New sustainable materials for the fashion industry: the button in the circular economy

Abstract

Fashion is a waste industry, but it is in a phase of change and transition to sustainability, including consciousness around the excessive use of natural resources to produce inputs for clothing and accessories. In this article, we focus on the problem of waste and sustainable innovations for the fashion industry, adopting ethical and linear solutions to the principles of a circular economy that abandons the current production process of extraction, production and disposal, consuming finite resources already in Imminent risk of raw materials, a fact that came to light during the Covid-19 pandemic. The circular economy is the process that may assist in this transition, the method consists of the circularity of the products, the reuse and proper management of waste generated during each stage of development of a product. The buttons are essential items for clothing, an ancient invention that maintains its function and form to this day. The only change in the production of this accessory was the material employed in production, if in the early days the materials were natural; Currently plastic is the main raw material. Its impact on the environment is ignored, despite the amount existing in relation to each piece of clothing that is discarded incorrectly in urban waste containers. In this article, the problem was addressed around current materials and proposed the development of biodegradable buttons from eating waste. The study was based on the foundations of the circular economy and the design thinking methodology for new product development, rapid prototyping was used as a means of materializing research, resulting in an experimental product.