As fashion brands reckon with their harmful environmental impact, many are searching far and wide for sustainable solutions. Harmful fabrics like cotton and synthetics are switched for eco-friendly, vegan options like hemp, linen, and viscose. Clothes are made with natural dyes and recycled fibre to minimise pollution and wastage. Sustainable brands also provide workers with good working conditions and fair pay.
These developments, while necessary, are changing one part of the system at a time. But, developing technologies may revolutionise the entire production process as we know it. Soon, instead of buying pre-made clothes stitched in far-away factories, you’ll be able to print them on-demand.
Yep, that’s true. 3D printing technology is getting cheaper and better, so manufacturers are using it to make everything from jewellery to tools to medical devices. Innovative fashion brands are now getting in on the act, using it to create apparel that’s good for you and the planet.
How does it work
3D printing is an additive technology. This means that a raw material (plastic, typically), is deposited layer-by-layer until the product is complete. Unlike traditional manufacturing, you don’t need a mould or structure to create what you want. The TED talk by Danit Peleg, a specialist in 3D-printed apparel, explains this process in detail.
So, as technology improves, you should be able to fit the printers with your raw material, send a file with your size and design and, voila, your perfect piece of clothing is ready.
While it isn’t this easy yet, we’re getting there. In 2017, 3D-printed clothes were only made of hard plastics. They were only useful as eccentric fashion show dresses. Now? They’re becoming more flexible and adaptable, and are slowly making their way into some clothing lines.
Is 3D printing really eco-friendly?
If 3D printing becomes what we envision, owning fashionable clothes will certainly be more convenient. But will it really be better for the planet? As it turns out, yes!
Because they’re made based on exact measurements, 3D-printed clothes waste almost no fabric. Take the example of Son of a Tailor, a Danish brand that manufactures 3D-printed pullovers. Their design wasted only 1% of the total fabric used, versus 21% in regular production. Because they customised, returns were reduced to 4%, versus the 25-50% from regular production. This also meant fewer transport costs and emissions, making them even greener.
There’s more! Most fast fashion brands today mass-produce their clothes and stock outlets with bulk inventories. What happens if these clothes don’t sell before the next trend arrives? They’re generally thrown out without ever being used! In the USA alone, approximately 13 million tonnes of clothing suffer this fate, winding up in a landfill or incinerator. By letting this happen, we’re literally burning valuable resources.
We’re not done yet when it comes to waste minimisation. Plant-based or recycled raw materials can be used to make these clothes. Iris Van Herpen, a Dutch fashion designer, collaborated with Magnum Ice Cream to create 3D-printed haute couture from cocoa bean husks. Scientists have also engineered algae and cellulose for these purposes, creating strong and flexible plant-based apparel.
The filament (raw material for printing) can also be made from recycled plastic, repurposed wood, and similar sources. Some in the industry say it could be as simple as this: “Using a lump of raw materials, you print out your new looks on demand. When you’re sick of them, you melt them down to create a new batch of clothes.” I.e., the perfect circular system.
So why isn’t this here yet?
While 3D printing sounds exciting, there’s still some way to go before it lives up to its promise. True, some mainstream brands are incorporating it in their products - Adidas, Nike and New Balance are all making parts of their shoes with it - but there’s still a lot to be done before it becomes part of our everyday lives.
More research and development is needed before materials become as flexible and comfortable as those we are used to, like cotton. The printers themselves need to advance as well. Right now, each piece of clothing can take days to print. This isn’t good enough to fulfil our current demand for clothes.
Finally, it’s important to remember that, for now, 3D-printed clothes are still made from plastic, which is produced through ecologically-unfriendly processes.
All of this should hopefully change for the better, given the innovation underway and the promise that plant-based and recycled materials hold. One designer compared these advances to how the internet grew. Twenty years ago, limited by slow speeds and availability, using the internet was only for a privileged few. Today, it’s inexpensive and everywhere, changing the way we live. While 3D-printed clothes might be restricted to niche fashion experiments right now, who’s to say everyone won’t wear them in a decade?
Still, if you’re looking for ways to make your wardrobe sustainable, you don’t need to wait for 3D-printed clothes. There are plenty of ways you can start today! Explore thrift stores online or in your neighbourhood to find the perfect pre-loved clothes. If you do need to get something new, check out Suspire’s extensive sustainable clothes catalogue, and make your life a little greener today.
