Sustainable Fashion Solutions Span Purchase, Use, and End-of-Life Phases

Why It Matters

Understanding the full spectrum of sustainable interventions is crucial for designers and businesses aiming to reduce their ecological footprint. This holistic view allows for the development of integrated strategies that address sustainability at every touchpoint of a product's existence.

Key Finding

Researchers identified 26 specific ways to make fashion more sustainable, covering everything from how consumers buy clothes to how they use and dispose of them, with a focus on reducing harm and enabling recycling or reuse.

Key Findings

• 187 articles were reviewed, identifying 26 distinct sustainable solutions.
• These solutions are categorized across three consumption phases: pre-purchase, use, and post-use.
• Solutions encompass techniques, features, services, and behaviors that reduce negative impacts and promote circularity.
• An innovative framework for sustainable fashion solutions was developed.

Research Evidence

Aim: To systematically review and map existing sustainable solutions within the fashion industry across consumer consumption phases and to propose a future research agenda.

Method: Systematic Literature Review

Procedure: A comprehensive review of 187 academic articles was conducted to identify and classify sustainable fashion solutions based on consumer behavior and consumption phases (pre-purchase, use, post-use).

Sample Size: 187 articles

Context: Fashion Industry, Sustainable Consumption

Design Principle

Holistic Product Lifecycle Sustainability: Design for sustainability must encompass pre-purchase considerations, responsible use, and effective end-of-life strategies.

How to Apply

When designing a new fashion product or service, map out potential sustainable solutions across the entire lifecycle, from sourcing and production to consumer engagement and disposal, using the identified categories as a guide.

Limitations

The review is based on existing literature, and the effectiveness or scalability of some identified solutions may vary. The focus is on documented solutions, potentially overlooking emerging or niche practices.

Student Guide (IB Design Technology)

Simple Explanation: There are 26 different ways to make fashion more eco-friendly, from how it's made to how people use it and what happens when they're done with it.

Why This Matters: Understanding the full range of sustainable practices helps you make more informed design decisions that have a positive environmental and social impact.

Critical Thinking: How can designers proactively influence consumer behavior during the 'use' and 'post-use' phases through thoughtful product design and accompanying services?

IA-Ready Paragraph: This research highlights that sustainable fashion solutions are not confined to production methods but extend across the entire consumer journey, encompassing pre-purchase choices, responsible use, and effective post-use management, with 26 distinct strategies identified to mitigate environmental and social impacts and promote circularity.

Project Tips

• When exploring sustainability in your design project, consider the entire lifespan of your product, not just its creation.
• Research specific sustainable solutions (e.g., material choices, repair services, recycling programs) relevant to your design context.

How to Use in IA

• Cite this research when discussing the importance of a holistic approach to sustainability in your design project, referencing the identified solutions and consumption phases.

Examiner Tips

• Demonstrate an understanding of how design choices impact sustainability throughout the product's lifecycle, not just in its initial form.

Independent Variable: ["Consumption Phase (pre-purchase, use, post-use)","Type of Sustainable Solution (technique, feature, service, behavior)"]

Dependent Variable: Impact on garment sustainability (mitigation of negative impacts, product circularity)

Strengths

• Comprehensive systematic review methodology.
• Development of a novel framework for sustainable fashion solutions.

Critical Questions

• To what extent are these 26 solutions currently implemented in the fashion industry?
• What are the primary barriers to the adoption of these sustainable solutions by both businesses and consumers?

Extended Essay Application

• An Extended Essay could investigate the feasibility and impact of implementing a specific set of these sustainable solutions within a niche fashion market segment.

Source

Mapping sustainable options in the fashion industry: A systematic literature review and a future research agenda · Sustainable Development · 2024 · 10.1002/sd.3129