Françoise Adler

Françoise Adler is a Lecturer and Senior Research Associate at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts - Design & Art, where she has been working since 2007 in the Product & Textile research group. She also teaches at the University of Art and Design Linz in the Fashion & Technology department. Her work focuses on bridging design, technology, and sustainability in the textile industry.

• Completed diploma in stage dance at Arts Educational Schools London
• Studied product and industrial design with focus on textile design at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts
• Received "zeugindesign Prize" for diploma thesis "Les rêves de Geneviève" (2005)
• Currently pursuing dissertation in textiles and sustainability in collaboration with University of Art and Design Linz

Françoise Adler's research centers on design, technology, circularity, and sustainability in the textile industry. She explores new roles of design, associated knowledge fields, and industrial processes for a circular and sustainable textile future. Her professional skills include design and sustainability, collecting/sorting/recycling old textiles, design and technology integration, and digital printing processes. She investigates how design can enable consistently sustainable textile products through innovative approaches to material flows and production systems.

Her recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on circular design strategies for textiles, with particular emphasis on lifecycle assessment, material innovation, and ecosystem design. The Texcircle project appears as a central theme across multiple publications, exploring how to create circular ecosystems in the textile industry. Her work bridges practical design approaches with sustainability metrics, showing how design decisions impact environmental outcomes throughout product lifecycles.

Scientific Awards

• Best Research on Sustainability (2022) for "A practiced-based approach for sustainable product design decisions"
• Winner Kategorie Research Edition 2015 for DAFAT research project
• Nomination Eidgenössischer Preis für Design 2006 for "Les rêves des Geneviève"
• Nomination anabelle Award 2005 for "Les rêves de Geneviève"
• Winner zeugindesign-preis (2005) for diploma thesis "Les rêves des Geneviève"

Adler leads multiple Innosuisse research projects including Circle Up Textiles (CUT) 2, Mono.Loop.Poly, Zürcular, and Texcircle, collaborating with industrial partners from textile, product, recycling and machinery sectors. Her research has secured significant funding for sustainable textile innovation, focusing on practical applications that bridge design theory with industrial implementation. She has developed design decision tools that help product developers make more sustainable choices throughout the product lifecycle.

As part of the Product & Textile research group at Lucerne University, Adler works on numerous projects including Smart Ennoblement Factory, Textile Remanufacturing 2.0, and Digital Model for environmental impact assessment in circular textile chains. Her team collaborates with various research partners from universities and industry to develop practical solutions for sustainable textile production and recycling systems.