Invited Speaker: Jessica Saunders

Jessica Saunders is an experienced educator and designer who has mentored many successful students into the fashion industry with an ethical, environmental and innovative focus.  Currently a Programme Director of Fashion at London College she brings industry insight and understanding from couture to the high street from 12 years as an international fashion model, and her own fashion start-up which was one of the first online fashion labels.  Her work with Isabella Blow allowed her to experiment with a range of materials and processes.  Jessica currently sits on the BSI Committee for the electronic environment and nanomaterials which is in line with her PHD research on e-textiles waste policy. Her research has been widely disseminated through conferences and consultations with policy makers, researchers and recyclers.  Jessica is a CMI Chartered Manager and holds a highly commended Green Gown Award for embedding sustainability in the curriculum and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. – To me sustainability means respecting the interconnection between our actions and the environment, shifting towards an eco-system where industry, livelihoods and natural systems work in synergy and move away from toxic and detrimental practices.

Title of presentation: The Future of E-Textiles Waste

Anticipating E-Textile Waste: The Need for Targeted Policy to Address Emerging Toxic Material Streams.

E-textiles contain a novel combination of materials, electronics, textiles and nanomaterials posing a challenge for their safe disposal and recovery, as they become more efficient, scalable and complex. The textiles and electronics industries are producing growing volumes of waste which is going to landfill, incineration, or exported abroad, divesting responsibility overseas, despite debate, initiatives, directives, standards, guidelines, and global awareness. Recyclers and waste management providers are struggling to keep up with “Ghosts of Christmas past” older versions of electronic devices, let alone novel devices. There is currently little obligation to collect and dispose of complex textiles and  textiles recyclers are unaware of the hazards of e-textiles, particularly the dangers of battery fires in sorting and processing facilities. Knowledge of the long-term effects nanomaterials on human, animal and plant life is limited but research shows they are harmful in quantities. If no action is taken, the commercial production of medical devices, military equipment, sportswear and ultimately fashion will expand rapidly before end-of-life solutions are in place. Prior to e-textiles becoming a waste problem, this talk will discuss whether new products placed on the market should be designed with a plan for end-of-life actions within a waste framework. Setting out recovery and waste solutions now will divert future waste going to landfill and anticipate and avert a future waste and health crisis.  It will also incentivise the development of a viable waste and recycling infrastructure with funded research into technologies and mechanisms for recovery. 

Further Presentations:

Triboelectric Nanogenerator Based on Woven Graphene Textile Electrode and Beeswax Triboelectric Layer Latifah Salem Alrabie, Evgeniya Kovalska, Ana I.S. Neves, Saverio Russo, Monica F. Craciun – University of Exeter

In this work, we present a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) device that combines commercially available woven graphene textiles, composed of polyester and polyamide fabrics, with a sustainable beeswax layer serving as the positive triboelectric material. This is paired with polytetrafluoroethylene as negative triboelectric material and copper as the second electrode. The TENG operates in a vertical contact-separation mode, leveraging the high electrical conductivity and mechanical flexibility of textile-based graphene electrodes, along with the scalability of textile materials, for efficient energy harvesting and seamless integration into wearable and soft electronic systems. Electrical performance testing across textile variants with different material compositions, fiber dimensions and weave densities revealed that higher-density woven structures significantly enhanced the device’s power output. The best-performing configuration achieved a peak power density of 140 mW/m² at 1 Hz under a 300 MΩ load resistance. The use of off-the-shelf graphene fabrics ensures consistent material quality, process compatibility, and reproducibility, which are key advantages that, combined with a sustainable and fabric-integrated design, make this approach highly promising for scalable next-generation TENGs in soft robotics, wearable electronics, and self powered sensing applications.

Development of Carbon-Based Screen-Printed Designs for Electrically Heating Textiles Liza Helen Kuttappassery, Janne Halme – Aalto University

In the dynamic landscape of smart textiles, this research addresses a critical issue – the pervasive use of metallic conductors in electronic textiles. We aim to replace these conventional materials with carbon-based alternatives to advance a new era of innovation and sustainability in electronic textiles. This project combines printing techniques, electrothermal measurements, and benchmarking analysis to develop carbon-based printed designs on textiles while focusing their initial application on electrically heating fabrics. We have developed carbon-based heating elements with very good thermal performance that could be used as a replacement for the metalbased heating elements that are commonly seen in the commercial products. The outcome of this project pioneers non-metallic electrically conducting textiles for the evolving heating textiles market. This endeavor strongly aligns with global sustainability objectives and addresses pressing environmental concerns.

Textile Organic Electrochemical Transistors: Advancing Biosensing with E-Textiles Rike Brendgen, Laurence Jorissen, Arij Diraoui, Anne Schwarz-Pfeiffer – Hochschule Niederrhein

Smart textiles for healthcare applications require reliable, wearable biosensors and robust tools to evaluate their performance under realistic conditions. Existing measurement setups for textile organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) are stationary and impractical for flexible, real-world use. To address this, we developed a portable, Bluetooth-enabled evaluation unit capable of applying voltages, measuring currents, and wirelessly transmitting data to custom software for real-time control and analysis. This unit was benchmarked against a commercial source measuring unit (SMU) and showed excellent agreement in both static and dynamic measurements. Using the system, we investigated different gate electrode morphologies (plain weave, non-woven, ripstop) and biopolymer-based electrolytes (alginate, iotacarrageenan) to study their effects on transistor performance. The results revealed a strong dependence of device behaviour on gate material structure and electrolyte containment, highlighting issues such as parasitic processes in porous configurations. These findings confirm the critical role of material selection in textile OECT design and demonstrate that the new evaluation unit provides a reliable platform for in-depth performance analysis. This work lays the foundation for future optimisation of textile biosensors and marks a step toward their integration into wearable healthcare systems.

Sustainable Adhesive Textile Patch for High-Density Electromyography, Temperature and Motion Measurement Marta Midão, Kevin Rodrigues, José Gonçalves, Sílvia Rodrigues, Francisca Marques, Pedro Magalhães, Marcos Liberal, Maria Lua Nunes, Sofia Rodrigues, Anabela Santos, Rafael Aguiar, Miguel Correia, Aritz Retolaza, Patrícia Sousa – CeNTI

High-density electromyography (HD-EMG) has become a critical tool in muscle monitoring, offering more detailed insights into muscle activity compared to traditional EMG techniques. However, existing HD-EMG devices face challenges such as size, weight, high cost, limited flexibility, and discomfort, which hinder their use in rehabilitation. To address these limitations, the HfPT PPS A3.2.1 project develops a novel wearable textile adhesive patch with HDEMG sensors for upper and lower limb rehabilitation. The proposed system integrates a textile matrix with 16 printed electrodes, a temperature sensor, and inertial sensors to monitor muscle activity, temperature, and movement in a lightweight and flexible form. The biocompatible adhesive ensures optimal skin contact, eliminating the need for bulky cables or electronics. A mobile application provides real-time data to users and healthcare professionals, improving the convenience and effectiveness of rehabilitation programs. Additionally, the project explores the use of biodegradable substrates and biocompatible adhesives to enhance both device performance and sustainability.