At Healthy Materials Lab we’re incessantly asking questions. We’re constantly thinking: What can we do to make change? We believe that opportunities for change are realized not only through research and inquisition, but through exploration, experimentation and collaboration.
With this in mind, HML kicked off the 2016-2017 school year with an interactive event called Parsons Shirt-LESS. During the first weeks of the school year, students across the nation buy clothing with their school insignia to demonstrate their school pride. What if we could interrupt the production of “new” tshirts and instead bring pride to the re-use of an existing t-shirt? Our hunch was that people would be equally satisfied with a Parsons T-shirt that was re-used - especially if they printed it themselves.
In preparation, we began to dig into some of the wasteful and toxic industries that are behind the production of a simple school t-shirt. Plans for Parsons Shirt-LESS were further propelled by our investigation into cotton production and processes used to make many of our clothes:
It takes approximately 700 gallons of water and 2 pounds of cotton to make one t-shirt. Over 2 billion t-shirts are sold each year. At the time of writing this post, more than 21 million tons of cotton have been produced globally this year alone, using a process that relies on more chemical pesticides than any other crop. Unfortunately the toxic processing doesn’t end there. Clothing is often printed on with inks and dyes made from PVC, phthalates, and other chemicals that can be harmful to human health.
The impacts of this production cycle are compounded by wasteful consumption practices.
In the U.S., we throw away clothes at unprecedented rates. 25 billion pounds of post consumer textile waste is generated each year and- only 15% is recycled or donated.
The other 85%, equating to 22 billion pounds, is sent to landfill – along with the water, chemicals, labor, and energy embodied within each piece of discarded clothing.
So, we decided to host an event with underlying themes of material reuse, waste reduction, and healthier printing materials. We found the same underlying principles are the basis for Wearable Collections, a textile recycler for the NYC area. So we collaborated with them to gather 200 t-shirts in every color and every size to offer to students coming back to school in late August. We harvested additional colors and sizes from the Salvation Army and Goodwill. During the week, The New School’s Marketing and Communications office enthusiastically donated 80 additional shirts with The New School proudly printed in gold. And, of course, all shirts were laundered with eco-friendly detergent beforehand.
After hours of researching a source for healthy screen printing ink, we tested a zero VOC, mineral based house paint that we had on our conference table. With some added water it went through the silk screen perfectly and through a rough washing machine without any trouble. Romabio Interior Lime Paint became our choice of “ink”. Typically used as a house paint, our selection of red, yellow, green, and white Romabio paint adapted beautifully to its new application on t-shirts. Not only did the use of Romabio paint represent a healthier alternative to screen printing inks, it also marked the value of considering alternative applications for existing products on the market.
Despite the complexity of the issues that inspired Parsons Shirt-LESS, the concept behind the event was simple. New School students, faculty, and staff were invited to make their own college t-shirt between August 29th and September 1st in the main lobby of the Sheila Johnson Design Center. Participants were able to pick from an assortment of second hand t-shirts and rebrand them with our school’s logo, a Parson’s “P”, HML’s logo, or a playful variety of woodblock dots (a subtle reference to the HML logo). We relied on personal exchanges with participants to uncover and explore the complex issues that brought about Parsons Shirt-LESS.
Creativity and conversation were vibrant over the course of the four day event as more than 200 people gave second hand t-shirts a new life.
The event brought together New School faculty, Executives, members of the Board of Governors, and a diverse mix of students from Parsons; Mannes School of Music; Eugene Lang College for Liberal Arts; New School for Public Engagement; Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy; Continuing Education, and more. We were inspired by the variety of perspectives and experiments tested represented by participants, and are excited to continue the conversations initiated within our community and beyond.
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