The ultimate sustainability project: "Recycling the Dead"

By 2061 humankind will have failed to harness a single reliable renewable alternative energy source. Much of the fossil fuel supply will be depleted, and what remains will be too expensive for many to afford. As these fuels are depleted, CO2 emissions increase, and rapid global warming will occur. Atmospheric temperatures will increase by 7 degrees resulting in global climate change, large areas become uninhabitable and the population is redistributed. The effects of global warming will affect the climate and our existing way of life dramatically.

Kerry Greville and Coralie Bonnet,  MA Textile Futures

"Salvage explores a pragmatic approach to issues of material scarcity, exploring how cremated remains could be utilised to create woven textile products."

Kerry Greville, MA Textile Futures

Finally fashion is catching up with enviro-fundamentalism: A University of Arts London designer is excited about her project "Salvage - Recycling the Dead": 

Kerry Greville believes that the human body has resource potential after death. The Central Saint Martins student, who's pursuing a master's degree in textile futures, is exploring the provocative notion that we can—and should—extract chemical components from cremated remains. "It is my belief that the only resource we can lay claim to is our body," Greville says. "Every other resource is taken without consent." Just one problem: Humans are sentimental creatures. "Could we allow ourselves to become detatched from our loved ones so that their bodies could be seen as a resource?" she asks.


“As a designer, I am concerned and driven by the ways we are able to detach ourselves from the source of our resource,” the designer tells Ecouterre. “Many in the western hemisphere see humankind as being separate from nature, as opposed to part of it. We identify materials as being ‘man-made,’ [which suggests] that the resources used in the making did not originate in nature. We are at odds with what is and should be available to us.”


The human body, after all, is a gold mine of base and precious metals, including copper, iron, zinc, magnesium, and iron. Extracting these elements for textiles and other products would require us to reconcile our desire for pragmatism with the social and emotional implications of such a move.
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Greville’s line of questioning is only the beginning. “There is much more to be investigated and I hope to continue develop my ideas further over the coming years,” she adds. “The next phase will focus on interrogating the material qualities within the ash.”


Read the entire article here


It will be interesting to see which of the newly "green" fashion manufacturers - e.g. H & M or maybe even Gucci - is going to be the first to introduce an eco fashion line based on Greville´s innovative concept. It is bound to be a great hit in eco trendy environments like Hollywood. 


As for myself, I have to admit that I am not very much looking forward to a future as part of Penelope Cruz´s or Brad Pitt´s - or any other "green" celebrity´s - underpants or other clothing.