Project leader: Jaana Vapaavuori, Aalto University
Project duration: 2021-2024
Participating countries: Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Iceland
Funding from NordForsk: 14,318,346 NOK
Project website: Beyond e-Textiles Project
The research project Nordic network on smart light-conversion textiles beyond electric circuits (Beyond e-Textiles) has been investigating how the textile industry can become more sustainable by developing new experimental textiles as alternatives to, for example, cotton and the synthetic fibre elastane.
Impact story
The researchers from Beyond e-Textiles have developed innovative prototypes for sustainable textiles using materials like lupin yarn, potato starch and biobased PLA (polylactic acid).
These results were showcased in a series of exhibitions across the Nordic region and a major conference in London. The exhibitions not only demonstrated the potential of these eco-friendly materials to the public and industry stakeholders but also influenced educational practices, as showcased by the inclusion of these materials in needlework curriculums in Finnish schools.
This project contributes to reducing the environmental impact of the global textile industry, aligning with the European Commission’s new sustainability criteria, while paving the way for a more sustainable textile production paradigm.
Key Findings
This project was first and foremost crafted to foster interdisciplinary collaboration throughout Nordic countries around a defined subject area - the development of novel yarns and textiles.
This joint research of the partners, Aalto University, University of Borås, University of Turku, Iceland University of the Arts and VIA University College, on this vast domain, lead to new openings for paths that would warrant a research project of their own. These include healthcare, exemplified by textiles in the form of mineral-enhanced UV-detecting coating that could be directly printed on a t-shirt. This type of clothing may be essential in sensitizing users of the risk of UV illumination.
On the other hand, new aesthetic norms, visible for example in stretchable woven fabrics were developed without the use of elastane, demonstrating how functionalities important to consumers can be produced with methods that allow easier end-of-life recycling.
Finally, in a more speculative futuristic context, textile actuators being able to convert ambient energy (heat) or infrared light were developed in a number of prototypes. These demonstrators showcased how a motion of a single yarn could be transferred into a motion of large textiles thanks to textile design. These products may turn out to be useful for instance in climate-adaptive curtains in zero-energy buildings.
Key outputs
BEYOND ENTANGLED: A collection of research stories from the Beyond e-Textiles project 2021-2025 (2025) Vapaavuori J., Bang A.L., Dumitrescu D., Bjarnadóttir R., Miettunen K. (eds.) Publisher: The Iceland University of the Arts. ISBN 978-9935-9378-9-6. https://doi.org/10.22501/rc.3942493; https://static.lhi.is/BeyondTextile.pdf
SCALES in Textiles conference (2025) Aalto University, Espoo, Finland. Duration: 8 April 2025 → 10 April 2025. https://www.aalto.fi/en/events/scales-in-textiles-april-8-10-2025
‘Entangled in the design of a relational materiality: Beyond smart textiles’ (6 Aug 2025 – 8 Aug 2025) Nordes Design Research Society Conference “Relational Design”, OsloMet - Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo, Norway peer-reviewed: https://research.aalto.fi/en/publications/nordes-2025-exhibition
‘Entangled – Reimagining textile functionalities’ (6 Sep 2024 - 3 Oct 2024) Designs for a Cooler Planet festival, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland peer-reviewed: https://research.aalto.fi/en/publications/entangled-reimagining-textile-functionalities-designs-for-a-coole