Nature of Fashion
The Biomimicry Institute
(
Non-governmental organization (NGO)
)
#SDGAction57534
Description
The Design for Transformation (D4T) Initiative is a collective action project dedicated to turning mixed textile waste into non-toxic, biocompatible and reclaimable resources that seamlessly reintegrate into natural ecosystems. By leveraging nature’s principles, D4T seeks to align human-made materials with biological cycles, reducing landfill waste and minimizing environmental harm. Currently, massive quantities of secondhand clothing from the Global North are shipped to the Global South. In Ghana alone, approximately 15 million garments arrive weekly, with nearly 40% becoming waste that accumulates in landfills, waterways, and informal dumpsites. The Korle Lagoon in Accra has become a dumping ground for textile and plastic waste, severely impacting the local environment and communities. To combat this crisis, D4T is pioneering decomposition technologies in the Global North to ensure that textile waste can be processed locally instead of being exported. Meanwhile, in the Global South, an Accra-based pilot is leveraging decomposition as a bioremediation tool through bioreactors. These efforts promise significant social, environmental, and economic benefits.
The Design for Transformation (D4T) Initiative’s implementation strategy includes:
- Research and Analysis: Extensive literature reviews to understand natural decomposition mechanisms across various natural organisms and ecosystems. This foundational research informs the development of technologies that emulate these biological processes.
- Global Technology Assessment: Evaluating existing decomposition technologies worldwide, analyzing over 200 technologies, industries, and organizations. This assessment guides regional partners in building locally relevant transformation ecosystems.
- Regional Waste Flow Studies: Collaborating with regional teams to analyze local textile waste streams. By characterizing the types and sources of textile waste, the initiative tailors its strategies to address specific regional challenges.
- Pilot Projects: The initiative implements pilot projects in both the Global North and South to test and refine decomposition processes in regional settings. For example, the Netherlands pilot focused on transforming mixed textile waste into biocompatible materials, providing insights into effective methodologies and designs.
- Technology Pathway Development: D4T focuses on identifying and implementing technology pathways that can transform textile waste into valuable resources.
- Knowledge Dissemination: D4T compiles and shares its findings through various resources, including reports, info-sheets, and presentations. These materials aim to guide industry stakeholders in integrating natural decomposition principles into their practices, promoting a regenerative future.
- Communication and Amplification: The initiative develops a global narrative, engages with the media, and presents at events to raise awareness.
By following this multifaceted approach, the D4T Initiative strives to develop scalable solutions that align human-made materials with natural cycles, thereby reducing environmental impact and fostering sustainability in the textile industry.
The Design for Transformation (D4T) initiative prioritizes collaboration with regional teams to pilot the conversion of mixed textile waste into biocompatible materials. This process inherently involves capacity-building and technology transfer, as it requires working closely with local partners to implement and adapt decomposition technologies suited to their specific regional contexts and needs. The current phase of the project focuses on strengthening team capacity, scaling up implementation, and expanding the network. Technology transfer will be facilitated through the broad dissemination of findings via published reports and other media.
The Design for Transformation (D4T) initiative is a collective action project led by the Biomimicry Institute, a US non-profit guided by CEO Amanda Sturgeon, with consultation from funders and oversight by the Board of Directors. Supported by organizations such as the Laudes Foundation, VF Foundation, Decathlon, DOEN, and private donors, D4T consists of the Biomimicry Institute, and three independent regional teams in the Global North (Circle Economy and Beneficial Design Institute) and Global South (The Or Foundation) that pilot processes which are transforming mixed textile waste into biocompatible materials. The Biomimicry Institute collaborates with these pilots to provide technical guidance and amplify their work, connecting them in a collaborative network that fosters the exchange of ideas and shared learning to drive scalable, nature-inspired solutions.
The Design for Transformation (D4T) initiative employs various methods to assess its impact, focusing on both Narrative Impact Assessment and Implementation Impact Assessment. A detailed rubric of key milestones and outcomes has been developed.
Narrative Impact Assessment:
- Industry Recognition: The initiative tracks mentions of textile waste decomposition in industry publications and events, aiming for industry acknowledgment of the need to phase out virgin synthetics for true circularity.
- Public and Stakeholder Awareness: The initiative measures growth in public and stakeholder engagement through metrics such as mainstream media coverage, social media engagement, event attendance, and inquiries from industry and government.
- Media and Digital Engagement: The project will track quantifiable digital engagement metrics, including social media interactions, website traffic, and content shares.
- Influence on Circularity Leaders: The initiative assesses whether decomposition is recognized and referenced by circularity leaders as crucial to a circular economy. It aims to have the D4T project cited by both the private and public sectors as examples of a new and expanded definition of circularity.
- Endorsements: The initiative seeks endorsements from a broad coalition of partners, stakeholders, and influencers to enhance the narrative's credibility
- Policy Changes: The D4T initiative evaluates changes in policy and regulatory environments in response to the campaign. It also tracks the increase in pilot project funder applications and implementations.
Implementation Impact Assessment:
- Pilot Project Progress: The initiative monitors the progress of its pilot projects in Northern Europe and Ghana. It tracks the volume of textile waste processed, conversion rates to new outputs, and the bioremediation of the Korle Lagoon.
- Techno-Economic Analysis: The project conducts techno-economic analyses of the piloted pathways, which demonstrates the financial feasibility to support the technical viability.
- Commercial Viability: The D4T initiative assesses the commercial viability of outputs from mixed textile waste by tracking interest from potential buyers.
- Adoption of Decomposition: The initiative seeks to establish decomposition as another form of recycling, and a critical supplement to existing circular solutions, while acknowledging that not everything can be chemically or mechanically recycled.
- Pilot Project Uptake: The D4T initiative evaluates the increase in pilot project funder applications and implementations. It also tracks if pilot projects become self-funded and utilize the tools and resources provided to achieve operational independence.
- Waste Diversion: The initiative projects the calculable value generated from waste diversion, and it measures the environmental and social impacts from reduced incineration or landfilling of textile waste.
- Bioremediation metrics: The project measures the specific bioremediation metrics in Accra, such as the amount of water filtered, compost created, and clean water generated through bioreactors.
Laudes Foundation, Circle Economy, Beneficial Design Institute, The Or Foundation
SDGS & Targets
Goal 11
Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
11.1
By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums
11.1.1
Proportion of urban population living in slums, informal settlements or inadequate housing
11.2
11.2.1
Proportion of population that has convenient access to public transport, by sex, age and persons with disabilities
11.3
11.3.1
Ratio of land consumption rate to population growth rate
11.3.2
Proportion of cities with a direct participation structure of civil society in urban planning and management that operate regularly and democratically
11.4
Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage
11.4.1
Total per capita expenditure on the preservation, protection and conservation of all cultural and natural heritage, by source of funding (public, private), type of heritage (cultural, natural) and level of government (national, regional, and local/municipal)
11.5
By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and substantially decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters, including water-related disasters, with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations
11.5.1
Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population
11.5.2
Direct economic loss attributed to disasters in relation to global domestic product (GDP)
11.5.3
(a) Damage to critical infrastructure and (b) number of disruptions to basic services, attributed to disasters
11.6
By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management
11.6.1
Proportion of municipal solid waste collected and managed in controlled facilities out of total municipal waste generated, by cities
11.6.2
Annual mean levels of fine particulate matter (e.g. PM2.5 and PM10) in cities (population weighted)
11.7
11.7.1
Average share of the built-up area of cities that is open space for public use for all, by sex, age and persons with disabilities
11.7.2
Proportion of persons victim of non-sexual or sexual harassment, by sex, age, disability status and place of occurrence, in the previous 12 months
11.a
Support positive economic, social and environmental links between urban, peri-urban and rural areas by strengthening national and regional development planning
11.a.1
Number of countries that have national urban policies or regional development plans that (a) respond to population dynamics; (b) ensure balanced territorial development; and (c) increase local fiscal space
11.b
By 2020, substantially increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards inclusion, resource efficiency, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, resilience to disasters, and develop and implement, in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, holistic disaster risk management at all levels
11.b.1
Number of countries that adopt and implement national disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030
11.b.2
Proportion of local governments that adopt and implement local disaster risk reduction strategies in line with national disaster risk reduction strategies
11.c
Support least developed countries, including through financial and technical assistance, in building sustainable and resilient buildings utilizing local materials
Goal 12
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
12.1
Implement the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns, all countries taking action, with developed countries taking the lead, taking into account the development and capabilities of developing countries
12.1.1
Number of countries developing, adopting or implementing policy instruments aimed at supporting the shift to sustainable consumption and production
12.2
By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources
12.2.1
Material footprint, material footprint per capita, and material footprint per GDP
12.2.2
Domestic material consumption, domestic material consumption per capita, and domestic material consumption per GDP
12.3
By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses
12.3.1
(a) Food loss index and (b) food waste index
12.4
By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment
12.4.1
12.4.2
(a) Hazardous waste generated per capita; and (b) proportion of hazardous waste treated, by type of treatment
12.5
By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse
12.5.1
National recycling rate, tons of material recycled
12.6
Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle
12.6.1
12.7
Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities
12.7.1
Number of countries implementing sustainable public procurement policies and action plans
12.8
By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature
12.8.1
Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment
12.a
Support developing countries to strengthen their scientific and technological capacity to move towards more sustainable patterns of consumption and production
12.a.1
Installed renewable energy-generating capacity in developing and developed countries (in watts per capita)
12.b
Develop and implement tools to monitor sustainable development impacts for sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products
12.b.1
Implementation of standard accounting tools to monitor the economic and environmental aspects of tourism sustainability
12.c
Rationalize inefficient fossil-fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption by removing market distortions, in accordance with national circumstances, including by restructuring taxation and phasing out those harmful subsidies, where they exist, to reflect their environmental impacts, taking fully into account the specific needs and conditions of developing countries and minimizing the possible adverse impacts on their development in a manner that protects the poor and the affected communities
12.c.1
Amount of fossil-fuel subsidies (production and consumption) per unit of GDP
Goal 15
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
15.1
By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements
15.1.1
15.1.2
15.2
By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally
15.2.1
15.3
By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world
15.3.1
15.4
By 2030, ensure the conservation of mountain ecosystems, including their biodiversity, in order to enhance their capacity to provide benefits that are essential for sustainable development
15.4.1
15.4.2
15.5
Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species
15.5.1
15.6
Promote fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and promote appropriate access to such resources, as internationally agreed
15.6.1
15.7
Take urgent action to end poaching and trafficking of protected species of flora and fauna and address both demand and supply of illegal wildlife products
15.7.1
15.8
By 2020, introduce measures to prevent the introduction and significantly reduce the impact of invasive alien species on land and water ecosystems and control or eradicate the priority species
15.8.1
15.9
By 2020, integrate ecosystem and biodiversity values into national and local planning, development processes, poverty reduction strategies and accounts
15.9.1
(a) Number of countries that have established national targets in accordance with or similar to Aichi Biodiversity Target 2 of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 in their national biodiversity strategy and action plans and the progress reported towards these targets; and (b) integration of biodiversity into national accounting and reporting systems, defined as implementation of the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting
15.a
Mobilize and significantly increase financial resources from all sources to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity and ecosystems
15.a.1
(a) Official development assistance on conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity; and (b) revenue generated and finance mobilized from biodiversity-relevant economic instruments
15.b
Mobilize significant resources from all sources and at all levels to finance sustainable forest management and provide adequate incentives to developing countries to advance such management, including for conservation and reforestation
15.b.1
(a) Official development assistance on conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity; and (b) revenue generated and finance mobilized from biodiversity-relevant economic instruments
15.c
Enhance global support for efforts to combat poaching and trafficking of protected species, including by increasing the capacity of local communities to pursue sustainable livelihood opportunities
15.c.1
Goal 17
Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development
17.1
Strengthen domestic resource mobilization, including through international support to developing countries, to improve domestic capacity for tax and other revenue collection
17.1.1
17.1.2
17.2
Developed countries to implement fully their official development assistance commitments, including the commitment by many developed countries to achieve the target of 0.7 per cent of ODA/GNI to developing countries and 0.15 to 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries; ODA providers are encouraged to consider setting a target to provide at least 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries
17.2.1
17.3
Mobilize additional financial resources for developing countries from multiple sources
17.3.1
Additional financial resources mobilized for developing countries from multiple sources
17.3.2
17.4
Assist developing countries in attaining long-term debt sustainability through coordinated policies aimed at fostering debt financing, debt relief and debt restructuring, as appropriate, and address the external debt of highly indebted poor countries to reduce debt distress
17.4.1
17.5
Adopt and implement investment promotion regimes for least developed countries
17.5.1
Number of countries that adopt and implement investment promotion regimes for developing countries, including the least developed countries
17.6
Enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation and enhance knowledge sharing on mutually agreed terms, including through improved coordination among existing mechanisms, in particular at the United Nations level, and through a global technology facilitation mechanism
17.6.1
Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, by speed
17.7
Promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries on favourable terms, including on concessional and preferential terms, as mutually agreed
17.7.1
Total amount of funding for developing countries to promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies
17.8
Fully operationalize the technology bank and science, technology and innovation capacity-building mechanism for least developed countries by 2017 and enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology
17.8.1
17.9
Enhance international support for implementing effective and targeted capacity-building in developing countries to support national plans to implement all the Sustainable Development Goals, including through North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation
17.9.1
Dollar value of financial and technical assistance (including through North-South, South‑South and triangular cooperation) committed to developing countries
17.10
Promote a universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system under the World Trade Organization, including through the conclusion of negotiations under its Doha Development Agenda
17.10.1
17.11
Significantly increase the exports of developing countries, in particular with a view to doubling the least developed countries’ share of global exports by 2020
17.11.1
Developing countries’ and least developed countries’ share of global exports
17.12
Realize timely implementation of duty-free and quota-free market access on a lasting basis for all least developed countries, consistent with World Trade Organization decisions, including by ensuring that preferential rules of origin applicable to imports from least developed countries are transparent and simple, and contribute to facilitating market access
17.12.1
Weighted average tariffs faced by developing countries, least developed countries and small island developing States
17.13
Enhance global macroeconomic stability, including through policy coordination and policy coherence
17.13.1
17.14
Enhance policy coherence for sustainable development
17.14.1
17.15
Respect each country’s policy space and leadership to establish and implement policies for poverty eradication and sustainable development
17.15.1
17.16
Enhance the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in all countries, in particular developing countries
17.16.1
Number of countries reporting progress in multi-stakeholder development effectiveness monitoring frameworks that support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals
17.17
Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships
17.17.1
Amount in United States dollars committed to public-private partnerships for infrastructure
17.18
By 2020, enhance capacity-building support to developing countries, including for least developed countries and small island developing States, to increase significantly the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data disaggregated by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and other characteristics relevant in national contexts
17.18.1
Statistical capacity indicators
17.18.2
17.18.3
Number of countries with a national statistical plan that is fully funded and under implementation, by source of funding
17.19
By 2030, build on existing initiatives to develop measurements of progress on sustainable development that complement gross domestic product, and support statistical capacity-building in developing countries
17.19.1
17.19.2
Proportion of countries that (a) have conducted at least one population and housing census in the last 10 years; and (b) have achieved 100 per cent birth registration and 80 per cent death registration
SDG 14 targets covered
| Name | Description |
|---|
Deliverables & Timeline
The Nature of Fashion report
Understanding Biodegradation & Textiles infosheet
Biodegradation & Toxicity of Natural & Manmade Cellulosic Textiles
D4T Website: www.d4t.biomimicry.org
Resources mobilized
Partnership Progress
Feedback
Action Network
Share
Timeline
Entity
Region
- Africa
- Europe
- North America
Geographical coverage
Other beneficiaries
The D4T Initiative is designed to benefit a broad spectrum of stakeholders by transforming the textile industry and promoting a circular economy rooted in biomimicry and decomposition.
Its impact can be categorized as follows:
- Environmental Benefits: The initiative aims to reduce the negative effects of textile waste on ecosystems, public health, and carbon emissions, and demonstrate the viability of nature-inspired system redesign to minimize landfill waste and incineration.
- Brands and Manufacturers: The initiative will engage major industry players to showcase decomposition as a practical strategy for circularity, encouraging investment in pilot programs and innovative narratives.
- Waste Providers: The initiative establishes textile decomposition as a viable waste management solution.
- Municipalities and Governments: The initiative influences policies beyond recycling, promoting innovative waste strategies and highlighting waste as a resource for new materials.
- Communities in Ghana: The initiative focuses on remediating the environmental damage in Accra’s Korle Lagoon by breaking down years of accumulated textile waste, and improving local conditions by reducing pollution, mitigating flooding, and enhancing public health.
- Workers in the Textile Industry: The initiative supports a transition to a circular economy that improves labor practices and reduces exploitative working conditions, particularly in the Global South.
- Biomimetic Innovators: The initiative will connect biocompatible decomposition outputs with the input needs of next-generation material innovators, and develops new feedstock sources from waste, reducing reliance on agricultural feedstocks.
- Consumers: The initiative aims to shift public perception of textile waste from being a problem to a valuable resource. Promotes a system where textiles can be decomposed into non-toxic, reusable materials.
- Future Generations: The initiative prioritizes long-term environmental sustainability over short-term profits, and ensures materials can safely cycle within the biosphere, reinforcing the principle that all living matter must decompose to build new systems.
The D4T project aims to create a more sustainable and circular textile industry that benefits the environment, industry stakeholders, communities, and future generations by transforming waste into valuable resources and promoting a nature-inspired approach to design
More information
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