Every year, 350,000 tonnes of clothing is added to UK landfill. Extending average clothing lifetimes is the most effective strategy in reducing the overall environmental impact of the clothing industry. Generally, consumer behaviour favours low price, lower quality, fast turnaround clothing and many items are unworn because they no longer fit or have become outdated. Nevertheless, consumers find it frustrating when garments fail to meet expected lifetimes. Designing products for longer lifetimes has become a UK Government policy objective and part of the SCAP 2020 Commitment, alongside supporting consumers to reduce their footprint. Nottingham Trent University researchers worked with industry partners to identify the knowledge, skills, processes and infrastructure necessary to adopt design for clothing longevity, and exposed the technical, behavioural and strategic obstacles to doing so. These complexities, challenges and barriers will be presented, outlining a tool kit designed to help companies tailor their own longevity strategies
