Criterion A: Sustainable Design |​ Sewciety 

Name: Laura    Class: 7DET2  

 

 
Image: FashionRevolution.org 
 
Key Concept​:  Systems 
Related Concepts​:  Sustainability, Resources 
Global Context​:  Globalization and Sustainability 
 
Statement of Inquiry 

 
“Designers have a responsibility to seek sustainable solutions.” 
 
 
Inquiry Questions 
Factual:  What is fast fashion?​ ​What is planned obsolescence? 
Conceptual:  What does sustainability really mean? What is the circular economy?  
Debatable:  How close are we to a sustainable society? 
Debatable:  Who is responsible for sustainability? 
 
Design situation 
Millions of tons of textiles end up in landfills and incinerators around the world every year. This is a problem as the textile industry 
uses huge amounts of raw materials, water, energy and chemicals for the production of their products. It is often claimed that this 
industry is a prime example of an industry that is not sustainable. As designers (and world-citizens), we have a responsibility to 
design and create with sustainability in mind. Governments, industry and consumers ask us to come up with better solutions to the 
life-cycle of textiles.  
 
Your challenge is to recycle a fabric or textile garment into another product that 
will be useful for your intended client. This upcycled product will effectively help 
to extend the life of your garment.   
Task A1 | ​The Problem 

🔎 What? 
 
❗Why? 
 
Explain and justify the need for a solution to a problem.  You need to fully understand the ‘problem’ and identify where 
you can make a meaningful contribution towards solving this. 
 

⚙ How? 
Design situation 
● Explain​ what you are challenged with to create in this unit and why it is important i​ n your own words. 

At least millions of tons of textile waste find it’s way into landfills as well as 
incinerators annually. This is problematic as the amount of raw material, water, 
energy and chemicals that the textile industry uses to create garments are very 
very large. Many people believe that the textile industry is a very unsustainable 
industry. We as people, consumers and designers must find a way to create 
garments that are sustainable and do not harm us or the planet. We have been 
asked by the authority to create something that can upcycle old clothes. 
● Identify​ the fabric your project will focus on and which garment(s) you will retrieve this from. You should have a 
collage (and ​possible gif​ of you wearing the garment) with an explanation of the material properties. Example H​ ERE​. 
Insert the annotated collage below. 
  
Project justification 
● Explain​ what fast fashion is and why it is problematic. 
● Present​ photographic evidence of different aspects of the problem. Caption the photos explaining what the image is 
showing. 
● You must use in-text citation OR footnotes to indicate what source you have used! 
 Fast Fashion is a problem because people buy textiles to go with these ridiculous 
trends. They wear it once, maybe twice but then… Where does it go? Landfills. 
“The U.S. EPA estimates that textile waste occupies nearly 5% of all landfill 
space”1. Researchers have also proven that the decay of the chemicals and dyes 
in textile waste can pollute surface and ground and groundwater. The 
decomposition of textile waste also creates harmful greenhouse gasses such as 
Methane. Methane is also a large contributor to global warming.  
Statistics show the discard of textile waste has escalated by a whopping 61.52% 
since 2008. The mass terms are: 93.3 thousand tonnes is 2008 to 150.7 
thousand tonnes in 2016.  

 
2
 
Works cited (in MLA format using NoodleTools) 
● List​ any sources of information used in this section. That includes s​ ources of photos​ used in the project justification. 

Harmony. "The Facts about Textile Waste (Infographic)." ​Harmony1​, harmony1.com/

textile-waste-infographic/. Accessed 31 Jan. 2020.
​"TEXTILES WASTAGE IN SINGAPORE." ​Blogs,​ Wordpress, blogs.ntu.edu.sg/
hp3203-2018-27/. Accessed 31 Jan. 2020.
"Clothing and Textile Recycling – Collection, Baling, and Reuse." ​Harmony1​,
harmony1.com/textile-recycling/. Accessed 31 Jan. 2020.
"Textile Recycling and Balers." ​Harmony1​, harmony1.com/
clothing-textile-recycling-equipment/. Accessed 31 Jan. 2020.
Bicanski. ​Clothes, Garbage, Recycling, Fashion, Waste, Market, Many, Street,
​Daylight, Shopping.​ ​Pixnio,​ pixnio.com/media/
clothes-garbage-recycling-fashion-waste. Accessed 12 Feb. 2020.
 
 

Assessment 
Level  Descriptor  Typical features of student work 

0  The student does not reach a standard described by any of the descriptors below. 

1
​"TEXTILES WASTAGE IN SINGAPORE." ​Blogs,​ Wordpress, blogs.ntu.edu.sg/
hp3203-2018-27/. Accessed 31 Jan. 2020.
2
​Bicanski. ​Clothes, Garbage, Recycling, Fashion, Waste, Market, Many, Street,
​Daylight, Shopping.​ ​Pixnio​, pixnio.com/media/
clothes-garbage-recycling-fashion-waste. Accessed 12 Feb. 2020.
 1-2  The student ​states  ❏ You have copied and pasted the challenge from above. You should show your 
the need for a  understanding of the challenge by explaining it and its importance in your own 
solution to a  words. 
problem.  ❏ You did not provide multiple photos nor explain the properties of your fabric. An 
annotated collage with this information was required. Reviewing the provided 
example would help you with this. 
❏ You provided a limited justification of the problems with fast fashion with no 
photographic evidence. More explanation with evidence is needed. 
❏ You did not list your sources nor provide citations. 

3-4  The student  ❏ You have identified the challenge of the project. You should show your deeper 
outlines​ the need  understanding of the challenge by also explaining its importance in your own words. 
for a solution to a  ❏ You provide multiple photos but do not explain the properties of your fabric. An 
problem.  analysis of the material was needed. Reviewing the example would help you with 
this. 
❏ You provided an adequate justification of the problems with fast fashion with no 
photographic evidence. More explanation with evidence is needed. 
❏ You list your sources but did not provide citations and did not use proper MLA format. 
Please use Noodletools to ensure proper formatting. 

5-6  The student  ❏ You have paraphrased the challenge of the project. You should show your 
explains​ the need  understanding of the challenge by also explaining its importance in your own words. 
for a solution to a  ❏ You provide multiple photos but do not explain the properties of your fabric. An 
problem.  analysis of the material was needed. Reviewing the example would help you with 
this. 
❏ You provided an adequate justification of the problems with fast fashion with 
photographic evidence. You needed to provide a caption that explained the photo. 
❏ You list your sources in MLA format but did not provide citations in your writing. 
Please use Noodletools to ensure proper formatting. 

7-8  The student  ❏ You effectively showed your understanding of the challenge by also explaining its 
explains​ and  importance in your own words. 
justifies​ the need  ❏ You provide an annotated collage with multiple photos of your garment and explained 
for a solution to a  the properties of your fabric.  
problem.  ❏ You provided a detailed justification of the problems with fast fashion with captioned 
photographic evidence.  
❏ You list your sources in MLA format and provided appropriate citations in your 
writing.