Synthetic textiles, such as polyester, are resistant to natural degradation and constitute approximately 65% of global circulating textile fibers, posing a significant environmental challenge due to their persistence in ecosystems. The global textile industry is responsible for nearly 10% of total global carbon emissions annually and increasing environmental waste. One emerging solution to the industry’s negative environmental impacts is bio-based textile materials that are biodegradable and low-carbon to reduce dependencies on petroleum oil. This paper presents the evolutionary design journey and novel development of earth- and bio-based wearable textiles, coined as BioMud Fabrics, which consist entirely of geo- and bio-based materials. The qualitative and quantitative research-by-design methodological toolkit includes material characterization analysis, microstructural analysis using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and macro-scale structural characterization using tearing tests following ASTM D5587. The developed fabrics were then applied in a series of speculative design demonstrations with fashion design serving as a central case study. This research uniquely combines material science and engineering with exploratory fashion design and architectural practices with the goal of offering radically innovative biomaterials in an effort to shift towards a more circular material paradigm.

This perspective explains why the lack of regulation around bioplastics remains a hurdle for the successful development and implementation of a legally binding agreement (the Global Plastics Treaty) by the United Nations Environment Assembly to curb plastic pollution by 2024. For example, bioplastics have been marketed to consumers as the panacea solution to our plastic waste crisis. Of the >400 million tonnes of plastics produced each year, <1% are bioplastics, but the market value of bioplastics is expected to grow. The rapid growth of the environmentally ‘sustainable’ plastic market has resulted in an overwhelming variety of products with different properties and labels, which has led to widespread public confusion, particularly about disposal guidelines. The umbrella term of ‘bioplastics’ describes plastics that can be fully or partially sourced from biological matter, unlike conventional petroleum-based plastics. Within this family of plastics, products can be ‘biodegradable’, ‘oxo-biodegradable’ and ‘compostable’ depending on their chemical composition and the external conditions required at disposal (end-of-life). However, cases of petroleum-based biodegradable plastics have been referred to as bioplastics, which is inaccurate. Overall, this lack of regulation remains a hurdle for the successful development and implementation of the Global Plastics Treaty.