Upcycled art production from post-consumer textile waste to foster environmental sustainability awareness

Abstract

Upcycling has emerged as one of the counteractive ways of revitalizing discarded materials from their waste streams, preventing environmental harm. Although notable research has been conducted on how various waste materials can be upcycled, a visible gap remains for textile waste, making the industry rated among the most destructive to the environment. The paper set out to creatively upcycle post-consumer textile waste (PCTW) through art, to foster environmental sustainability awareness. Exploratory design was employed to produce six textile woven artworks, communicating the dangers of poor textile waste management such as air, water and soil pollution. Visual data (images) were randomly collected from a sample of Kampala (Uganda)’s outskirts, depicting PCTW management challenges. Further, PCTW was purposively selected from personal collections, family and friends. Artworks were executed using tapestry and soumak weaving textile construction techniques. Findings depict the potential of creative upcycling of PCTW in reducing textile waste amounts disposed of in the environment, to promote environmental sustainability awareness. The study demonstrates PCTW as an alternative sustainable material for art production, with a possibility to transform livelihoods and communities. Finally, it contributes to achieving the UN 2030 SDGs Goals 12: Responsible Consumption and Production and SDG 13: Climate Action.