Design Life-Cycle

 ENERGY:

Carolina Olvera-Reyes

DES 40

12 November 2021

House of Sunny

The green Hockney dress from House of Sunny captured the attention of the American public in summer of 2020, such as celebrity Kendall Jenner, and Tik-tok influencer, Vanessa Pettorelli.[1] The green monochromatic dress is inspired by David Hockney’s paintings; thus, the dress contains lily pad patterns all over the silhouette to reference him. [2] The company, House of Sunny promotes themselves as an eco-friendly and vegan fashion company. They say they have ensured ‘there’s no unfair or unsafe labor’ on their end, and that they try to get materials that are recycled.[3] It all sounds nice on paper, but so far there has been no proof on their end to substantiate what they are stating. In this research, I am detailing the embodied energy it takes to create the Hockney dress to point out how much of it is needed to make this “ecofriendly” dress. The House of Sunny dress is made from 60% viscose and 40% nylon; therefore, I first uncover the energy needed to create and obtain the primary and secondary raw materials that will later be transformed into nylon and viscose. Then, the energy within the transportation throughout the entire process starting from getting raw materials, to the shipping of the dress to the consumers. Finally, the energy within the waste of the dress and its byproducts.

            Although this is solely focused on the House of Sonny’s dress and their non-eco-friendly energy use to create it, this research brings up the point of holding a company accountable, especially in the 2021 current climate crisis. There potentially could be better methods to create greener materials while also producing a great number of dresses for revenue, but if not, there must be other options to create fashion, while not destroying the environment. This research is meant to inform the public of the toxic methods of a supposedly 100% green and vegan company. It is to hold this company, and all others accountable for promoting themselves as eco-friendly when it is the opposite.

            To understand why nylon and viscose are bad for the environment and is in fact the opposite of being eco-friendly, we need to comprehend how they are made. Nylon is part of a family of materials called polyamides, but the specific type of nylon that is used for yarn is Nylon-6.[4] These polyamides only come from toxic fossil fuels like coal, crude oil, and natural gas. Nylon-6 is a homopolymer produced from ring opening polymerization of ε-Caprolactam.[5] Ring opening polymerization is where the “terminal end group of a polymer chain acts as a reactive center where further cyclic monomers can react by ring-opening and addition of the broken bond to form a longer polymer chain.”[6]  ε-Caprolactam is a monomer, or a molecule, that combines with other like monomers to specifically create nylon 6. Essentially, carbon-based chemicals found in coal and petroleum are placed into a high-pressure, heated situation where a large polymer, or a sheet of nylon, is thus formed.  To make nylon fabric for apparel, “this nylon sheet is then broken into chips, melted, and drawn through a mechanical spinneret to produce individual fibers that are woven into fabric.”[7]

            The embodied energy use during nylon manufacturing is 342 MJ per kg of fiber and processed into fabric.[8] Embodied energy is the energy required to manufacture nylon yarn. This energy estimate does not include the energy in getting the crude oil, because almost all companies who obtain oil are not transparent in their energy consumption.[9] Moreover, the estimates I used for the embodied energy of creating nylon, is based off popular nylon manufacturing methods. The House of Sunny is not explicit in where they get their yarn from or where their manufacturers are located. The lack of transparency from the company furthers the point that this company is not as ecofriendly as they claim.

Viscose is a semi-synthetic type of rayon fabric made from wood pulp, bamboo, eucalyptus, or any hardwood.[10] The first step for this viscose process begins with obtaining the raw materials of hardwood. The wood that will be de harvested and debarked typically come from hardwood forests or plantations.[11] For one hardwood mill, they can use up to 220 kWh/MBF (kilowatt-hour per thousand board feet).[12] Then, the process of dissolving wood pulp and transforming it into fibers uses about 224 trillion thermal units (TBtu) of energy for one year of production. However, the pulp production mainly uses energy from 140 TBtu of black liquor, 24 TBtu of natural gas, and 33 TBtu of wood & bark. Therefore, although a lot of energy is needed for pulp mills, they do create most of their own fuel to use. I do have to note that the estimates gathered for the wood process is for harvesting wood and wood pulp in bulk. It was difficult to find the percentage of energy for only one log and pulping one log.

The procedure used in the mills consists of “purification and separation of the wood fibers, in a series of steps which require steam and chemicals inputs (e.g., sodium hydroxide, sodium sulfide or sulfur dioxide).”[13] The end result of that procedure is brown wood pulp. The brown wood pulp is then washed, cleaned, and bleached.[14] “To create the fibers, the pulp is treated with carbon disulfide and then dissolved in sodium hydroxide to create the solution referred to as “viscose.” The viscose solution is forced through a spinneret, which is a machine that creates filaments, called regenerated cellulose. This regenerated cellulose is spun into yarn, which can then be woven or knit into viscose rayon fabric.”[15]  Although there are many estimates of energy and heat usage, the embodied energy of viscose is 192 MJ per kg of fiber and fabric.[16]

Like the estimates with nylon, the energy is based off popular methods in making viscose. The types and amounts of chemicals used vary according to the process and methods used. The types of procedures for creating wood pulp also varies based on region. For nylon as well, there are a variety of ways it can be made with different chemicals and methods.

With all these numbers, how does it display that the energy usage is indeed harmful for the environment? Viscose uses 192 MJ per 2 pounds of fiber and fabric, and nylon 342 MJ per 2 pounds of fiber and fabric. The Hockney dress is estimated to weigh around 1 pound and made from 60% viscose and 40% nylon. If it takes 192 MJ for 2 pounds of viscose fiber and fabric to be made, 1 pound of fabric would take 115 MJ. Since the dress is made from 60% viscose, I will multiply 60% with 115 MJ and get 96MJ for how much energy is needed to produce the specific amount of viscose in the dress. For nylon, 1 pound of fabric would take 171 MJ. 171 MJ multiplied with 40% nylon would be 68 MJ. 68 MJ is how much energy is needed to produce 40% nylon for the dress. When I add those two together, the production of nylon and viscose uses 126 MJ of energy. So, for one dress it needs 126 MJ of energy to produce the materials. In comparison, an electric vehicle uses around 108 MJ to travel 100 miles.[17]’ The paper and pulp industry used about 14% of all the fuel consumed by the U.S. manufacturing sector. With all these points, there is extremely high energy input into the manufacture of nylon and viscose with a small yield of fibers, not even fabric.

Because House of Sunny is not transparent in where they get their yarn or dresses, it is difficult to create total energy used for the overall transportation. Presumably, the raw materials for viscose and nylon are gathered first and then once turned into yarn or fabric, it is sent to the dress manufacturing location. Once the dress is made, it is then most likely sent to the House of Sunny headquarters, and afterwards sent to the buyer. House of Sunny maintains they avoid air freight; thus, they must transport their dress through cargo ship, truck, or train. If transferred through cargo, a common ship like Panamax consumes 63,000 gallons of marine fuel a day while going 20 to 25 knots per hour. The truck would run on 120-150 gallons of fuel a day, running on chemical energy like the cargo ship. If the train was electrical, it would run between three and five kWh per vehicle mile. According to CSX, a dominant supplier of rail-based freight transportation in North America, if the train was running on fuel, it can run 500 miles on a gallon of fuel.[18]

The energy consumption of recycling or throwing away the dress varies. Yarn is not recyclable, so the only methods of recycling the dress would be using it as something different than its intended purpose or giving it away. Not much energy is needed in this process of giving away one dress, so there will not be an estimate of how much is being used. However, if the dress was thrown away, it would go through the process of being picked up by a waste management truck, and then dropped off at the waste management facility. Thereafter, it would be sorted among the trash as plastic and possibly burned or left alone in landfills. The energy consumption of that process is not clear. Most research articles promote how much waste managements create energy from their landfill, and not how much is used. In addition, clothes like the Hockney dress tend to be left to decompose in landfills and not burned because they are plastic.

There is a clear lack of data on how much energy is consumed with textiles, their transportations, and how the raw materials are received – for many of the topics just a few studies were found, and often only covered environmental impacts. In conclusion, to make one Hockney dress without including the energy in transportation or the process of harvesting wood, would be 126MJ. This includes the energy of making pulp into viscose, processing nylon polymers, and making viscose and nylon into yarn. If I included the energy consumption of wood being processed into pulp, the estimate would rise to 236,333,654 MJ of energy. However, this estimate includes a whole year’s worth of production, so it is not accurate enough. The House of Sunny is greenwashing, which is when a company states they are using ethical and ecofriendly methods to produce their products, but the reality is on the contrary. Although, they are vegan and animal-cruelty free, the energy to make one dress is substantial.

[1] Ernest, Maya. “Fast Fashion Drama: How a Trendy Green Dress Divided Tiktok.” Input, Input, 3 June 2021, https://www.inputmag.com/style/tiktok-house-of-sunnys-hockney-dress-green-trend-fast-fashion-drama.

[2] Cary, Alice. “Kendall Jenner Owns the Cult Dress of Summer 2020.” British Vogue, British Vogue, 14 July 2020, https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/article/dress-of-the-summer.

[3] “About the Brand: London.” HOUSE OF SUNNY, https://www.houseofsunny.co.uk/about.

[4] “Making Nylon 6.” Polymer Science Learning Center, https://pslc.ws/macrog/nysix.htm.

[5] Vagholkar, Parth. (2016). Nylon (Chemistry, Properties and Uses). International Journal of Scientific Research. 5. 349-351.

[6] “Polymer Properties Database.” ROP, 12 Sept. 2019, https://polymerdatabase.com/polymer%20chemistry/Ring%20Opening%20Polymerization.html.

[7] Uren, Ashlee. “Material Guide: How Sustainable Is Nylon?” Good On You, 16 June 2021, https://goodonyou.eco/material-guide-nylon/.

[8] Anne, Patty, and Leigh Anne. “What Is the Energy Profile of the Textile Industry?” OEcotextiles, OEcotextiles, 31 Oct. 2011, https://oecotextiles.blog/2009/06/16/what-is-the-energy-profile-of-the-textile-industry/#_ftnref1.

[9] “RAYON (VISCOSE).” CFDA, https://cfda.com/resources/materials/detail/rayon-viscose.

[10] MasterclassStaff. “Fabric Guide: What Is Viscose? Understanding Viscose Fabric and How Viscose Is Made - 2021.” MasterClass, MasterClass, 12 Aug. 2021, https://www.masterclass.com/articles/fabric-guide-what-is-viscose-understanding-viscose-fabric-and-how-viscose-is-made.

[11] Mathews , Ruth, and Alexandra Freitas. Viscose Fiber Production, Water Footprint Network , 2017.

[12] Lin, Wenshu, et al. “Energy Consumption and Efficiency of Appalachian Hardwood Sawmills.” Forest Products Journal, Allen Press, 1 Jan. 2012, https://meridian.allenpress.com/fpj/article-abstract/62/1/32/136771/Energy-Consumption-and-Efficiency-of-Appalachian?redirectedFrom=fulltext.

[13] Mathews , Ruth, and Alexandra Freitas. Viscose Fiber Production, Water Footprint Network , 2017.

[14] Mathews , Ruth, and Alexandra Freitas. Viscose Fiber Production, Water Footprint Network , 2017.

[15] Sewport Support Team. “What Is Viscose Fabric: Properties, How Its Made and Where.” Sewport, 27 Feb. 2019, https://sewport.com/fabrics-directory/viscose-fabric.

[16] Anne, Patty, and Leigh Anne. “What Is the Energy Profile of the Textile Industry?” OEcotextiles, OEcotextiles, 31 Oct. 2011, https://oecotextiles.blog/2009/06/16/what-is-the-energy-profile-of-the-textile-industry/#_ftnref1.

[17] “Charging Plug-in Electric Vehicles at Home.” Alternative Fuels Data Center: Charging Plug-In Electric Vehicles at Home, U.S. Department of Energy, https://afdc.energy.gov/fuels/electricity_charging_home.html.

[18] “Fuel Efficiency.” CSX.com, CSX, https://www.csx.com/index.cfm/about-us/the-csx-advantage/fuel-efficiency/.

Bibliography

1.     “About the Brand: London.” HOUSE OF SUNNY,

 https://www.houseofsunny.co.uk/about.

2.     Anne, Patty, and Leigh Anne. “What Is the Energy Profile of the Textile Industry?”  

OEcotextiles, OEcotextiles, 31 Oct. 2011, https://oecotextiles.blog/2009/06/16/what-is-the-energy-profile-of-the-textile-industry/#_ftnref1.

3.     Cary, Alice. “Kendall Jenner Owns the Cult Dress of Summer 2020.” British Vogue,

British Vogue, 14 July 2020, https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/article/dress-of-the-summer.

4.     “Charging Plug-in Electric Vehicles at Home.” Alternative Fuels Data Center: Charging

Plug-In Electric Vehicles at Home, U.S. Department of Energy, https://afdc.energy.gov/fuels/electricity_charging_home.html.

5.     Ernest, Maya. “Fast Fashion Drama: How a Trendy Green Dress Divided Tiktok.” Input,

Input, 3 June 2021,

6.     https://www.inputmag.com/style/tiktok-house-of-sunnys-hockney-dress-green-trend-fast-  fashion-drama.

7.     Lin, Wenshu, et al. “Energy Consumption and Efficiency of Appalachian Hardwood

8.     Sawmills.” Forest Products Journal, Allen Press, 1 Jan. 2012,

https://meridian.allenpress.com/fpj/article-abstract/62/1/32/136771/Energy-Consumption-and-Efficiency-of-Appalachian?redirectedFrom=fulltext.

9.     “Fuel Efficiency.” CSX.com, CSX, https://www.csx.com/index.cfm/about-us/the-csx-advantage/fuel-efficiency/.

10.  “Making Nylon 6.” Polymer Science Learning Center, https://pslc.ws/macrog/nysix.htm.

11.  MasterclassStaff. “Fabric Guide: What Is Viscose? Understanding Viscose Fabric and

How Viscose Is Made - 2021.” MasterClass, MasterClass, 12 Aug. 2021, https://www.masterclass.com/articles/fabric-guide-what-is-viscose-understanding-viscose-fabric-and-how-viscose-is-made.

12.  Mathews , Ruth, and Alexandra Freitas. Viscose Fiber Production, Water Footprint

Network, 2017.

13.  “Polymer Properties Database.” ROP, 12 Sept. 2019,

https://polymerdatabase.com/polymer%20chemistry/Ring%20Opening%20Polymerization.html.

14.  [1] “RAYON (VISCOSE).” CFDA, https://cfda.com/resources/materials/detail/rayon-

viscose.

15.  Sewport Support Team. “What Is Viscose Fabric: Properties, How Its Made and Where.”

Sewport, 27 Feb. 2019, https://sewport.com/fabrics-directory/viscose-fabric.

16.  [1] Uren, Ashlee. “Material Guide: How Sustainable Is Nylon?” Good On You, 16 June

2021, https://goodonyou.eco/material-guide-nylon/.

17.  Vagholkar, Parth. (2016). Nylon (Chemistry, Properties and Uses). International Journal

of Scientific Research. 5. 349-351.