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Environmental assessment of Swedish fashion consumption. Five garments – sustainable futures.
... In this context, the challenge of the business model transition is happening through the use of new (Adıgüzel and Donato 2021;Claudio 2007) and certified materials (Ellen MacArthur Foundation 2017), the development of advanced demand forecasting technologies (Hinkka et al. 2015), the reduction of waste, the extension of the clothing lifespan (including second hand) (Carbon Trust 2011;Roos et al. 2015), recycling, and upcycling practices (Adıgüzel and Donato 2021;Kim et al. 2021;Schmidt et al. 2016), among others. Finally, these methods and their results are communicated to a growing conscious society as sustainability reports are available on the brands' websites, the Fashion Pact, Corporate Social Responsibility, and the Environmental Profit and Loss. ...
... In part, the differences can be attributed to the region where the material is produced, impacting the energy mix and waste treatment (Quantis 2018). The LCA for five garments in Sweden (Roos et al. 2015) resulted in most emissions during the fabric production, followed by the use phase and fiber production. The Fashion on Climate report pointed out that more than 70% originated from upstream activities (38% from material production, 8% from yarn preparation, 6% from textile preparation, 15% from wet processes, 4% from cutting), 20% during the use phase, 6% from transport and retail, and 3% for the end of use (Berg et al. 2020). ...
... The investigation specifically looked into various mixtures of wool, silk, and different types of silk fibers, as these inputs were found to contribute significantly to the company's overall environmental impact. Similar strategies involving the partial use of recycled materials and material substitution have been reported in studies by Quantis (2018), Moazzem et al. (2021), and Roos et al. (2015). ...
Purpose
Environmental impacts associated with the fashion industry concern society and require commitment to sustainable development goals from leading companies. The role of the luxury sector in setting trends and negotiating power within the supply chain can lead this industry towards sustainability. This study constructs a comprehensive operational flux inventory attributed to an Italian luxury garment brand, aiming to investigate and propose feasible strategies to reduce potential impacts coupled with their products.
Methods
Under the operational control criteria, a whole year of activities was tracked using mainly primary data from its management system. According to ISO 14064–1:2019, potential greenhouse gas emissions were classified, organized, and processed into six categories. The analysis, at the company level, covered the product’s complete life cycle, i.e., from cradle to the grave. The ecoinvent database considered preferentially local geography, and the cut-off system approach, therefore assigning emissions to the primary user.
Results and discussion
Results showed that the only unit in central Italy where the headquarter is located (excluding retail stores), producing 485,193 women’s clothing in a year, emitted 9804 t CO2 eq. Most of these impacts (69% or 6752 t CO2 eq) can be associated with indirect emissions related to raw products and materials, and about 93% of this amount results from the high-quality products used by the company. Transportation represents 14% of the total emissions, while the use phase accounts for about 13%. As a final step, six different mitigation scenarios were proposed and analyzed by focusing on non-core production activities, i.e., upstream, and downstream operations, and consumers’ habits. Once combined, these strategies can potentially reduce by about 25% the study case company overall emissions.
Conclusions
As a conclusion, exploring possible alternatives through environmental assessment tools can support strategies for achieving impact reduction. While aggressive changes can be done in non-core activities with excellent results, changes perceived by the customers can also be well desired to mark innovation and advances in the business mindset.
... In addition, clothing cannot be properly cared for and disposed of without a lot of thought. This makes fast fashion a major environmental driver (Roos, Sandin, Zamani, & Peters, 2015). Since the sector is seen as one of the most polluting in the globe, it is essential to integrate sustainability-related procedures into the business models of the fashion industry. ...
By being able to fill the gap in product knowledge that is totally impossible to provide in a physical shop setting, fashion retailers are now able to merchandise an impressive variety of goods and products online. Yet, the phenomenal growth of online luxury fashion retailing has not occurred without a unique set of issues in terms of service delivery, product defects and website failure. Even though inexhaustible studies have been carried out in relation to service failure and recovery, the extent to which service recovery needs to be explored so that it is deciphered into a satisfactory state remains unresolved. Drawing on the constructivist perspective, this current chapter provides creative insights into failure-recovery strategies as competitive tools for marketing in the digital age. The closing section contributes to extant knowledge and provides some strategic implications and insights for fashion and luxury brands seeking accelerated success in the online marketplace.
... Global retail volume is estimated to have doubled during the first 15 years of this century (Euromonitor in Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017). Moreover, production concentrates most of clothing lifecycle impacts when a variety of garments are considered (Roos et al., 2015). More garments produced lead to lower clothing utilization and to more textiles ending up in landfills (Niinimäki et al., 2020). ...
This paper introduces the relevance of volume-centric research in studies of clothing use. The global production of garments has grown dramatically in recent decades, bringing along significant environmental challenges. However, knowledge is lacking about why people deal with clothing quantities in such varied ways, and what leads some of them to overconsumption. A review of wardrobe research methods shows that there are various approaches to studying garments going in, around, and out of wardrobes. Gathering qualitative insights about specific garments, such as favorite garments, has been quite common. However, in order to advance knowledge about clothing consumption volumes, it is important to look at the wardrobe as a whole and include quantitative aspects. This paper reflects on what approaches and techniques can be used to that end. The reflections are combined with lessons learned from a pilot wardrobe study conducted in Uruguay, Portugal and Norway in 2022 with 20 respondents, concluding with recommendations for volume-centric methods in future wardrobe studies. Rigorous accounts of all garments owned should be combined with registration of items going in and out of the wardrobe over time in order to link accumulation to production and waste volumes. Methods connecting garment quantities with practices of daily use are particularly valuable. One example that has proven successful is piling exercises, a technique where participants are invited to categorize garments in groups according to specific criteria.
... For example, for clothing libraries, the number of times garments are worn must be higher than if they are privately owned. Further, if shared stock is accessed by car transportation, the benefits of sharing may be negated (Mont, 2004;Roos et al., 2015). ...
... The use of LCA in the denim industry has increased over the last 20 years. These studies are generally carried out to measure environmental impacts on a product basis, to determine and evaluate their footprints [25][26][27][28], and are limited to the reports prepared by denim brands and studies conducted on a specific product [4]. The lack of an integrated sustainability assessment taking the UNEP 2030 SDGs into account and not being associated with the SDGs is seen as an important deficiency in this area. ...
In this paper, within the framework of increasing the contributions to sustainable development goals and reducing the water footprint, the sustainable production potential of a factory producing denim fabrics have been studied in association with the sustainable development goals. For this purpose, Life Cycle Assessment and Material Input per Service methods were used to determine the environmental impact factors of the factory and the existing water footprint. Calculations were made in three different ways, taking the factory’s total production capacity, a selected product, and the wet processes into account. Although the sustainable production potential of the factory is demonstrated with the Sustainable Development Goals, it has been determined that the contribution rates differ according to both the calculation method and the production data taken into account. As a result of the evaluations, it has emerged as a more dominant view that the factory’s contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals should be evaluated according to the total production capacity. The sustainability evaluation made according to the total production capacity determined that the factory contributed approximately 12% to Sustainable Development Goal 12 in the period examined, according to both Life Cycle Assessment and Material Input per Service methods. Although there is inconsistency in the Life Cycle Assessment and Material Input per Service method results, it was predicted that there are economic and environmental gain potentials related to Sustainable Development Goals 13, 14, and 15, and the sustainable production potential of the factory can be increased.
... Additionally, it has been extensively explored in the literature. Cotton farming [11][12][13] fiber manufacturing, and fabric manufacture [5,6,14,15] and garments such as T-shirts, jeans, etc., [16][17][18] have benefited from this research. While environmental life cycle assessment has made great strides, social life cycle assessment (S-LCA), a key tool for assessing the social ramifications of a product or process, has lagged behind. ...
As a result of the fast fashion trend, consumer shopping habits have altered, and clothes sales have surged at an unforeseen rate. It is anticipated that this tendency would continue, with a 63% increase by 2030. The textile business focused on long-term solutions despite the fact that rising consumption produces environmental, economic, and social concerns. In addition, customers began to be concerned with the environmental, economic, and social implications of textile products. Cotton has been used to manufacture textiles since prehistoric times and is currently the most popular natural material for textiles. Therefore, it should be closely monitored throughout the period. As an alternative to conventional cotton, environmentally and socially sustainable cotton cultivation variants such as organic and responsibly sourced certified cotton have evolved, and their use is rising rapidly. Furthermore, as the circular economy model gains popularity, academics and business have concentrated on mechanical and chemical recycling solutions to give cotton fiber a second life. Numerous research on the life cycle assessment of these cotton textiles and apparel have been published. According to these studies, cotton production has significant environmental implications because of its high water consumption, land occupation, energy, fertilizer, and pesticide use, all of which can impact the environment and human health. The cotton industry has the greatest impact on water consumption and drought, accounting for 2.6% of global water consumption. Acidification and eutrophication have detrimental environmental effects; pesticide use accounts for 11% of global consumption and roughly 50% of consumption in developing nations. In addition, when energy-intensive inputs such as fertilizers, herbicides, seeds, diesel fuel, and electricity are used, cotton growing is a large contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for between 0.3 and 1.0% of the total global warming potential. Due to the fact that it is cultivated on around 2.3% of the world's agricultural land, it has significant land use potential. In addition, research conducted in the textile industry reveals that it frequently entails a variety of concerns for stakeholders such as employees, local communities, players in the value chain, and society. Despite the infancy of social life cycle assessment research for textile products, the number of studies on this topic is gradually increasing. This chapter examines previous research to gain an understanding of current practices, advancements, and challenges in the use of life cycle assessment in the environmental, economic, and social dimensions of cotton raw material in the textile industry. Existing life cycle assessment studies were extensively described and grouped using content analysis according to the researched sustainability dimension and cotton type. Finally, the current uses, advancements, and challenges of life cycle assessment in cotton raw material for the textile industry, as well as future recommendations, were addressed. It is hoped that the study's findings will encourage others to perform additional research in the field of environmental, economic, and social life cycle assessment.
The textile and clothing (T&C) value chain is one of the most polluting in the world and one that produces the most waste. It is, therefore, important to encourage the circular economy (CE) model in this sector to reduce pollution, mitigate the effects of waste production, and, consequently, increase environmental sustainability. Leveraging end-consumer engagement in a CE mindset in the T&C sector is crucial, as they are the last player in a typical linear value chain. Therefore, a platform that supports and promotes sustainable tasks to manage one's fashion products, through the use of gamification techniques, can be of utmost importance. In this article, we identify impactful carbon footprint consumer actions and solutions for the T&C consumer phase. After that, we survey gamification frameworks for analyzing techniques, at the system design level, which enable the engagement of the final consumer in the CE process. Then, we select and use one of such frameworks, Gameful Design Heuristics (GDH), for defining the gamification structure needed to implement on a business-to-consumer-to-consumer (B2C2C) context of a circular economy process, linking it to the aforementioned actions and solutions. As result, we present a B2C2C circular business process model for the T&C value chain and propose the design model of a gamified platform for the final consumers, which allows them to register the consumer-to-business (C2B) and consumer-to-consumer (C2C) activities, from the circular value chain's business process, and benefit from a game-like experience. All the model features have been mapped to the GDH framework heuristics, validating that it is possible to support a set of defined heuristics of applied gamification for promoting CE in the T&C value chain.
The fashion industry contributes to shaping the state of the planet: impacts of production and consumption of textile fast-fashion are rising, and the growing number of sustainability-oriented actions have not slowed current trends. The industry’s (un)sustainability is mainly researched within two epistemic communities: fashion studies concerned with social sustainability, and circular economy focused on material biophysical and technological aspects of material cycles along the value chain. I argue that this split of social and ecological aspects is the problématique of sustainable fashion, and that the epistemic community of sustainability sciences should turn its attention to fashion.
My aim has been to develop a theoretically informed way of thinking critically about the intertwinedness of social- ecological systems, using fashion as a case study. I combine a social-ecological systems approach with critical realism as a metatheory of transdisciplinarity. My four mixed-methods research papers draw from data and information synthesis, ‘Keystone actor’ and business ecosystem analysis, literature review, analysis and critique of texts that shape theory and praxis in social-ecological systems approaches, and metatheoretic integration.
My thesis provides a better understanding that the depth of fashion’s social-ecological intertwinedness is more than what is observed, studied and experienced. It contributes to a theoretical framework showing why sustainability of fashion needs to be thought of in terms of systems that reflect real connectivity and diversity, supporting fashion industry engagement with intrinsically intertwined material and social dimensions. Bringing attention to this intertwinedness opens up for possibilities and creative thinking for sustainable fashions.
Purpose
The planetary boundaries (PBs) framework suggests global limits for environmental interventions which could be used to set global goals for reducing environmental impacts. This paper proposes a procedure for using such global goals for setting impact-reduction targets at the scale of products for use, for example, in life cycle assessment (LCA) contexts, e.g. as a basis for evaluating the potential of interventions to reduce the environmental impact of products.
Methods
The procedure consists of four steps: (i) identifying the PBs quantified in literature that correspond to an impact category which is studied in the product assessment context in question; (ii) interpreting what the identified PBs imply in terms of global impact-reduction targets; (iii) translating the outcome of (ii) to reduction targets for the particular global market segment to which the studied product belongs; and (iv) translating the outcome of (iii) to reduction targets for the studied product. The procedure requires some assumptions and value-based choices—the influence of these is tested by applying the procedure in a specific LCA context: a study of Swedish clothing consumption.
Results and discussion
The application of the procedure in an LCA context suggested the need for eliminating all or nearly all impact of Swedish clothing consumption for most impact categories. Thus, it is improbable that a single type of impact-reduction intervention (e.g. technological development or changed user behaviour) is sufficient. The outcome’s strong dependence on impact category suggests that the procedure can help in prioritising among impact categories. Furthermore, the outcome exhibited a strong dependence on the chosen method for allocating the globally allowed impact between regions—this was tested by applying different principles identified in a literature review on the allocation of emissions rights. The outcome also strongly depended on the geographical scope—this was tested by changing the geographical scope from Sweden to Nigeria.
Conclusions
The proposed procedure is feasible to use for LCA practitioners and other environmental analysts, and data is available to apply the procedure in contexts with different geographical scopes. Value-based choices are, however, unavoidable and significantly influence the outcome, which accentuates the subjectivity and potentially controversial nature of allocating a finite impact space to certain regions, market segments and products. How to match PBs with appropriate LCA impact categories is an important area for future research.
