Clothing longevity perspectives: exploring consumer expectations, consumption and use

The production, distribution, use and end-of-life phases of the clothing lifecycle all have significant environmental impacts, but complete lifecycle assessment has identified that extending the active life of garments through design, use and re-use is the single most effective intervention in reducing the overall impact of the clothing industry (WRAP, 2011). In response, Government funded clothing longevity research seeks to develop and test industry-led design strategies to influence and enable consumers to keep garments in active use for longer (Cooper et al., 2014). While recent UK research has indicated significant potential to influence more sustainable consumer behaviour (Langley et al., 2013; YouGov, 2012), up-to-date qualitative research is required to discover how consumer attitudes, expectations and behaviours in relation to clothing lifetimes affects garment care and clothing use. This will help to inform industry-led strategies by understanding where effective changes can be made that will potentially have most impact. This paper presents preliminary findings from a Defra funded action based research project, ‘Strategies to improve design and testing for clothing longevity’. Qualitative research methods are used to explore consumer attitudes, expectations and behaviours at purchase, use and disposal stages of garment lifetimes, and gather data on practices of garment wash, wear, care and maintenance in everyday life. The research findings are discussed in relation to industry-led strategies aimed at extending the life of clothes

New product development and testing strategies for clothing longevity

Many garments have short life-spans, contributing to excessive carbon emissions, water consumption and waste. This paper reports on a research project which aimed to identify expectations of clothing longevity, examine the NPD process within the supply chain and identify opportunities for change, evaluate the potential for innovative technologies and improved product testing, and explore business practices aimed at more sustainable approaches to NPD. The paper provides an overview of the two-year project, presenting key findings from data collection that included interviews with 31 industry practitioners, three consumer focus groups, three industry and consumer round tables, an expert workshop, and four pilot actions undertaken with UK clothing retailers to evaluate key issues. The research identified and explored themes relating to NPD that could enable increased garment lifetimes, which were consolidated into six areas: the adoption of advanced textile processes and finishing techniques, action to overcome constraints on appropriate product testing, the potential for retailers to influence consumer behaviour, a loss of technical expertise and lack of multi-disciplinary collaboration, failure to embed good practice early in the NPD process, and evidence to encourage retailers and brands to adopt new business models. Industry and government policy recommendations were proposed to improve knowledge-sharing, strengthen the business case and influence consumer behaviour, while further research may be needed on the adoption of new garment and textile technologies, the business case and the global context of the clothing industry

Pilling in knitwear – a clothing longevity problem beyond design

The environmental impact of clothing could be reduced by extending garment lifetimes, and many clothing retailers are now exploring design for longevity as a sustainable approach. In order for products to meet durable design standards consistently, global supply chain processes must be managed and controlled to avoid quality problems and early product failure. This paper uses a single case study to explore the challenges of meeting specified durable product standards in production by tracing and observing the identification and resolution of a quality issue affecting the durability of luxury knitwear. The research demonstrates that new tests and processes could enable durable products to be produced more consistently, but also identifies the obstacles and limitations to implementing these enhanced procedures. The paper proposes that effective production management of durable clothing may be more difficult within global supply chains where differences in business culture, operational practice and knowledge exist between companies. Supply chain models that emphasise shared values, knowledge and information exchange, trust and collaboration are considered as the most effective in delivering sustainable products. It concludes by identifying a range of conflicting priorities between commercial and sustainable practice that must be addressed to achieve consistency in durable clothing production, and makes recommendations for industry and future research

The effect of consumer attitudes on design for product longevity: the case of the fashion industry

Product longevity is a key aspect of sustainability and encouraging consumers to prolong the lifetime of products therefore has a part to play in minimising environmental sustainability impacts. The production, distribution and disposal phases of the clothing life cycle all create environmental impacts, but extending garments’ active life via design, maintenance and re-use of clothing is the most effective method of reducing the negative effects of the clothing industry on the environment. The study took an exploratory approach using mixed qualitative research methods to investigate consumer perspectives on clothing longevity and explore everyday processes and practices of clothing use, e.g. purchase, wear, care, maintenance, repair, re-use and disposal. The research findings showed that numerous factors affect consumers’ perspectives of clothing longevity during the purchase, usage and disposal stages of the clothing lifecycle. The conclusion addresses how these factors can influence product design practice in the fashion industry

Consumption Ethics: A Review and Analysis of Future Directions for Interdisciplinary Research

The terminology employed to explore consumption ethics, the counterpart to business ethics, is increasingly varied not least because consumption has become a central discourse and area of investigation across disciplines (e.g. Graeber, 2011). Rather than assuming interchangeability, we argue that these differences signify divergent understandings and contextual nuances and should, therefore, inform future writing and understanding in this area. Accordingly, this article advances consumer ethics scholarship through a systematic review of the current literature that identifies key areas of convergence and contradiction. We then present the articles in this Journal of Business Ethics Symposium and analyse how these articles fit within the interdisciplinary themes. Subsequently, we develop a transdisciplinary theoretical framework that encapsulates the complexity and contextual nature of consumption ethics. We conclude by outlining how genuinely transdisciplinary research into the intersection of ethics with consumption may develop

Managing sustainability in the fashion business: challenges in product development for clothing longevity in the UK

The production, distribution and disposal phases of the clothing life cycle all create environmental impacts, but life cycle assessment has found that extending garments' active life via design, maintenance and re-use of clothing is an effective method of reducing the environmental sustainability impacts of the clothing industry. The research in this article adopts a qualitative methodology focused on interviews with stakeholders from companies in the clothing sector. With regard to actions to support sustainability through clothing longevity, a range of responses were analysed thematically, alongside other key issues in clothing longevity, one of the most consistent themes being improvement in knowledge and skills. This study found that challenges to enhancing clothing longevity could be addressed via improved knowledge, skills, process and infrastructure, if managerial decisions were taken to reduce barriers to longevity and to enhance the agency of NPD teams in this respect

The impact of asymmetric supply chain relationships on sustainable product development in the fashion and textiles industry

This research investigates the impact of asymmetric supply chain relationships on sustainable product development in fashion and textiles supply chains in the UK. A qualitative, exploratory, case methodology is adopted by focusing on the experiences of 10 fashion suppliers and two high-street fashion retailers. The research found evidence of both uniform and co-existing asymmetrical relationships between buyers and suppliers and that these exerted a differential impact on sustainable product development and the balance of commercial motivation and sustainability orientation of retailers and suppliers. This research contributes to theory by linking the concepts of asymmetric relationships and sustainable product development processes. Although limited to one country and sector, the findings are of relevance to fashion and textiles suppliers, retailers and researchers, by raising awareness that balancing their relationships and exchanging information more effectively can support implementation of sustainability policies and practice and enhance sustainable business performance