Textile

 

Circularity to us means to use resources in the most anticipating and innovative way so we keep their value infinitely

Ina Budde, Design for Circularity

 

Some say that the fashion industry is the second most polluting industry in the world after oil and gas. Textiles are all around us from the clothes that we wear to the furnishing in our homes and offices. We even use fashion as a way to express our individuality. When the average garment in Europe is only worn 7 times before being thrown away, something is wrong.

 

Isn’t it time that we find a better way to produce and consume textiles?

 

At CRCLR designers, experts and consumers join together to rethink the textile industry stitch by stitch. We can keep you up-to-date on the latest developments in this field and offer tools to use in real-life situations. Below you will find articles and events on circular textile. Check them out and join us!

habitat

Nachhaltigkeit ist ein globaler Trend der nicht nur in der Politik inzwischen voll angekommen ist sondern auch vor der Wirtschaft nicht mehr halt macht. So bemühen sich nun Unternehmen aus einer Vielzahl von Branchen und Geographien um eine positive und öffentlichkeitswirksame Ökobilanz. Aktuell stellen sich viele Unternehmen und ganze Branchen berechtigte und wichtige Fragen: Was können wir tun um den ökologischen Fußabdruck unserer Branche zu optimieren? Dieser Frage macht auch vor der Berliner Eventbranche nicht halt. Mehr noch bietet der Trend aber eine Chance für die Berliner Eventbranche, im Thema Nachhaltigkeit Vorreiter zu werden. Ein Lösungsansatz, der dabei zunehmend mehr Aufmerksamkeit erfährt, ist das Prinzip der Circular Economy (zirkuläre Wirtschaft): Eine Wirtschaft, die qua Design regenerativ ist. Sie zielt mit systemweiten Innovationen darauf ab, Produkte und Dienstleistungen so zu gestalten, um Abfall und negative Auswirkungen auf Mensch und Umwelt von vornherein zu verhindern. Doch während die eine zirkuläre Wirtschaft in der Theorie zunächst einleuchtend und vielversprechend klingt, fehlt es oftmals an konkreten Lösungen und Handlungsansätzen, um den Wandel dorthin zu gestalten.   Im Rahmen des Tag der Berliner Kongresswirtschaft (MICE Summit) haben wir mit den Teilnehmer*innen die Potentiale für eine zirkuläre Wirtschaft  in ausgewählten Wertschöpfungsketten der Eventbranche analysiert. In einer systemischen Analyse haben wir uns angeschaut, welche Akteure und Faktoren Treiber und Betroffene sind um somit im nächsten Schritt starke Hebel für Veränderung zu identifizieren. In der Arbeit unterstützen uns Methoden aus dem Google Sprint und Design Thinking: nutzerzentriert verfolgten wir die einzelnen Stationen des Caterers von der Beauftragung bis hin zu Durchführung und Abtransport möglicher Reste. Dies verdeutlichte die Momente in der Wertschöpfungskette, an denen aktuell besonders viel Müll entsteht. Beispielhaft nahmen sich die Teilnehmenden dem Aspekt der “Minimierung von Verpackungs- und Transportabfalls” vor, um zu erarbeiten, welche Hebel es für eine Veränderung hin zu mehr Nachhaltigkeit gibt. Im Brainstorming wurden anschließend spannende Ansätze entwickelt. In weiteren Iterationsschleifen kristallisierte sich die Idee für einen Kodex für zirkuläres Catering heraus.. Dieser wurde prototypisch in einer “Idea Napkin” ausdifferenziert. Was denkt ihr: könnte ein Kodex für zirkuläres Catering helfen die Eventbranche nachhaltiger zu machen? Es wäre ein erster Schritt hin zu einer Selbstverpflichtung der Branche. Um einen solchen Kodex zu entwickeln, müsste diese sich zunächst mit den Lösungen und Herausforderungen en détail beschäftigen. Ein solcher Kodex würde es Veranstaltern ermöglichen, auch in Zeiten von wirtschaftlichem und zeitlichem Druck, verlässliche und zertifizierte Partner für zirkuläre Event zu finden und somit den ökologischen Fußabdruck der Branche substantiell zu verbessern. Read more

habitat

“There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth. We are all crew.” - Marshall McLuhanExciting times are ahead of us! After four years of work and a lot of support from you, we were able to sign a 99 year lease on the CRCLR house.But what is a heritable building right?An heritable building lease describes the transfer of the right of use from the owner, in our case the Edith Maryon Foundation, to the ground leaseholder (our building cooperative) for 99 years. In return, we pay a ground rent and have a building and maintenance obligation. The heritable building right means that the land can be effectively withdrawn from speculation and permanently used for the common good of society without the barriers to entry being increased by rising prices over time. This is almost revolutionary, especially in times of extremely fast-rising rents, and we would like to see more heritable building rights for public interest projects and social housing in Berlin.In concrete terms, the heritable building lease means that we can secure our location for the Circular Economy House, which is oriented towards the public interest, for the next 99 years. We hope that this is enough time to initiate and drive forward the transformation from a linear to a circular economy in Neukölln.The heritable building lease entails not only the right of use but also the obligation to build. For example, we are now working together with architects and planners on a comprehensive educational journey to develop a circular construction method and utilisation concepts for the CRCLR house based on it. With the CRCLR House, a prototype for sustainable living and working is being built in the middle of Berlin-Neukölln - guided by principles of the circular economy. Further construction projects - also in rural areas - are planned. Read more

community

28.02.2018

28.02.2018

We will kick off our first screening of "Guckst du" our monthly movie program. It will be focused on topics such as environment, human interaction with nature, sustainable energies, social issues. Movies, feature or documentaries that forces us to question our actions and ruminate our place on Planet Earth. _____________ Koyaanisqatsi (1982) - Godfrey Reggio Koyaanisqatsi is a Hopi Indian word and it means „life out of balance“ Koyaanisqat is also a debut film by Godfrey Reggio , created between 1975 and 1982. Film is a visual and musical experience without dialogue or narration and directors vision of coallision of two different worlds: urban life and technology ( and its fast development) versus environment. Music score was composed by Philip Glass. One of the main purpose of a film as a medium is to tackle and provoce and make us (re) think and (re)act. Koyaanisqat is one of the groundbreaking films made, where the nature vs man or man vs nature is its main plot, without giving any explanations or narrative, it just leaves you with images upon images of life, our way of living , high technology and its impact on our environment. As described by the director itself: „Koyaanisqatsi is not so much about something, nor does it have a specific meaning or value , the meaning is in the eyes of the beholder. Its the encounter a viewer has with the film that matters. In the meaning of art alone, Koyaanisqatsi is whatever you wish to make of it.“ Godfrey Reggio was born in New Orleans, USA in 1940. Godfrey Reggio is a pioneer of a film style that creates poetic images of extraordinary emotional impact for audiences worldwide. Reggio is prominent in the film world for his QATSI trilogy, essays of visual images and sound that chronicle the destructive impact of the modern world on the environment. Reggio, who spent 14 years in silence and prayer while studying to be a monk, has a history of service not only to the environment but to youth street gangs, the poor, and the community as well. Koyaanisqatsi (1983), Reggio's debut as a film director and producer, is the first film of the QATSI trilogy. Read more

community

07.04.2018

07.04.2018

Mindfulness is the practice of cultivating deliberate sustained attention on the present moment. Empirical research has demonstrated benefits of mindfulness training that align with the challenges social entrepreneurs regularly face. Through consciously paying attention to the present moment, social entrepreneurs can: Reduce the negative impact of stress Cultivate increased focus, authenticity, and intentionality Create the mental space needed for creative, compassionate problem-solving and solutions-building Improve communication and cooperation with others The one day course is designed to incorporate mindfulness practices into social entrepreneurship. By training the mind to be fully attentive, even in the midst of chaos, we have the space to more wise and conscious choices. Session 1: BODY Paying attention from the inside out: your body as first foundation of mindfulness. Session 2: BREATH Facing the forces of distraction by anchoring your awareness on the breath. Session 3: MIND Stepping out of internal storylines, shifting viewpoint, guiding actions through clear intention. Session 4: EMOTIONS Loving kindness meditation for leading and cooperation with emotional intelligence. Session 5: SURROUNDING Meditation in motion and in interaction with others: getting the bigger picture. Each session begins with a short introduction, followed by guided practice and Q&A. These can be applied individually or with the team, as frameworks for designing a social change solution with applied mindfulness. No previous meditation experience is needed. Read more

food

14.04.2018

14.04.2018

What is Permaculture? 1. Permaculture is an innovative framework for creating sustainable ways of living. 2. It is a practical method of developing ecologically harmonious, efficient and productive systems that can be used by anyone, anywhere. The workshop  This will be an interactive introductory workshop looking at the fundamental ethics and principles of permaculture, while learning practical tips for personalising and implementing these tools in our busy daily urban settings. In this workshop we will also be exploring composting and its benefits. Compost enriches the soil, encourages the production of beneficial bacteria and fungi that break down organic matter and it suppress plant diseases and pests. Composting is easy and it gives good nutrients and mulch for your garden.  You will learn: How to set up a composting system What can and cannot go in Getting the right mix Trouble-shooting Workshop Facilitator Darren Springer is from the UK and will lead the workshop. He is a Food Enterprise and Permaculture worker and tutor for “Organiclea” a workers-cooperative in London. He’s a keen mushroom grower and teacher, for the last seven years he has been growing edible mushrooms and has translated his home growing experience into a commercial experiment.  Darren is also a grass-roots researcher and event organiser. Founder of Ancient Future a voluntary organisation, he has continued to develop workshops and projects aimed to inform and empower individuals from diverse backgrounds to cope with social challenges and contribute to community development as well as self-improvement in an innovative, creative, culturally-aware style. Read more