Sustainable Materials in the Creative Industries

Sustainable Materials in the Creative Industries scoped current and immanent sustainable practices across the creative industries involving the sourcing, use, disposal, recycling and reuse of materials.

It answered the AHRC project call ‘Where Next?’, part of the Horizon Digital Economy Research to inform future funding strategies. It was one of six successful projects and brought together researchers from the Royal College of Art, University of Brighton, University of Edinburgh and University of Plymouth, working for twelve months from December 2020.

The project aimed to look at waste in materials in the creative industries as a whole. These could be direct waste, such as the supply chains for the materials an object is made from, but might also involve the procurement, use, reuse and disposal of the less obvious tools, equipment and secondary materials required by creative producers.

Recognising that different creative disciplines have different prerogatives and operate under specific pressures, the research took a discipline-led approach, whilst also acknowledging where cross-discipline activity is evident.

The contribution from Dr Jules Findley was for Fashion, Textiles, Leather and Accessories, an accelerating and immanent area in terms of climate change and the Paris Agreement.

The final report document was formed from different specialisations, together with case studies.

Research team:
Dr Peter Oakley, Royal College of Art
Dr Jules Findley, University of Brighton
Dr Roberta Mock, University of Plymouth
Dr Itandehui Jensen, University of Edinburgh

Advisors:
Professor Geoff Crossick, School of Advanced Study, University of London
Dr Colin Gale, Birmingham City University.

The project proposal was supported by The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining; the Fairtrade Foundation; the Responsible Jewellery Council and the Alliance for Responsible Mining,

The complete case studies can be downloaded from the project website, including 'inouilo' (It is never over until it is over), a company founded in 2019 to re-energise the ‘endangered’ craft of traditional UK textile recycling.

Based in Yorkshire, iinouiio are working with various partners in order to create a future for the UK’s wool and cashmere recycling industry. The company's experience has led to production of recycled yarn from knitted and woven waste streams, allowing for the creation of closed loops in the knitwear industry.