SoftMatters

This interdisciplinary project represents the textile axis of the Priority Research Programs and Equipment (PEPR) dedicated to the recyclability, recycling and reincorporation of recycled materials. It gathers 4 main French partners: ENSAIT, INSA Lyon, Université de Lille and Ecole des Arts Déco.

Textile materials have two essential characteristics: one is technical, resulting from the choice of fibers and their assembly into fabrics; the second is aesthetic, linked to the material and its finish. The value of a textile object is associated with both technique and aesthetics, and is linked to actual wear and tear, complemented by consumer attachment. The end-of-life of these textiles may occur because they are worn and damaged, or because they are no longer appreciated or considered obsolete. So they can have several lives, being reused, repaired, transformed (upcycled) before being shredded for recycling.

This 5-year research project gathers numerous researchers from ENSAIT, INSA Lyon, Université de Lille and Ecole des Arts Déco) that focus on those various loops of possible ends of life, on the ecoconception of textiles and the analysis of discarded textiles, as well as the design of centenary old textile objects with a lifespan exceeding two generations. The textile object will be studied on 3 scales: the molecular scale, that of the polymers making up the fibers, the scale of textile fabrics, and the scale of articles, and in particular garments.

Project coordinator: Anne Perwuelz, Gemtex -ENSAIT

ENSAD principal investigator: Jean-François Bassereau

Partners: ENSAIT, INSA Lyon, Université de Lille et ENSADLAB – Ecole des Arts Décoratifs

Funding PEPR – Agence Nationale pour la Recherche (1085 k€) referenced as « ANR-22-PERE-0006 ».