A proposal from Chalmers has been granted funding on the bases of its innovative application for on/off dyeing by inkjet printing and its potential to influence new design and business models in the future. The project fits well into the holistic and systemic approach of the Mistra Future Fashion program and has relevance for the ongoing research.
Fall 2016 Mistra Future Fashion had an open call for new ideas that contribute to a systemic change of the fashion industry, making it circular and more sustainable. Key prioritized areas were “Digitalization”, “Implementation” and “Scale-up of Services”. Many applications were submitted covering wide spread of ideas relevant for the textile and fashion value chain and sent from many different continents. It was a proposal on On/Off dyeing from Chalmers that got granted and is now currently being integrated into the research program.
Summary of the project
The project involves both inkjet-dyeing, with a certain pigment, and the specific garment can be decolored with this specific technology. Fast fashion cycles and customization put a high stress on flexibility of raw materials, contradicting however with the demand for extended material life times by reuse and recycling. This project aims at developing a jet-able ink that can be removed on-demand.
What will be the expected results?
A proof of concept of switchable pigment-based ink will be delivered. The ink will be developed in order to be jetted by domestic inkjet-printer (rheology and surface tension), using surfactant technology which is based on commercially available systems.
The novel technology from the project can benefit the program in all 4 Themes:
Design –new designer options towards digital printing
Supply chain –new technologies for dyeing and printing and new business models for in-store production and remake models
User – individualization and digitalization concepts on demand and prolonged life of garments
Recycling –sustainable de-dyeing processes for recycling of printed garments
