The Problem with "Smart Textiles"

Although hybrid materials can be alluring to work with, they often come with sustainability challenges- namely problems with recyclability. This article, from the New York Times, details the problems with embeded electronics and also illustrates the disconnect between material innovation and end of life considerations... Wouldn't it be nice if the engineers inventing new materials also planned for their demise.

The growing practice of weaving electronics into the fiber of clothing could add to the already monumental challenge of e-waste disposal. Some fifty million tons of electronic waste already accumulate annually in “soaring mountains” of refuse, the United Nations says....“Smart” textiles have electronics in the very weave of their fabric, enabling clothing to respond in various ways to the environment and to function as electronic devices, like mobile phones or heart-rate monitors.

With their social and commercial promise, e-textiles, also known as smart textiles, are the focus of intense laboratory development and testing. Few laboratories, however, have designed prototypes with an eye toward safe disposal once the products have reached the end of their life cycle...A mass consumer market for e-textiles without an integrated understanding of safe disposal methods raises serious questions about the depletion of resources and effects on human human health, Mr. Köhler suggests...

Read more at the New York Times

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