Negotiating new relations
New relations between value creation from the field, production, and consumption—with focus on textile applications
Almost no other sector depends as heavily on biodiversity, healthy soils, a stable climate, and clean and sufficient water as agriculture does. At the same time, driven by a linear consumer society, agriculture has a massive impact on ecosystems, thereby threatening its own very foundation. The master’s thesis “negotiating new relations” examines these relationships between “Stadt, Land, Fluss” and proposes new ways of consuming, producing, and creating value.
| student: | Jolanda Schultrich |
| mentored by: | Prof. Mareike Gast |
| year: | 2026 |
| level: | Master Thesis |
The master’s thesis “negotiating new elations” uses examples to explore what agriculture of the future might look like. This approach not only ensures food security but also offers opportunities for resource creation. Regional paludiculture, climate-resilient crop rotations involving hemp, and chitosan refineries that utilize residual materials provide valuable resources for textile applications. Hemp fibers, chitosan, and cattail seed wool substitute for fossil-based textile coatings or down fillings and form new material relationships with one another. For example, chitosan can partially reinforce the hemp fabric, enabling cutting, pattern printing, or the reinforcement of hem edges. This is demonstrated in the design of a sleeping bag:
the lining and outer fabric are made of hemp fabric, whereby the latter is coated with a thin layer of chitosan. This makes the fabric more durable, water-repellent, and less prone to stains. In between lies a nonwoven made of needle-felted cattail seed wool and wool. Production steps build on existing processes or are automated using CNC felting machines, extruders, and laser cutters. Pattern pieces and chitosan details can be coated and cut out in a single step—eliminating the need for time-consuming hemming. The individual production locations and steps can be tracked in a digital resource passport. This results in a new interplay between value creation, production, and consumption.