The document summarizes the WEAR Sustain project, a 3 million Euro EU-funded initiative from 2017-2018 that aimed to promote more sustainable and ethical development of wearable technologies. The project brought together wearable technology stakeholders across Europe to address issues like data privacy, environmental impact, and labor practices. It had four main elements: sustainable innovation funding; knowledge exchange events; developing an online wearables ecosystem; and creating ethics and sustainability guidelines. Selected collaborative teams received up to €50,000 to prototype projects addressing themes like reuse/waste, batteries, and data privacy. While schedules delays and production challenges were common, the project helped broaden views on sustainability and ethics in wearable technology development.

1. Ethical and Sustainable Technology Innovation in
Wearables and E-textiles
Camille Baker, Phd
Project Founder and PI for University for the Creative Arts

2. ABOUT
WEAR sustain was a 3m Euro project, funded by the European Union’s Horizon
2020 research and innovation initiative.
Ran from January 2017 to December 2018.
Aimed to engage wearable technology stakeholders to work more closely with
designers and artists across Europe, to shift the development of the EU wearables
and e-textiles industries towards a more sustainable and ethical approach.
Over the two years the program brought together the rich European landscape
of wearable technology and smart textile stakeholders, toward addressing core
ethical and sustainability issues head on from the R&D and design stages.

3. OBJECTIVES
WEAR aims:
• Develop a sustainable European network of stakeholders and hubs, to connect and push the
boundaries in the design and development of ethical wearables, electronics and smart textiles
(wearable technologies);
• Encourage cross-border and cross-sector collaboration between creative people and technology
developers to design and develop wearables;
• Develop a framework within which future prototypes can be made that will become the next
generation of what ethical and aesthetic wearables could/should be;
• Lead the emergence of innovative approaches to design, production, manufacturing and business
models for wearable technologies;
• Make citizens, entrepreneurs and other stakeholders more aware of the ethical and aesthetic
issues in making and use of wearable technologies.

4. ETHICS & SUSTAINABILITY CONCERNS
WEAR sustain focused on the critical concerns of:
1) data ethics
The amount of data that wearable technologies capture, in particular their users’ personal data, raising
ethical issues regarding privacy, ownership, control and processing of this data by the wearables
manufacturers and service providers.
2) sustainability
The combined negative environmental, economic and sustainable impact of the of electronic, textiles
and fashion industries on society. Ethical issues include poor labour practices and conditions within
manufacturing, mineral sourcing and the supply chain.

5. ETHICS & SUSTAINABILITY CONCERNS
Data Ethics and Sustainability Challenges
One of the main challenges to innovation in wearables and eTextiles is that wearable
prototyping takes time and often physical/material skill.
Rapid prototyping of electronics with microcontrollers has become increasingly accessible
through the introduction of the open source Arduino electronics platform, however, the DIY nature
of the open source movements of Arduino and Lilypad make them unsuitable for developing
high fidelity commercially oriented product prototypes.

6. ETHICS & SUSTAINABILITY CONCERNS
Data Ethics and Sustainability Challenges
The WEAR Sustain Network was particularly interested in how such early stage wearable
prototypes which might be created using platforms such as Arduino and Lilypad might be
translatable into commercial ready prototypes at a development stage which might attract
serious commercial investment and funding.
Smart textiles present a bigger risk to the environment than conventional textiles as they
increase the consumption of scarce raw materials and are hard to recycle due to the intertwining
of multiple kinds of materials.
Ethical concerns with the development of wearables and eTextiles are both in terms of the
personal and often private data collected by wearable devices, and also the ethical implications
of the manufacturing processes involved in mass productions of both textiles and technology.

7. .
ETHICS &
SUSTAINABILIT
Y
WEARABLES
ECOSYSTEM
KNOWLEDGE
EXCHANGE
4 KEY PROJECT ELEMENTS
SUSTAINABLE
INNOVATION
SUSTAINABILITY
STRATEGY
& TOOLKIT
Sustainable & Disruptive
Innovation
>>
Next Generation Wearables
|
Wearables Ecosystem
|
New Knowledge
|
Ethics & Sustainability
Guidelines

8. SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION
Art & Tech Collaboration
|
Open Calls
(Cross Border:Cross Sector)
|
€2.4m Funding:
|
48 Innovation Awards
€50k each
|
Prep for market
4 KEY PROJECT ELEMENTS

9. KNOWLEDGE
EXCHANGE
Networking &
Events
|
Symposia
|
Local Meet-ups
|
Digital Platform
4 KEY PROJECT ELEMENTS

10. WEAR ECOSYSTEM
Be part of the next
generation of wearables
|
40+ Network of Hubs
& Advocacy Centres
|
Aesthetic
Ethical Support
4 KEY PROJECT ELEMENTS
The WEAR Sustain Network
is an online ecosystem,
designed to facilitate cross-
border and interdisciplinary
collaboration, enabling
wearable technology and
smart textile artists,
designers, innovators and
other industry actors across
Europe to connect, source
and share information.
https://network.wearsustai
n.eu/

11. ETHICS &
SUSTAINABILITY
Personal
(Data)
|
Environmental
|
Material
|
Critical
(e.g. labour practices,
supply chain, commerce etc.)
4 KEY PROJECT ELEMENTS

12. Funding competition for
Interdisciplinary teams of
Artists/Designers working with
Technologists and Engineers
OPEN CALLS
€2.4m competition
funding generated
46 projects

13. Selected projects received up to €50K
• €25K at start (including innovation vouchers)
• €15K after mid-term evaluation (November)
• €10K after final evaluation (January)
In other words:
A maximum of €50,000 in two forms
• A fee (between €35,000 and €40,000) to be spent for
prototype development and team’s salaries
• Innovation vouchers (between €10,000 and €15,000) aimed
at support
OPEN CALLS

15. Experts working with the
teams.
MENTORS
Mentors are responsible to advise and practically support the selected
teams over the time of their project in their field of expertise.

16. Local ambassador
centres.
HUBS
Hubs are local ambassador centres and form the crucial
structure and the backbone of the WEAR ecosystem in
Europe, during the WEAR project duration and beyond.
Hubs come in all different shapes and sizes, and can be
described in many different ways –(fab) labs, design centres,
maker spaces, universities, incubators, accelerators, etc.

17. OPEN CALLS
Critical Issues
WEAR sought proposals that address vital current and pressing
issues facing European and global society. Applicants had to
engage with one or more of 6 themes in a critical and creative
way, proposing solutions to these issues.
For Open Call 2, these themes are:
• Use, reuse or Waste
• Batteries & energy sources / generation
• Sourcing and life-cycle
• Data collection & Privacy
• Social / Workplace
• Body / Physiology / Somatics
• Open Category
Irrespective of the chosen theme(s), both major concerns
(ethics and sustainability) were to be addressed in the
proposal.

18. Reporting
Throughout product development all WEAR Sustain
projects were required to report monthly on their
progress and challenges faced to the WEAR Sustain
network.
PROJECTS

19. Case
Studies

20. Sensual Wearables
TRL 4: Tech validated in lab.
Challenge: Develop production process to split
development of hardware, electronics and software
between Italy, China, and the UK.
Challenges: Difficulties in cross-border
communication/production processes. More in-person
collaborations would have made the development work
smoother, though at a cost.
Developed: two prototypes with a Chinese electronics
design studio partner and crowd funding business
models. (wisp.me.uk)
Wisp
Wisp’s long-term business vision is to create a lifestyle brand
that focuses on creating accessible, beautiful products for
SENS-tech (sensual tech) sensual intimacy and the
empowerment of women and nudging the general view on
female sexuality into being more open, honest and owned by
women themselves.

21. Ethically manufactured
musical gloves
TRL 7: Prototype demo in operational environment.
Challenge: Develop new version which could be cost
effectively and sustainably mass produced in EU.
Developed: A new production version of their Mi.mu
gloves to be sold at half the price. Undertaken extensive
user testing. Developed business models and
branding to launch the new version.
Challenges: Development and testing delays,
highlighting challenges of rapid prototyping product
development. (mimugloves.com)
MI.MU
Mi.mu Gloves are a fusion of textiles and electronic sensors
into wireless, sensor-enabled gloves for creating and
performing live music through movement and gesture.

22. Non-toxic, biodegradable,
protein-based protective
coatings for smarter textiles
Biocoatile
Biocoatile brings together soft matter physics, biotechnology and programmable knitting to
envision sustainable, chemical-free, smarter textiles.

23. Providing a context for
rich and meaningful
experiences for deaf
women.
QUIETUDE
Jewellery and accessories that enhance the experience
of deaf women in a sound-oriented world.

24. A spinning machine for
sustainable local production
and e-textile research
HILO
HILO is a platform to challenge the process of yarn production in the same way 3D printers
are revolutionising manufacturing. At the core of HILO is a spinning machine for local
production and e-textile research which enables the user to determine properties of a textile
from the very beginning of its production process: the yarn spinning.

25. Provoke discussion about
the production of technology
in an e-textile neighbourhood
shop.
KOBAKANT
MASSSCHNEIDEREI
The KOBA Maßschneiderei is an electronic textile tailor shop where anybody can place an
order for custom-made wearable technology garments and accessories.

26. Natural growth process
giving life to a material
revolution, leading towards
a more ethically &
environmentally
responsible fashion
industry.
MOGU
An innovative approach is the use of mycelium for the development of bio-based materials, to
be used as suitable alternatives to traditional products on the market, whose production and
use negatively impact the ecosystem at large.

27. Multisensory stimulation
and rehabilitation
through textile pattern
making.
CONSTRUCTING
CONNECTIVITY
An engaging, creative, and interactive rehabilitation platform for patients suffering from stroke
and its related physical and mental debilitations.

28. Schedule delays were the most frequently cited challenge
for projects, followed by slow production processes,
problems of integration, and communication problems. May
be due to spread across Europe or cross-disciplinary
nature of the projects.
Challenges faced within the teams such as low availability
of team members, and lack of necessary skills which
highlights the need for hubs of expertise and mentoring
support for such early stage innovative projects.
Materials and rapid production were another challenge
faced by projects including difficulties of material
ordering and delivery, and difficulties in finding materials
to be used. Again, this points to the value of open hubs
and networks which can provide advice and guidance of
material selection.
CHALLENGES

29. Sustainability
Sustainability was predominantly mentioned by projects in
terms of manufacturing and material with only brief
mention of other aspects of sustainability such as economic
sustainability, sustainable business models, or ensuring
healthy lives.
In terms of manufacture, the predominant concerns were
local manufacturing, and eliminating waste. Simplifying
the manufacturing process was also mentioned in relation
to sustainability.
Natural materials and recycled materials were the most
mentioned materials with reference to sustainability.
CHALLENGES

30. Ethics
Primary concern of projects was data protection in particular
privacy issues and anonymising data.
Concerns about good treatment and payment of workers were
raised more times than mentions of open-source design.
The practicalities of signing Non Disclosure Agreements and
informed consent forms for user studies were also mentioned
indicating that practical advice in these areas would be of benefit to
such projects.
Broader ethical concerns such as equal pay or women’s
empowerment and rights were mentioned less frequently.
CHALLENGES

31. Whilst open-source Maker platforms such as Lilypad
and ready availability of 3D printing offer opportunities
to explore wearable interaction, there still remain
significant barriers to moving from ideation to near-
commercial production.
Production delays and misunderstandings will block
routes to growth in the Creative Economy.
Some teams chose to locate production within the EU to
ensure ethical production and manufacture, however,
this can increase production time and cost. Ethical,
sustainable, and traceable global production and
supply chains would need to be developed if the
environmental impact of wearables and eTextiles are to
be mitigated.
SUMMARY

32. FUTURE: SST | SELF ASSESSMENT | NETWORK | SHOWCASE
We are looking
for user testers.

33. FUTURE: SST | SELF ASSESSMENT | NETWORK | SHOWCASE

34. Mentoring and support
services
for selected teams include:
SUPPORT
CATEGORIES
The WEAR Sustain Network is an online ecosystem, designed to facilitate cross-border and
interdisciplinary collaboration, enabling wearable technology and smart textile artists,
designers, innovators and other industry actors across Europe to connect, source and share
information.

35. Experts working with the
teams.
MENTORS
Mentors are responsible to advise and practically support the selected teams over the time of
their project in their field of expertise.

36. Local ambassador
centres.
HUBS
Hubs are local ambassador centres and form the crucial structure and the backbone of the
WEAR ecosystem in Europe, during the WEAR project duration and beyond.
Hubs come in all different shapes and sizes, and can be described in many different ways –
(fab) labs, design centres, maker spaces, universities, incubators, accelerators, etc.

38. Developing a toolkit.
SUSTAINABILITY
& ETHICS
WEAR’s Sustainability Strategy is a toolkit aimed at future art/ design & technology teams
involved in the wearable technology, electronic and smart textiles community, the European
Commission, the tech industry, and other stakeholders.

39. SUSTAINABILITY
STRATEGY TOOLKIT:
Self-
Assess-
ment
FUTURE: SST | SELF ASSESSMENT | NETWORK | SHOWCASE

40. INSIGHTS
Final Insights
While WEAR was an Innovation Action project not a research it was found that:
1. Through mentoring, expert consultations, reviews, interaction amongst members of the
Wear Sustain Ecosystem, views on sustainability and ethics in wearable technology
development are broadened / advanced.
2. Pushing teams – through our Monitoring Committes and team reporting – to find more
rigorous approaches to their design processes, sourcing materials, manufacturing and
end of life options, made them become more aware and dilegent.

41. https://youtu.be/6y3M_FDrQgE

42. THANKYOU!
Camille Baker: Reader, School of
Communication Design, Epsom
University for the Creative Arts
CBaker10@uca.ac.uk
wearinfo@gmail.com
@WEARsustain
www.wearsustain.eu