Study develops sustainable and biodegradable e-textiles

The new study, with input from the universities of Exeter, Cambridge, Leeds and Bath, describes and tests a new sustainable approach for fully inkjet-printed, eco-friendly e-textiles named Smart, Wearable, and Eco-friendly Electronic Textiles (SWEET). Their findings are published in Energy and Environmental Materials.

E-textiles are textiles embedded with electronic components such as sensors, batteries or lights that can be used in fashion apparel, performance sportwear, or for garments that monitor people’s vital signs. Such textiles need to be durable, safe to wear, comfortable, and environmentally benign when no longer required.

In a statement, study leader Professor Nazmul Karim at Southampton University’s Winchester School of Art said: “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. Our potential eco-friendly approach for selecting sustainable materials and manufacturing overcomes this, enabling the fabric to decompose when it is disposed of.”