Can textiles be produced in a consciously aware manner, woven through and through with history?
Blogs are written by COST Actions
Europe through Textiles: Network for integrated and interdisciplinary Humanities (EuroWeb) brings together researchers and innovators from 32 countries across Europe and beyond with the goal of rewriting European history through textiles. The Action fosters dialogue and collaboration between members with very different backgrounds, both within academia and beyond, including archaeologists, historians, heritage scientists, craftspeople and artists connected by a common thread: textiles, as a historical motor for economic and technological development and an outlet for cultural and creative expression.
Textiles accompany us throughout life, from swaddling clothes to funerary shrouds. Through these flexible and accessible materials we express gender, age, and status. As one of the earliest production technologies to be developed by mankind, textile crafts shaped European history and identity, and their manifestations in terminology, iconography and symbolism had an impact on the European imagination throughout history.
This is as true today as it ever was. In fact, the fashion and textile industries are not only one of the largest economic sectors in many, if not most, European countries, but also an outlet for creativity, innovations, and a vehicle for self-expression. But, at the same time, these industries, as they exist today, have a substantial ecological footprint. New creative and innovative solutions are therefore required to achieve more sustainable production and consumption practices.
Ecological impact
According to numbers from the European Parliament, textile and footwear production are responsible for 10% of all greenhouse gas emissions; the use of synthetic fibres also contributes to micro-plastic contamination, with estimates indicating that up to 35% of new micro-plastics into the environment come from washing garments made of such fibres.
This, however, was not always the case, and looking into historical and traditional textile technologies can give us important insights into ways of building alternatives to the current pattern of textile production. Data on the development of the use of natural fibres over time, coupled with technological insights on how such fibres were transformed and used in textile production, can make positive contributions to counteract the prevalence of synthetic materials.
The same can be said about the management of resources. The textile industry is considered to be the second-highest water polluter. When pondering both the volume generated and the effluent composition, textile wastewater is the most pollutant of all industrial sectors, particularly due to the use of synthetic dyes.
Natural dyeing
In recent years, the use of natural products for textile dyeing has gained importance due to increased awareness about environmental contamination and health problems. Nowadays, natural dyeing is mainly used in small scale by craftspeople, hobbyists, and indigenous groups through a trial-and-error approach. Current research aims at optimizing the scale-up and industrial applications of these dyes, and while significant breakthroughs have been achieved further study, testing and application development is still required.
Waste
The management of textile waste also poses major challenges. Every year the EU economy produces up to 2.5 billion tons of waste. On average, only 40% of solid waste is re-used or recycled, while the rest is sent to landfill or incineration [3]. Clothing and footwear form a considerable part of the latter, leading to a growing concern with the so-called fast fashion paradigm. The archaeological, historical, and ethnographic record once again shows many alternatives, highlighting the deep roots of modern trends, like the re-use, recycling, and upcycling of textiles. Looking at the ways in which past communities related to their garments and other textiles can help build a template for sustainable consumption patterns in the present and further the move towards more circular economies.
The role of EuroWeb
EuroWeb COST Action intends to get directly involved in this discussion, by sharing the knowledge on how European cultures produced and used textiles throughout History. The knowledge gathered by the hundreds of researchers, craftspeople, conservators, and artists involved in this COST Action allows looking into the future uses of textiles.
By shedding light into the know-how on the use of natural dyes and fibres, EuroWeb can inform stakeholders and the enthusiasts, designers and artists, researchers and academics, on the future uses and perspectives for a more sustainable textile industry. Can we reinvent the past for new applications? Can we inspire the future generations to dive more into nature and its gifts, to the culture behind the processes and the history behind the manufacture? Can textiles be produced in a consciously aware manner, woven through and through with history?
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About the authors
Francisco B. Gomes
EuroWeb Science Communication Coordinator
UNIARQ – Centre for Archaeology of the University of Lisbon; School of Arts and Humanities of the University of Lisbon
Paula Nabais
EuroWeb Management Committee Member
LAQV – REQUIMTE – Associated Laboratory for Green Chemistry of the Network of Chemistry and Technology; NOVA School of Science and Technology
Agata Ulanowska
EuroWeb Action Chair
Faculty of Archaeology – University of Warsaw