Circular redesign of a work coverall

Although clothing fulfils an important function for humanity, the impact on the planet of the current fashion industry raises concerns. High water usage, water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and textile waste are all negative impacts on the environment coming from the textile industry (European Parliament, 2021). These negative impacts are especially rising due to the impact of fast fashion, however workwear also plays a role in this. Workwear is often made out of durable fabrics which are discarded before their functional End-of-Life (EoL), therefore having greater negative impacts (ECAP, 2017). This report shows the research done on the sustainability of the Flamebuster2 Nordic Coverall from Trital Safety B.V.. This coverall is an all-round piece of work clothing used in several industries. Research was done into the context of this kind of clothing and in-depth information about fabrics and processes was collected. A fast-track Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was performed to assess the environmental impact of the Flamebuster2 Nordic Coverall. The LCA showed that the biggest environmental impact comes from the cultivation and production of cotton and the dyeing of the fabric. From this LCA, design fundamentals were setup to guide the redesign process. These fundamentals are: design for longevity, design for low maintenance, and design for recyclability. Together with a user survey, these design fundamentals shaped design challenges which had to be overcome for a redesign. These challenges were: fabric alternatives, dyeing of the fabric, towards a mono material, and sustainable treatments. Based on extensive research and testing, design solutions were found for the challenges. Together, these solutions create the redesign of the coverall: the Flambebuster2 Eco Coverall. The Flambebuster2 Eco Coverall is made out of hemp fabric, which is dyed in an eco-friendly way. This significantly lowers the environmental impact, but still makes sure the coverall is durable. All other parts are either biobased or made from recycled materials, and the labels are digitally printed. All together this almost eliminates half of the environmental impact of the coverall and reduces the CO2 footprint from 12 kg to 8 kg. Besides, it opens up new EoL options for the coverall. Next to that, the life cycle of the Flambebuster2 Eco Coverall has become more circular. On the one hand because the coverall is for 96% biobased, which almost closes the CO2 loop. On the other hand, an app was designed to give users more information about the coverall, and about the EoL options and implications. A prototype was created to test the Flambebuster2 Eco Coverall in practice. The prototype was used to assess the comfort of the coverall, and to see the impact of industrial laundry on hemp fabric. It was found that the coverall shrunk about 10% after laundry, because the fabric was not preshrunk at the right temperature. The industrial waterproofing treatment also did not work, therefore impregnation during production is needed. The comfort of the prototype is found to be higher that the comfort of the original Flamebuster2 Nordic Coverall. Since the Flambebuster2 Eco Coverall is not 100% circular yet, some recommendations were written. Future possibilities and other insights were presented to help the development of future coveralls.Integrated Product Desig