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ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥Officers
Upcoming Events:
OekoTex and GOTS 10/28

This past week, our ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥faculty advisor, Dr. Arya, presented atÌýQueen&/102021fitblog/8217;s College in Canada. The presentation explored the question,ÌýHow Sustainability is your Fast Fashion Closet? Professor Arya details the environmental hazards of fast fashion production and consumption.

Student Trip: Cotton Incorporated, NC

Thanks to Dr. Ajoy Sarkar, TDM students had theÌýopportunity to travel to North Carolina to visit Cotton Incorporated&/102021fitblog/8217;s facilities and cotton fields. Students were able to interact with Cotton Inc officials and take in depth tours of their research facility,Ìýchemical finishesÌýand patented products.
Mark Messura, the Senior Vice President of Global Supply Chain Marketing gave a great presentation on the many aspects of farming, manufacturing, supplying, and selling cotton. (Fun fact: Did you know that less than 5% of the world’s cotton is organically grown?) After learning about the company overview, we spoke with Mary Ankey, Vice President of Product Development & Implementation Operations and Yvonne, John the Senior Director of Product Development. They showed us the advanced technologies and finishes produced and patented by Cotton Inc. Afterwards, we had a wonderful tour of the research facility which includedÌýdozens of knitting and weaving equipment, CAD/CAM studio, and JeanologiaÌýlaser cutting machine.

We visited a localÌýNorth Carolina cotton farm. (Fun fact: Did you know that 98% of cotton farms in the world are family owned and only 2% are owned by corporations?)ÌýWe learned about the cotton calendar, different cotton seeds, and the ginning process. WithÌýÌýand sustainability initiatives on the forefront, this was a very insightful and eye-opening trip.

On ThursdayÌý10/21, during common hour, the ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥club, along with aÌýgroup of students and faculty members, went to the dye garden, on the 9th floor of the C building,Ìýwhere the beds were weededÌýand prepared for plantation. It was a fun activity where students and faculty workedÌýand enjoyed sun, food,ÌýandÌýeach other&/102021fitblog/8217;s company. Considering the overwhelming response from student volunteers, ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥club has decidedÌýto host the same event in November before Thanksgiving.ÌýIf you are interested in joining us to work on clean-up, maintenance and gardening, please email rebecca_dillenberger@fitnyc.edu

Thank youÌýDean Shannon Maher,ÌýSuzanne Mcgillicudy, Professor Sean Cormier, Professor Whitney Crutchfield, Michelle Grant, Rebecca Dillenberger and Ellen Davidson for helping usÌýmake the dye garden event aÌýsuccess.ÌýThank you so much to all of the student volunteers as well!

TEXTILE NEWS

Circulose: Renewcell

A more sustainable replacement for viscose is now on the horizon, called Circulose from Renewcell, a techÌýcompany based in Sweden. Circulose cuts out the potentially harmfulÌýprocess of attaining wood pulpÌýtraditionally through extractingÌýpulp at the molecular levelÌýfrom 100% cotton recycled clothing. This fiber works to cut down waste though the use of recycled fabric and produce something new. Renewcell is in the works to change the new standard orÌýregenerated fiber.
To read more about Renewcell and CirculoseÌý

Source: CFDA and Renewcell

If you didn&/102021fitblog/8217;t get the chance to make it to some of the events that occurred in September for NYTM, please check out their youtube channel with recordings of some other events and conferences that took place.
Ìýto access the channel.

Reaching Net Zero in the UK

In 2012, the Sustainable Clothing Action Plan 2020Ìýwas produced in the UK to fight against theÌýenvironmental impact of Ìýtextile production nation-wide. It was made by WRAP, an organization from the UK that works towards resource efficiency in all industries. The plan, or SCAP, was set to reduce carbon emissions, water use and waste in a drastic way. Companies like ASOS, Boohoo, Urban Outfitters,ÌýPrimark, and over 90 othersÌýare all signatories pledging to make active change in their production cycle. Over the past 8 years, carbon emissions from the clothing industry in the UKÌýwere reduced by 21.6%, Water use decreased by 18.2% and clothing waste from households reduced by 4%. Sustainable fiber has been introduced to the market in the UK creating higher than projected change. Through SCAP, companies are reaching a new level of transparency that is described in each report. WRAP and SCAP have produced an effective way to measure their impact through the Durability Protocall, the Sustainable Clothing Guide, and the Sustainable Design Toolkit. ÌýTo read more about thisÌý

Source:ÌýRobotic Textiles: MIT

A new fiber is currently being developedÌýat MIT that is responsive to the movement of the wearer. It is said that the fabric will better help the athlete wearing it to breath through cues felt from the fabric. The fabric&/102021fitblog/8217;s construction is described as, &/102021fitblog/8220;multilayered fibers contain a fluid channel in the center, which can be activated by a fluidic system. This system controls the fibers’ geometry by pressurizing and releasing a fluid medium, such as compressed air or water, into the channel, allowing the fiber to act as an artificial muscle. The fibers also contain stretchable sensors that can detect and measure the degree of stretching of the fibers&/102021fitblog/8221; (Chandler, 2021).
This new fiber innovation goes by the name of OmniFibers and has a compatibility with human skin that has the potential to change the scope of performance textiles and the communication between fiber and wearer. It is also said to help singers better control their breath in order to optimize their performance. The fiber was produced by Ozgun Afsar, Hiroshi Ishii, and others that work in the media lab at MIT, Uppsala University, and KTH Institute in Sweden.
Read more:Ìý

Source for article and photo:ÌýChandler | MIT News Office, D. L. (n.d.).ÌýNew fibers can make breath-regulating garments. MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved October 23, 2021

REACH OUT TO US!
We,ÌýtheÌýAATCCÌýclub,ÌýareÌýhereÌýtoÌýhelpÌýyouÌýmakeÌýaÌýdifferenceÌýinÌýsustainableÌýlivingÌýandÌýlifestyle.Ìý