Research for sustainable textile fashion

During his years within Mistra SafeChem, Tim Åström has progressed from student to doctor – striving to contribute to a more sustainable textile fashion. In 2025, he successfully defended his thesis on methodologies for screening health hazards in textiles and textile processing.

Until a decade ago, the complex mixture of chemicals in everyday clothing was unknown to the general public. Currently, there are no regulations requiring manufacturers to specify the chemical content of their products beyond fibre composition, and there is insufficient chemical surveillance to identify new substances incorporated into textile fibres.

– As a graduate student in 2019, I was eager to start a project that would have a societal impact and advance our understanding of less harmful materials, accounting for both human and environmental exposure, says Tim Åström.

– During my PhD project at Stockholm University, I was part of a team that improved the sample extraction and analysis of textiles by using thermal desorption coupled with online gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. The design has since been proven applicable to synthetic and cotton fibres, as well as blended polycotton fabrics.

As a result, CEN (the European Committee for Standardisation) has proposed the application as a European standardised methodology. Tim and his colleagues are currently working on an evaluation of the method for analysing premium and sustainable textiles – wool, silk, linen, lyocell and viscose.

– This achievement is one of the most significant for me as a researcher. Another example is my collaboration with the Department of Materials Chemistry, where we demonstrated a safe alternative to upcycle post-consumer polycotton garments. Initially, we extracted cellulose nanocrystals via harsh acidic hydrolysis. More recently, we have used TEMPO-mediated oxidation of cotton to produce cellulose nanofibres.

What has Mistra SafeChem meant for your research?

– I have had the tremendous opportunity to work with top researchers, which has been crucial in maintaining such high standards and achieving impactful outcomes. The collaborations within the programme have helped me to keep the spark. It is so much more fun to conduct research when you can share your findings with scientists who genuinely appreciate your efforts.

In the continuation of Mistra SafeChem, Tim will work on four case studies:

• The first case study focuses on organic synthesis pathways using a sustainable organic catalyst for various reactions.
• The second studies which chemical impurities remain after homogeneous catalysis, utilising metal­organic frameworks as scaffolds during the actual synthesis.
• The third is a collaboration with organic chemists and the industry partner LigniCore to explore the use of lignin as a raw material to replace aluminium or plastics in temporary road signs.
• The fourth study is about how to perform ­hazard screening and toxicity prioritisation of chemicals identified in an upcycling process for post-consumer apparel made from cotton and polyester-cotton blends.

The main focus of Tim Åström's future work will be supporting the life-cycle assessment of synthesised chemicals and upcycled materials.

– I aim to mitigate the transition to sustainable textile fashion, primarily by developing alternative recycling methods that can reduce human and environmental exposure.

This text is from Mistra SafeChem's annual report for 2025. Read the full annual report here. pdf, 9 MB, opens in new window.