment and textiles: Developing strategies for environmental impact reduction

This paper explores how the effective use of design can contribute to the development of more environmentally responsible practice in the textile sector. It introduces key elements of the ecological approach to design and investigates the role that design can play in bringing more resource-efficient textile products, looking specifically at textiles with a longer life. The paper also examines the concept of service utilisation rather than product consumption as a means to bring about environmental improvement. There is a broad consensus that environmental issues can no longer be excluded from the design process, however in the textile sector, designed solutions to environmental problems have been slow to develop. This paper discusses a number of structural and educational reasons preventing textile designers from engaging in, and offering solutions to, the environmental debate.