Circular and sustainable smart textiles for buildings and living: Challenges, pathways, and perspectives

Over the past three decades, smart or functional textiles have gradually been introduced to the sectors of building and living, fulfilling a plethora of new applications. Although their show great promise for current and future applications in these domains, their application is often limited and hampered by a significant number of factors. Among these factors, a couple stand out in terms of their significance: sustainability and circularity, and functionalization (interactivity), including certification and standardization. A roadmap in these domains is proposed to remove barriers to the implementation and application of smart textiles in buildings and living. This is done by examining the state of the art in smart textile technology, analyzing the developments, setting the ambitions for the future, investigating the feasibility of options, and making choices and setting priorities. The roadmap can be used by industry and the wider community to make smart textiles a societal and commercial success story.