From sea grass to sustainable textile application
- Partner(s): ArtEZ BA Product Design, Fatboy, The Fieldwork Company, Tapijtmuseum Genemuiden, IXX Creates, Wageningen University & Research
- Financier(s): SIA KIEM, projectpartners
- Started in: January 2021
Until about a century ago, in the Netherlands, sea grass was harvested, traded and used as an insulation material, to produce mats and chair seats or to fill pillows and mattresses. Sea grass disease and the construction of the Afsluitdijk dam caused sea grass to disappear almost completely from Dutch coastal waters. For some years now, attempts have been made to reintroduce the plant because it is of great value to the coastal ecosystem.
The professorship is investigating the possibilities of reusing sea grass – and especially the leaf waste washed up on European beaches – for a sustainable, circular value chain. In this project, designer-researchers Conny Groenewegen, Marijke Bruggink and Tjeerd Veenhoven collaborate with The Fieldwork Company, which cultivates sea grass for release into nature, IXX Creates, which creates sustainable value chains in textile products, and Fatboy, which has a sustainable mission as a design label.
Year: 2021 – 2022
Project management: Michelle Baggerman, Jeroen van den Eijnde
Researchers: Marijke Bruggink, Connie Groenewegen, Tjeerd Veenhoven
Budget: €30,000