Researchers have seen the future of wearable electronic tech, and it's pretty sweet.
Scientists from UWE Bristol and the University of Southampton, in collaboration with the universities of Bath, Cambridge, Exeter, and Leeds, have tested ink-jet printed Smart, Wearable, and Eco-friendly Electronic Textiles.
The SWEET textiles feature embedded electrical components such as sensors, batteries, or lights, and they could be used in sports science and medical monitoring as well as fashion.
Even with these high-tech additions, the researchers maintain the material is durable, safe, and comfortable to wear while also being eco-friendly. In one test, the textile was buried in soil for four months, in which time it lost "48 percent of its weight and 98 percent of its strength."
"Integrating electrical components into conventional textiles complicates the recycling of the material because it often contains metals, such as silver, that don't easily biodegrade," said study lead professor Nazmul Karim of the University of Southampton.
"Our potential eco-friendly approach for selecting sustainable materials and manufacturing overcomes this, enabling the fabric to decompose when it is disposed of."
While the innovation is great news for the health care industry, helping to track things including heart rate and body temperature and aiding in the early detection of heart-related diseases, the textiles' biodegradable properties could be a game-changer in the fashion industry.
According to Earth.org, 92 million tonnes of textile waste ends up in landfills every year — or the equivalent of a rubbish truck of clothes every second.
Many of these fabrics are made from plastic, such as nylon or polyester, meaning they don't degrade quickly — if at all — and shed microplastics over time. These tiny menaces have been linked to various human health conditions, such as dementia and reproductive issues, and are increasingly ubiquitous.
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Totally 👍 That failure to degrade also means that clothes populate landfills for years, taking up space in already overfilled sites and encouraging the production of methane — a gas that is significantly more potent than carbon dioxide in planet-warming potential.
Having a degradable garment with multiple functions can make a huge difference as we try to make Earth a healthier, greener place.
"Amid rising pollution from landfill sites, our study helps to address a lack of research in the area of biodegradation of e-textiles," Karim added. "These materials will become increasingly more important in our lives, particularly in the area of health care, so it's really important we consider how to make them more eco-friendly, both in their manufacturing and disposal."
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