VALUE CHAINS

as chains of CHANGE

Understanding urban co-production requires moving beyond abstract notions of “local making” toward a concrete analysis of who produces value, how value circulates, and under which conditions collaboration becomes possible. What is the value chain?

In an urban context, a value chain for biochromes has the potential to reconnect local productive communities and foster a strong maker culture. Such systems can enhance local capacity while contributing to the transition towards a regenerative city.

The local value chain map visualises the material flow of the production of natural dyes and textiles as a circular system. It consists of multiple cycles, each with its own pace and rhythm and every step within the chain represents a distinct area of expertise, where value is added through the practice of the maker before materials move to the next phase. This highlights the importance of craftsmanship and knowledge preservation in sustaining local production systems.

In Local Color we identify 5 key value chains that, together, could cultivate a closed value chain on biochromes. The botanical cycle focuses on the production of natural resources for dye matter and textile fibers, setting the pace and rhythm of production in respectful collaboration with nature. The bacterial cycle showcases the use of pigmented bacteria for textile dyeing, while the food waste cycle explores the potential of reusing food waste as a dye material. The circular textile chain envisions the circular production of textile products and shows the step where the dyeing process takes place. Lastly, the cycle that processes living matter into textile and dye matter is where the magic truly happens. This cycle extends the lifespans of resources and unveils the hidden treasures provided by nature. 

BOTANICAL CYCLE

In local color, the botanical cycle is one of the most prominent value chains that is being explored in the context of the city of Amsterdam.

A variety of textile related resources come from botanically grown materials, think of indigo or woad leaves for traditionally dyeing blue in jeans, flax stems for crafting linen fibers, and many more.

This cycle is dictated by natural patterns, non-alterable or influenceable by human behaviour needs – such as the fast paced fashion requirements. It require us to slow down: to re-sync with natural patterns and rethink our systemic value-chains to include a multiplicity of production patterns. When we deepen into analysing the cycle, we understand the 1-2 years length cycle necessary to produce the dyes and fibers we consume. 

plants catalogue icon

The plant catalogue of Local Color is a resource that offers a starting point into exploring the botanical cycle, guiding the explorer towards which plants can be grown or harvested locally in Amsterdam and what colours these produce. If you are curious about what plants you could start growing, explore some of the plants in this catalogue, while if you are looking for knowledge or an upcoming workshop, seeds or specific content – get in touch with us through one of the links in the footer.

BACTERIAL CYCLE

The bacterial cycle illustrates the research, opportunities and protocols of implementing pigmented bacteria for the process of textile dyeing. Could those single-cell organisms provide more sustainable alternatives to color on a small city scale?

This cycle has been long investigated for its potential in terms of low water use, small scale equipment, easily and safely grown colouring properties. All of the research has been made publicly available through open-source documentation during the Bioshades project. Started in 2015, Bioshades is an ongoing research line focused on knowledge creation, hands-on testing and educational practices led by Cecilia Raspanti at TextileLab Amsterdam, initiated together with researcher Nina Papakonstatinou, TextileLab co-founder Ista Boszhard and other European partners of the TCBL project. During the TCBL period – 2015-2019  – many workshops, events, resources, publications and protocols have been produced, many of which are available on Bioshades.bio. 

Explore the Bioshades research here

To learn more about how to work with bacteria safely, experiment or test this technique on your material, you can join the Fabricademy: textile and technology academy program for the BioChromes week at Waag’s TextileLab Amsterdam – this week is led and taught by Cecilia Raspanti. For custom explorations, get in touch with TextileLab by choosing an option in the footer.

 

FOOD WASTE CYCLE

Although not the main focus of this project, waste streams circulating our city provide a high potential to be used for textile dyeing. Food waste as such is a commonly used resource in the natural dye scene and worth investigating in a culinary-loving city. Especially fruit and vegetable waste is a good source of biochromes. When dyed on mordanted fabrics they create a wide range of bright colors.

Organic waste is not sorted appropriately in Amsterdam, and therefore most of it ends up in the incinerator. The major potential for this organic waste is therefore lost. When using a product that is labelled as having no value, as a source of color. We can extend the potential life cycle of resources that our planet has to offer. Who doesn’t want that? The only disadvantage of waste dyes is that the colors they yield are fugitive. This means that the color is lost over time due to exposure to the sun.

However, dyeing with waste dyes can play an interesting role in changing our perspectives on dyed clothes. Imagine being able to wear the same top in different colors, because you can re-dye it from time to time. Or wearing color-changing clothes in which the top layer of dye is fugitive and reveals the underlying dye after continuous exposure to the sun. Rethinking fashion in this way can create a new relationship between us and our clothes and therefore create a new type of value.

Explore the color possibilities here

 

CIRCULAR TEXTILE CYCLE

This textile cycle includes different stages of circular textile production from yarn spinning to product use to recycling. The textile wheel was developed in the European Union Horizon 2020 project called Reflow by the Amsterdam Pilot consisting of the Amsterdam Municipality, Bma Techne, Pakhuis de Zwijger and Waag’s TextileLab.

The circular textile cycle envisions how to move from a linear to a circular textile flow. Want to know about each step, have a look at the Reflow Booklet.

Download the booklet that describes all stages in detail