CHANGEMAKERS

There's no denying that the garment industry is doing damage to our planet, but the powerful forces behind the Zero Waste Design Collective are working hard to make a difference 

- Cassandra Belanger and Hilary Marsh

Zero-waste design has become a buzzword in the sewing community over the last couple of years. Patterns have been popping up and inviting sewists into the wonderfully creative and textile-saving world of zero-waste design. But what is zero-waste design? ZWD develops methods for the design of garments that do not produce waste in their production. This is done through the use of creative pattern cutting and design methods to enable the careful placement of pattern pieces in a jigsaw-like arrangement.

WHY DO WE NEED ZERO-WASTE DESIGN?

It is estimated that the industry produces approximately 400 billion square metres of textiles every year, and an average of 15-25% is wasted on the cutting room floor. For home sewists there ends up being a higher percentage of waste per garment. Sewists are often stuck as to what to do with these scraps and off-cuts that can pile up (there are only so many pillows a person can stuff!).

The Zero Waste Design Collective (zerowastedesignonline.com) was born out of a desire to help tackle this crisis through education and community building. We seek to create an inclusive space where open dialogue happens around garment construction, pattern cutting, design methods and innovative use of technology. We provide inspiration and education on zero-waste design, and we are currently building an e-learning platform to serve the needs of this community.

WELCOME TO THE ZWD COMMUNITY