Humanity is currently facing a crisis of excess, with a growing population and the trend towards disposable goods, and the world’s resources are under tremendous pressure. This is especially evident in the textiles industry, with increasing consumer numbers and the trend of ‘fast fashion’ causing demand to be at an all-time high, with non-renewable feedstocks depleting and production of natural fibres also under strain. Considering the future of textile production, it can be beneficial to investigate our past for inspiration towards more sustainable approaches. Much of the research into regenerated protein fibres was performed out of necessity during wartime, and while this demonstrates the potential for food waste to be exploited as a resource, the manufacturing methods used at the time now present issues for a circular economy due to the high amounts of toxic waste produced. Using a range of historical and modern literature sources, including journal articles, patents and conference papers, this review presents the historical precedent and research performed into azlons, regenerated fibres produced from waste protein-rich materials. Historical evidence shows that the success of these azlon fibres was short-lived, partly due to negative associations with deprivation and hardship, alongside the emergence of alternative man-made fibres, which were devoid of these connotations with never-before-seen physical properties. The social and political climate leading to the creation, and ultimate demise, of azlons is explored along with the influence of evolving technologies and the marketing of these textile products to consumers. Although the creation of products from waste is not a new concept, the literature has identified that the synergy between the challenges faced in a time of resource scarcity and the current trend of problematic excess reveals an exciting opportunity to learn from our past to create a greener future. Lessons that could help with the current crisis within the textile industry are extracted and presented within the concept of a circular textiles economy. Our findings show that there is notable potential for one regenerated protein fibre, made from casein extracted from milk waste, to be manufactured within a localised, circular economy in conjunction with the principles of green chemistry and sustainable textiles technology.

Sustainable methods of practice within the fashion and textile industry (FTI) often strive to employ a circular economy that aims to eliminate waste through the continual use of resources. Complex problems such as waste, consumption, and overproduction are heavily intertwined; the main aim of this paper is to report on research focused on re-examining the potential of food waste streams as a commercially viable and circular source of raw materials for the FTI. Herein, regenerated protein fibres (RPFs) from food production waste streams rich in protein have been chosen as the main topic of focus. RPFs have a rich and relevant history from a local manufacturing perspective during wartime and post-war clothing rationing (1941–1949) in the UK. RPFs were used to meet civilian needs for wool-based textiles as part of a wider series of ‘make do and mend’ strategies designed to manage the consumption of new textile products. However, RPFs demonstrated inferior quality in terms of durability when compared to wool-based textiles, a significant contributing factor to the consequent commercial phasing out of RPFs. In today’s take–make–waste model, the FTI landscape can be defined by speed, from slow (high-quality materials and construction, long-lasting products) to fast (seasonal, disposable, low-quality materials and construction), the latter infamous for dire environmental impacts. A key objective of this research is to review the association of quality and longevity within the context of a local and circular fashion economy in which textile quality and lifecycle analysis are holistically matched to the longevity of the textile, garment, or product to reduce waste across the supply chain.

Botanical nastic systems demonstrate non-directional structural responses to stimuli such as pressure, light, chemicals or temperature; hygronasty refers to systems that respond specifically to moisture. Many seed dispersal mechanisms such as wheat awns, legume pods, spruce and pinecones fall within this classification. The variety of behaviours varies greatly from opening and closing to self-digging, but the mechanism is based on differential hygroscopic swelling between two adjacent areas of tissue. We describe the application of hygronastic principles specifically within the framework of textiles via the lens of structural hierarchy. Two novel prototypes are presented. One is designed to increase its permeability to airflow in damp conditions and reduce permeability in the dry by 25–30%, a counterintuitive property compared to conventional cotton, wool and rayon textiles that decrease their permeability to airflow as their moisture content increases. The second prototype describes the design and development of a hygroscopic shape changing fibre capable of reducing its length in damp conditions by 40% when compared with dry.

We are currently experiencing a global environmental crisis. Our waste culture is leading to huge irreversible damage to our planet and ecosystems. This is particularly evident in both the textile and food sectors, with a system-wide restructuring as to how we consume and source materials becoming ever more urgent. By considering our waste as resource, we can access a vast source of raw materials that is now being recognised as such. Viable materials in the form of waste have the potential for conversion into textiles. However, this proposed solution to our contemporary crisis is not new technology. Throughout the 20th century, science and industry have researched and developed materials from food waste to meet global demand for textiles in times of need, with a major development during the world wars being the invention of regenerated protein fibres (RPFs). For various reasons, this research was abandoned, but much of the development work remains valid. This research critically analyses work that has previously been done in the sector to better our understanding of the historical hindrances to the progression of this technology. By applying modern thinking and scientific advances to historical challenges, there is the potential to overcome previous barriers to utilising food waste as a resource. One of the key influences in the discontinuation of RPFs was the rise of petrochemical textiles. Our current understanding of the detriment caused by petrochemicals warrants a further review of historical emergent technologies. This paper uses Ardil fibre as a case study, and shows that there is a clear disparity between the location of historic research and where the research would now be helpful. Ardil was a British-made product, using peanuts sourced from the British Empire as the source of protein. Techniques used in the processing of Ardil could be better utilised by countries and climates currently producing large amounts of peanut byproducts and waste. Through this research, another historical concern that thwarted Ardil’s acceptance as a mainstream fibre was discovered to be its poor tensile strength. However, contemporary garment life cycles are far shorter than historical ones, with built-in obsolescence now being considered as a solution to fast fashion cycles by matching the longevity of the fibre to the expected use phase of the garment, but ensuring suitable disposal methods, such as composting. This research highlights the need for cross-disciplinary collaboration between sectors, with a specific focus on the wealth of valuable information available within historical archives for modern sustainability goals.

Writing in 2022 we are at a global crisis point, as our use of the planet’s finite resources outstrips supply. Our current lifestyles continue to perpetuate this problem by encouraging excessive and wasteful models of consumption. One of the most detrimental industries for this is the clothing industry. Our fashion cycle is now programmed to be ‘ultra-fast’, encouraging excessive consumption of garments causing myriad environmental issues. This article argues that there are developing models of both manufacture and consumption, which can satiate this need for ‘fast’ fashion whilst being part of the wider sustainable fashion conversation. Rather than understanding the short-term life cycle of clothing as inherently unsustainable, this can be reframed as matching a garment’s use phase to the longevity of the material it is made from. This article uses a material culture approach to explore original 1960s paper garments, alongside a critical analysis of the sustainability of their manufacture and disposal from a green chemical perspective. Using the combined knowledge and experience of its authors, from historians and sustainable fashion designers to green chemists and biochemical engineers, this article demonstrates how such garments could inspire new models of sustainable fashion production and consumption. We argue that the current paradigm of slow fashion as the only antidote to fast fashion must be challenged. Instead, the fashion and textile sector must consider a range of solutions to the environmental burden of fast fashion that are human-centred and sympathetic to all consumer demographics and needs.