Flavia Papile

This paper proposes an integrative and flexible categorisation framework for early-stage material exploration in design-oriented contexts. The framework responds to the growing complexity of contemporary material landscapes, where conventional taxonomies and material databases often fail to adequately represent emerging, non-conventional, and sustainability-oriented materials. To develop the proposal, the authors conducted a critical review of 35 international material libraries, both physical and digital, and identified significant heterogeneity in categorisation criteria, as well as major gaps in the treatment of life-cycle-related information, aesthetic and sensorial characteristics, and less conventional material classes. The framework was then iteratively drafted, tested, refined, and consolidated through collaborative discussion among the authors and a pilot application involving 110 material case studies, with particular attention to recent and innovative materials. The resulting structure is designed to guide the organised and consistent comparison of material case studies in the early stages of the design process and, eventually, support the organisation of repositories of knowledge and material references. To do so, the framework integrates general information, material classification, technical data, aesthetic-sensorial characteristics, composition, life-cycle-related aspects, certifications, and links to the Sustainable Development Goals. Unlike late-stage selection tools focused mainly on engineering performance, the proposed framework is intended to support holistic exploration when uncertainty is high and information is often incomplete. Its modular and adaptable structure makes it suitable for use in design education, academic research, professional practice, and corporate R&D. By promoting clearer terminology, greater comparability, and more comprehensive material descriptions, the framework aims to become a practical tool for navigating the rapidly evolving field of materials and for supporting more organised case studies exploration and categorisation.

In the contemporary educational landscape, quality education requires a shift toward pedagogical models that develop knowledge and prepare students for the complexities of professional careers. This manuscript is an exploratory investigation of an educational innovation centred on podcast production within a Master of Science course (21 students). By moving beyond traditional oral assessment, this intervention fosters active learning and soft skills, such as metacognition, scientific communication, and collaborative problem-solving, which are essential for contributing to a sustainable society. The study examines the translation of a written technical essay on sustainable materials into digital storytelling. Students engaged in a multi-stage process of research, synthesis, and peer review. Marks across three consecutive course editions using the same evaluation rubric were compared, and qualitative feedback was gathered from 15 students through a questionnaire. The learners reported enhanced topic mastery (93.3%) and critical thinking (80%). By bridging the gap between academic research and non-specialist communication, this activity provides a scalable model across diverse disciplines. This research showcases how podcasting can overcome traditional learning barriers, ensuring that higher education remains responsive to the evolving requirements of our global society.

The textile sector is widely recognised as one of the most environmentally impactful industries, contributing substantially to greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption, and chemical pollution. A significant share of these impacts stems from the production, use, and end-of-life of the materials employed in fashion garments. Extending garment lifetimes thus represents a central challenge in the fashion industry’s transition toward circularity. Although durability is acknowledged as a key principle of the circular economy, design practice often struggles to translate material performance into actionable ecodesign strategies to promote “use for longer” behaviours. In this context, ecodesign, understood as the integration of life-cycle thinking into product development, is increasingly emerging both as a regulatory requirement and as a strategic opportunity for textile manufacturers. This paper analyses the main regulatory frameworks for ecodesign in textiles. It examines relevant certification schemes, outlining key design principles through their integration with material-related information and material selection methodologies. By investigating how technical and sensory attributes of materials are addressed in fashion design practice, the study explores how these insights can inform ecodesign strategies that support both physical and emotional durability in fashion garments, ultimately guiding practitioners toward a more informed material selection process. Finally, the paper proposes a structured methodology for integrating ecodesign-driven material selection into industrial practice and presents a mock-up tool to support its implementation. The discussion highlights the opportunities and challenges associated with the proposed approach.

The Textiles and Clothing sector is increasingly focused on transitioning towards circular production, with industrial companies striving to integrate sustainable practices. Achieving this goal can involve the rapid adoption of innovative raw fibers (e.g., biodegradable and biobased materials) and maximizing the use of recycled and recyclable fibers. This implicitly demands acting on the total transparency of information along the complex supply chains in this sector to guarantee the correct adoption of these innovative fibers. It is precisely this complexity that hinders efforts to track and accurately disclose material usage. To address this issue, this paper presents a systematic literature review to explore the main challenges in adopting technologies like digital product passports, which can help track materials information along supply chains to support sustainable transitions. The analyzed articles were selected by excluding student thesis works, non-retrievable articles, papers that had a different focus, and literature published before 2020 or in non-institutional journals. The 53 resulting contributions are analyzed through a thematic analysis and discussed, focusing on identifying key material-related data that should be monitored to ensure responsible material use and strengthen sustainable production practices in the Textiles and Clothing sector, thereby guaranteeing control over material use and preventing premature disposal.

The Textiles and Clothing sector is increasingly focused on transitioning towards circular production, with industrial companies striving to integrate sustainable practices. Achieving this goal can involve rapidly adopting innovative materials, meaning using innovative raw ones and maximising the use of recycled and recyclable fibres. This implicitly means acting on the total transparency of information along the entangled supply chains in this sector. It is precisely this complexity that hampers efforts to track and disclose material usage accurately. To address this issue, this paper presents a systematic literature review to explore the main challenges in adopting technologies like digital product passports, which can help track materials information along supply chains to support sustainable transitions. The review's findings are discussed, focusing on identifying key material-related data that should be monitored to ensure responsible material use and strengthen sustainable production practices in the textiles and clothing sector to guarantee control over the use of materials and prevent their early dismissal.

Textile ecosystems are complex productive realities, in the eye of the cyclone when it comes sustainability-related analysis. Being characterised by very complex value-chains and interconnection of productive actors, textiles production and use represent one of the most crucial challenges for the circular and sustainable transition. Their deployment is esteemed to be in growing for the next years, therefore reflections on how to improve product and materials circularity in this sector is of increasing interest in research and industrial practice. In this contribution, authors will try to map the material properties that can influence textiles application in the fashion sector, focusing on the coupling of material selection activity and application of design strategies to anticipate at best the reflections upon textiles use and recirculation. Results of this activity are then shown and discussed to question the applicability of the reported data into a fashion design activity, to promote awareness and critical reflections upon materials use while designing new fashion goods.

This contribution presents an approach for studying and understanding bacterial cellulose (BC) as a growing material (GM) to be produced, optimized and controlled for potential applications in the design field. The dialogic exchange between the world of design and that of applied sciences led research groups to envision, as a promising environment, the practice of growing materials instead of extracting them. This research has been structured to explore and verify the possibilities offered by design, as an experimental and holistic discipline, in the management of GMs, and specifically of BC. Through a detailed experimental setup and in-depth observation of the materials, a procedure to grow repeatable samples of BC is presented. Several progressive attempts were made and reported to define a precise procedure to grow BC. Potential improvements to the growing techniques and future developments of the work are discussed in the final part of the article, defining possible directions for the research in the design field.

Design can play a fundamental role in addressing the climate crisis and preserving the planet’s finite resources. Through design, it is possible to reduce the environmental impact of products and services right from concept stage. The elements that concur within a project are diverse and often have an impact on each other. The material is one of them, being able to influence the product, but also the business model, company relations, etc. To help the designer keep all these aspects under control, various methodologies and tools have been developed, among them design strategies and guidelines. To date, several authors have dealt with the topic, offering different perspectives and generating a critical mass of information, which differs in the level of depth and operability of the suggestions, often differing only in terminology rather than content. This inhomogeneity can confuse both professionals and students. This study proposes an ordered taxonomy of the different levels of detail and a unified terminology of the strategies and guidelines in the literature. To test taxonomy and systematisation, this article focuses on guidelines for material choice, resulting in a framework to guide the selection of materials with a view to sustainability.

Packaging waste correct sorting hugely impacts fiber-based packaging circularity. Currently, this is more crucial than ever, also due to the increased market share of fiber-based packaging. This study evaluated the relationship between the aesthetic properties and user material sorting actions of lightweight dispersion-coated and uncoated paper substrates. Unlike previous literature, no labeling or graphics were involved in this study, focusing on the physical and aesthetic properties of both coatings and substrates. Untrained panelists participated in a multi-phase (descriptive and hedonic) analysis involving a questionnaire and antonym scales about samples’ visual and tactile properties, which were also characterized. The results highlight a remarkable panelist’s ability to assess the relative gloss and roughness. Perceived roughness and mattness statistically significantly correlated to cellulosic material identification. Moreover, material sorting into the paper recycling stream was statistically significantly regulated by sample mattness, followed by sample roughness. This work suggests that, without any graphic or textual information, the combination of substrate characteristics and coating formulation strongly impacts the packaging aesthetics, hence packaging perception as paper-based material. Consequently, the correct material identification and sorting can be encouraged by proper packaging materials selection and coating development.