WHAT IS THE LIFE CYCLE OF A COTTON T-SHIRT?
For my life cycle documentation project, I chose to research a cotton t-shirt.
tiMELINE
1. Raise and Extract -
Cotton t-shirts are (obviously) made from cotton. Cotton starts growing in the spring, and they continue to grow for several months. They need hot and sunny weather in order to grow. They grow into balls, and then they can be removed by manual or machine labor.
2. Process-
In order to use the cotton, it must be refined into threads. First, comes the ginning process. In this process, the cotton is separated from its seeds by compression. After it they have been separated, the seeds are taken away (can be used to make cottonseed, or vegetable, oil, or food for farm animals) and a sample of the cotton is tested for length and quality. Next, comes the spinning process. The seedless cotton is beaten to loosen it up, so it makes it easier on the machine. It is then straighten and smoothed out in order to form a level, and consistent sliver. Then, multiple slivers are thinned and twisted together to make yarn. The yarn is then sent to the knitting process, where it is spun into cloth. The yarn is pulled into loops, and each loop goes through one another. Finally, the cloth heads to finishing, where it is washed (to get rid of any particle debris), bleached or dyed to keep a consistent color, shrunken as much as possible, and soften to prevent any holes from forming during sewing.
3. Manufacture-
Once the cotton has been turned into cloth, the cloth heads to the cutting process, where the sleeves and bodies of the shirt are all cut out at once. (They stack the fabric on top of each other and are cut at the same time.) The stacks are then tied together and are sent to sewing. In sewing, all the parts of the shirt are sewn together into one final product. After that, the shirt is sent to be dyed and printed on (optional), and then it is shipped to stores.
4. Use-
T-shirts are used as clothing pieces. They can be used as pajamas, active wear, and an everyday shirt. They can come in all colors and sizes. There are even some shirts that dogs and cats can wear. They are easy shirts that you can slip on and go about your day.
5. Disposal-
When T-shirts get worn out, small, torn, or unwearable, people get rid of them. You can either give it to a charity, like Goodwill, if it's in good shape. But if it's not in good shape, they are usually thrown away. Just like any other piece of trash, the t-shirts are sent to a landfill.
Because cotton is biodegradable, any article of clothing that is made of cotton can break down into compost. It is best to tear the t-shirt into strips/shreds so it will biodegrade quicker.
Cotton t-shirts are (obviously) made from cotton. Cotton starts growing in the spring, and they continue to grow for several months. They need hot and sunny weather in order to grow. They grow into balls, and then they can be removed by manual or machine labor.
2. Process-
In order to use the cotton, it must be refined into threads. First, comes the ginning process. In this process, the cotton is separated from its seeds by compression. After it they have been separated, the seeds are taken away (can be used to make cottonseed, or vegetable, oil, or food for farm animals) and a sample of the cotton is tested for length and quality. Next, comes the spinning process. The seedless cotton is beaten to loosen it up, so it makes it easier on the machine. It is then straighten and smoothed out in order to form a level, and consistent sliver. Then, multiple slivers are thinned and twisted together to make yarn. The yarn is then sent to the knitting process, where it is spun into cloth. The yarn is pulled into loops, and each loop goes through one another. Finally, the cloth heads to finishing, where it is washed (to get rid of any particle debris), bleached or dyed to keep a consistent color, shrunken as much as possible, and soften to prevent any holes from forming during sewing.
3. Manufacture-
Once the cotton has been turned into cloth, the cloth heads to the cutting process, where the sleeves and bodies of the shirt are all cut out at once. (They stack the fabric on top of each other and are cut at the same time.) The stacks are then tied together and are sent to sewing. In sewing, all the parts of the shirt are sewn together into one final product. After that, the shirt is sent to be dyed and printed on (optional), and then it is shipped to stores.
4. Use-
T-shirts are used as clothing pieces. They can be used as pajamas, active wear, and an everyday shirt. They can come in all colors and sizes. There are even some shirts that dogs and cats can wear. They are easy shirts that you can slip on and go about your day.
5. Disposal-
When T-shirts get worn out, small, torn, or unwearable, people get rid of them. You can either give it to a charity, like Goodwill, if it's in good shape. But if it's not in good shape, they are usually thrown away. Just like any other piece of trash, the t-shirts are sent to a landfill.
Because cotton is biodegradable, any article of clothing that is made of cotton can break down into compost. It is best to tear the t-shirt into strips/shreds so it will biodegrade quicker.
Clever ways to recycle t-shirts
Even though the cotton t-shirt can biodegrade, it takes a lot of resources to manufacture. So anyway to reuse them can be very beneficial to the environment.
T-SHIRT TOTE BAGS
Plastic bags are very harmful to the environment, and one way to reuse t-shirts and reduce plastic bags is by creating a t-shirt tote bag. The sleeves are cut off and the bottom is sewn together. The bag is more sturdy then a regular plastic bag and is reusable.
T-SHIRT TOTE BAGS
Plastic bags are very harmful to the environment, and one way to reuse t-shirts and reduce plastic bags is by creating a t-shirt tote bag. The sleeves are cut off and the bottom is sewn together. The bag is more sturdy then a regular plastic bag and is reusable.
FROM T-SHIRT TO THROW PILLOW
This is a way to turn an old t-shirt into a new throw pillow. Rather than throwing out your old t-shirt and buying a new pillow, you can save the shirt and the life cycle of another pillow. All it takes is a few stitches and you can have a customized pillow for yourself.
This is a way to turn an old t-shirt into a new throw pillow. Rather than throwing out your old t-shirt and buying a new pillow, you can save the shirt and the life cycle of another pillow. All it takes is a few stitches and you can have a customized pillow for yourself.
ACCESSORIES
You can also turn a t-shirt into a new accessories. Below are just a few examples.
You can also turn a t-shirt into a new accessories. Below are just a few examples.
sources
http://www.lifestylebyps.com/blogs/lifestylebyps/7320526-from-seed-to-tee-how-is-your-t-shirt-made-infographic
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/cotton-biodegradable-78494.html
http://www.crookedbrains.net/2011/01/creative-ways-to-reuse-old-t-shirts.html
http://www.personalcreations.com/blog/upcycle-your-t-shirts
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/cotton-biodegradable-78494.html
http://www.crookedbrains.net/2011/01/creative-ways-to-reuse-old-t-shirts.html
http://www.personalcreations.com/blog/upcycle-your-t-shirts
conclusion questions
1. What is meant by a product life cycle?
The life cycle of a product is how the product gets from the beginning to the end. It is how the product is made, manufactured, used and disposed of. By using the word "life cycle", it means the timeline of the products events.
2. Why is it important for companies who make products to research and determine a product's potential life cycle?
Everything that humans do can potential harm the environment. With over 7 billion people living in the world, it's going to be hard to save all the resources (food, water, space, land, etc.) for the future generations. If companies try and make products with a long life cycle, then the Earth will benefit from their helping.
3. What would you change about your product? Why?
I would try and make the cloth used to make the t-shirt more durable. With lots and lots of research, if I could make the product, as a whole, more durable, it will last longer and potentially decrease the amount of t-shirts at the landfill. Plus, when the t-shirt does get too small, they will more likely be able to be given to charity.
4. Do you think your product will evolve or become obsolete over time? Why?
I don't think t-shirts will evolve nor become obsolete over time. T-shirts are very basic. People don't need to improve them because that is what other tops are for, like sweaters, tops, sweatshirts, cardigans, etc. I also believe that they won't disappear from society either. Many people living in third world countries cannot afford nice clothing and expensive things, so they rely on inexpensive articles of clothing, like t-shirts.
5. What is a trade-off?
A trade-off is a compromise between two things, in this case, a a trade-off between manufacturing a product and keeping the Earth clean. It is a happy medium between the two variables, and one is not at an advantage than the other.
6. Do you think trade-offs were made during the design phase of your product?
I do not think trade-offs were made during the design of my product, however, I do think it did work out for the best. Cotton was used because of how soft it is and it rarely causes allergic reactions. It is safe and comfy. They did not use cotton because it can biodegrade, but that is another advantage to cotton t-shirts.
7. Why is it important to recycle?
It is important to recycle because it will help save our Earth. Due to over population (and other factors), the Earth's natural resources are being used up very fast. In the next up-coming years, it looks like the population will only continue to grow, which means that there will be more people that need to use natural resources. If we recycle, than we will become less independent on some of Earth's natural resources. This means that we can save them for future generations.
8. How do product designers play a role in recycling?
Product designers are the people that provide us with our daily needs, like toothbrushes, furniture, tools, houses, and everything else. These are the people that control what goes into a product and what comes out. If these people only focused on how to make the product, and not the environmental impacts, than the environment would be worse. If these people include environmental impacts in their research, than recycling would be encouraged.
9. What role does society play in the recycling effort?
Society has a role in everything. There are so many people living on Earth, and each person's trash adds up very quickly. If everyone put in a little effort to start recycling more, than the total impact would help the environment immensely. There are 317 million people just in the USA, and if everyone did one small act of recycling (like reusing old t-shirts) than the amount of recycling would add up very fast.
10. What can you do to help?
There are a lot of things one person can do to help. One thing is for sure, we can reuse old cotton t-shirts. But any kind of recycling is greatly appreciated by the Earth, like recycling plastics, or walking to work instead of driving, or using long-lasting razors instead of disposable ones. Any method of recycling can help.
The life cycle of a product is how the product gets from the beginning to the end. It is how the product is made, manufactured, used and disposed of. By using the word "life cycle", it means the timeline of the products events.
2. Why is it important for companies who make products to research and determine a product's potential life cycle?
Everything that humans do can potential harm the environment. With over 7 billion people living in the world, it's going to be hard to save all the resources (food, water, space, land, etc.) for the future generations. If companies try and make products with a long life cycle, then the Earth will benefit from their helping.
3. What would you change about your product? Why?
I would try and make the cloth used to make the t-shirt more durable. With lots and lots of research, if I could make the product, as a whole, more durable, it will last longer and potentially decrease the amount of t-shirts at the landfill. Plus, when the t-shirt does get too small, they will more likely be able to be given to charity.
4. Do you think your product will evolve or become obsolete over time? Why?
I don't think t-shirts will evolve nor become obsolete over time. T-shirts are very basic. People don't need to improve them because that is what other tops are for, like sweaters, tops, sweatshirts, cardigans, etc. I also believe that they won't disappear from society either. Many people living in third world countries cannot afford nice clothing and expensive things, so they rely on inexpensive articles of clothing, like t-shirts.
5. What is a trade-off?
A trade-off is a compromise between two things, in this case, a a trade-off between manufacturing a product and keeping the Earth clean. It is a happy medium between the two variables, and one is not at an advantage than the other.
6. Do you think trade-offs were made during the design phase of your product?
I do not think trade-offs were made during the design of my product, however, I do think it did work out for the best. Cotton was used because of how soft it is and it rarely causes allergic reactions. It is safe and comfy. They did not use cotton because it can biodegrade, but that is another advantage to cotton t-shirts.
7. Why is it important to recycle?
It is important to recycle because it will help save our Earth. Due to over population (and other factors), the Earth's natural resources are being used up very fast. In the next up-coming years, it looks like the population will only continue to grow, which means that there will be more people that need to use natural resources. If we recycle, than we will become less independent on some of Earth's natural resources. This means that we can save them for future generations.
8. How do product designers play a role in recycling?
Product designers are the people that provide us with our daily needs, like toothbrushes, furniture, tools, houses, and everything else. These are the people that control what goes into a product and what comes out. If these people only focused on how to make the product, and not the environmental impacts, than the environment would be worse. If these people include environmental impacts in their research, than recycling would be encouraged.
9. What role does society play in the recycling effort?
Society has a role in everything. There are so many people living on Earth, and each person's trash adds up very quickly. If everyone put in a little effort to start recycling more, than the total impact would help the environment immensely. There are 317 million people just in the USA, and if everyone did one small act of recycling (like reusing old t-shirts) than the amount of recycling would add up very fast.
10. What can you do to help?
There are a lot of things one person can do to help. One thing is for sure, we can reuse old cotton t-shirts. But any kind of recycling is greatly appreciated by the Earth, like recycling plastics, or walking to work instead of driving, or using long-lasting razors instead of disposable ones. Any method of recycling can help.