Room1: why do we select this project

Targeting: Human health care and eco-friendly environment

Taking care of the environment is everybody’s business. We only have one Earth and if we don’t take care of it no one will. Don’t set your hopes on your representatives or corporations to fix the environment or do something about the pollution poisoning our air, water, land, and bodies. Many law makers are too busy serving the interests of Big Business or lack a genuine green education and the courage to make a real change.

The healthcare industry itself is a major industrial enterprise in its quest to heal it embodies all the same contradictions of an industrial system powered by fossil fuels and toxic chemicals. It is a significant source of pollution and related public-health impacts. In the context of this larger reinvention, the role of healthcare needs to be transformed and enlarged. Not only do we need to heal individual patients, but also the surrounding environment and the communities that are served by health care delivery systems.  

Why is cotton

Cotton has many benefits that drive this variety of applications.

Going beyond consumer benefits, natural fibers like cotton are renewable and offer greater environmental sustainability than their man-made counterparts. It's almost pure cellulose, with softness and breathability that have made it the world's most popular natural fiber. Fiber length varies from 10 to 65 mm, and diameter from 11 to 22 microns. It absorbs moisture readily, which makes cotton clothes comfortable in hot weather, while high tensile strength in soap solutions means they are easy to wash. Cotton is the world's most widely used natural fibre and still the undisputed "king" of the global textiles industry.

Artificial fibers are the result of reactions with oil-based products. As a fossil fuel, oil is not renewable, and exploration and drilling of oil have many negative effects on the environment. Perhaps a more immediate threat to the environment is the proliferation of viscose rayon, often marketed as a natural fiber. While often purported to be a natural fiber, since viscose rayon starts with cellulose from trees, this fiber is anything but natural, as the process of creating viscose rayon is heavy in its reliance on multiple toxic chemicals.

We believe that cotton fiber has nearly endless potential applications. The continued dominance of cotton in a variety of marketplace uses will allow for continued accessibility for a renewable, sustainable resource for several different industries ranging from apparel to healthcare.

Advantages of Cotton

·         Natural fibers free of chemicals

·         Breathable – Great option for hot weather

·         Hypoallergenic and does not irritate skin

·         Burns as opposed to melts like polyester

Disadvantages of Cotton

·         Expensive

·         Natural fibers wear down faster

·         Holds moisture longer (can be an advantage in hot weather)

·         Prone to shrinking

Optional natural materials

Flax:

Like cotton, flax fibre is a cellulose polymer, but its structure is more crystalline, making it stronger, crisper and stiffer to handle, and more easily wrinkled. Flax fibres range in length up to 90 cm, and average 12 to 16 microns in diameter. They absorb and release water quickly, making linen comfortable to wear in hot weather. One of nature's strongest vegetable fibres, flax was also one of the first to be extracted, spun and woven into textiles.

Linen:

Despite its more than 8000-year history, linen remains on-trend for good reason. Derived from the humble flax plant, linen has clean, sustainable production to add to its biodegradability, durability, light fastness and longevity.

Optional synthesis materials

Polylactic Acid (PLA) or “Corn Plastics”:

Polylactic Acid (PLA) is a bioplastic generally derived from animal-feed corn that can be used for a myriad of different purposes including cold drink cups, deli and takeout containers, and fresh produce packaging. They were derived from a renewable resource. One of the major problems with petroleum-based plastics is that they are derived from oil or natural gas which are only available in finite amounts throughout the world. Eventually, these fossil resources will run out. PLA is derived from corn, a resource that can be renewed annually.