Which Statement Is Not True About Fashion Business?

Environmental ideals can be applied in other fields (Lite and Rolston Iii 2003) east.thou. in design and fashion. Values and ideals are fundamental grounds for sustainable pattern. Environmental pioneer Viktor Papanek (1995, seventy) argues that "ethics are the philosophical basis for making choices about morals and values". He further continues that "to think dispassionately about what we blueprint and why, and what the eventual consequences of our design intervention may be, is the basis of ethical thinking" (ibid.). Therefore upstanding thinking takes business relationship the moral implications of our actions (Clegg 2011). Accordingly information technology is worthwhile to investigate the value base in sustainable style and farther to consider the consequences of our design and industrial manufacturing processes have in the context of sustainable development.

It would be fruitful for designers to consider whose values are included in the design process and on what basis. It is also good to remember that there isn't any value-gratis blueprint. We should design and construct a new system and footing for value creation, to help us confront future challenges in the fashion discipline. Such a system could serve to evaluate design proposals and their benefits for sustainable evolution in a long term. Furthermore manufacturing processes, business models and marketing ethics could be included in this value evaluation process. However nosotros demand novel knowledge on how to embed the dimension of environmental value and time to come-oriented thinking into the current manner system.

While including the ethical dimensions in the sustainability discussion, we have to start the discussion from values. Values relate to beliefs about expert and bad, right and wrong, and they are the basis that gives management to our moral behavior (e.g. Gibbins and Reimar 1999). Paehike (2000) has listed the core values in environmentalism: firstly, the protection of biodiversity and ecological systems; secondly, consideration of negative impacts on human health; and finally the sustainable use of resource. Moreover he argues that these values are non sufficient, and we must challenge our whole fashion of living: how we organize our societies and how we alive our lives, including new challenges in purchasing and utilise patterns and in disposal behavior (ibid.).

Leiserowitz, Kates and Parris (2006) contend that the most important value in sustainable development is environmental protection. This is a very broad concept and includes many different values and approaches. In addition to environmental protection, in sustainable development there are three key 'stakeholders': people, the economy and society, whose sustainable development also needs to be taken intendance of in the quest to attain a sustainable residue in the organisation. In this process values such as equality, freedom, and republic are most of import (ibid.).

Walker (2007, 70) argues that in the context of sustainable evolution it is possible to add ideological value to objects. This means that through environmental values nosotros can assess products in a completely new way. Through this lens it is possible to value e.g. redesigned objects according to their ecology value. Accordingly eco-materials, leftover materials, recycled products and parts, and a 'classical' appearance tin exist evaluated with the goal of increasing the ecology and sustainable value of the production. Moreover renting, leasing and other actions aiming to dematerialize consumption tin be seen equally sustainable value actions (Niinimäki 2011).

The upstanding and value discussion is complex and hard to practise in the industrial context. Every bit today information technology seems that possibilities in industry to make ecological and ethical choices are limited, designers and producers practice what they can, a state of affairs that can be described equally realistic thinking. This kind of value-based, nevertheless realistic but narrow, arroyo to sustainable mode is the most common arroyo currently existing in the business. All-time practice tin can be defined to mean that designers and companies choose the all-time environmental and social solution that exists (Niinimäki 2013). Especially small- and medium-sized companies have to brand their choices from limited possibilities. Finding suitable eco-materials that can be ordered in pocket-sized amounts, to give only ane case, can be most challenging for minor companies (Niinimäki and Aakko 2014). What an entrepreneur can exercise is thus limited and defined by the resource bachelor as well every bit based on the current rather narrow noesis base. Accordingly bachelor resource create the action framework for sustainable-oriented designers and companies: i.e. what kinds of design and product choices they can brand. The bigger the fashion company, the more than power and possibilities they have to influence sustainable practices in the field. Despite these limitations, it is of import that designers and companies identify their ain value base, act accordingly, and inform their customers about their values and ethical actions (Niinimäki 2013).

New business thinking in the context of sustainability

New radical business concern thinking is needed to create a bigger change in the style field. The economic and industrial systems of the fashion industry are currently based on extremely fast cycles of production, fast-changing trends and planned obsolescence of the products. As garment prices autumn, producers must maintain profitability by increasing the amount of sold units, which has led to a huge amount of style products on the market and extremely saturated markets (Niinimäki 2011; 2013). Nosotros must find new radical means to create a win-win situation for both consumers and manufacturers - for all stakeholders - and for sustainable development. Nosotros need more noesis about consumers and the consumption side to create a sustainable transformation process within the fashion manufacture and business that leads to sustainable consumption practices. We also need to develop foresight and new systemic thinking on how to motion towards sustainable societies, in order to see sustainable practices as an opportunity to design and not to think that sustainability is an obstacle to doing business. Very often, the sustainable business approach is feared to hateful de-growth, merely it can also be seen every bit a new challenge and opportunity to do things creatively and differently (Niinimäki 2013). Sustainable business logic is based on fundamentally dissimilar logic than traditional fashion business and non on the growth logic alone (Fletcher and Grose 2012).

Sustainable values lay the ground for credible and responsible sustainable concern and marketing. Sustainable business organisation and marketing includes non only a sustainable value base only also upstanding consideration. This attribute seems to be problematic for some manufacturers and companies, they do not want to make moral claims about what is right and what is wrong. However, for strategic sustainability thinking, it is important to consider not only what efforts and investments to make but if would it be worthwhile to withdraw from some markets because of ethical reasons or too big social or ecological risks (Belz and Peattie 2011). In this regard, a deep assessment should be made co-ordinate to the company's own value base. Including sustainability in the company'southward strategic planning might open new strategic possibilities but it can also be washed to prevent risks in legal, resource, ecology, reputational or sociopolitical levels (Lowitt 2011).

Every bit the fashion industry is international and global, principles of corporate social responsibleness (CSR) should be followed. Moreover, it is important to remember that consumers' trust can only exist accomplished through open up communication and information and only through real commitment to sustainability at all levels of the company's practices, avoiding too express a sustainable arroyo and a 'greenwashing' attitude. In addition, because of the global character of the mode business, the attribute 'Made in' is today less relevant than the attribute 'Made past', which needs a lot of data gathering about the different stages in manufacturing and communicating these aspects not only to consumers merely also to all stakeholders.

Stakeholders in sustainable marketing thinking are non merely consumers and investors but can also include employees, business partners, suppliers, competitors, regime (through regulations), NGOs, pressure groups and communities. Working with these stakeholders needs consideration of not only exchanges only besides long-term relationships and future possibilities through radical sustainable innovations (Belz and Peattie 2011).

The global fashion business is fiercely competitive, and simultaneously, Western consumers' environmental interest is increasing; in this environment, sustainable business thinking and sustainable marketing offer new business opportunities for the fashion manufacture. As it is challenging to ensure turn a profit with the existing fashion system and current toll levels, it is worthwhile to claiming the current unsustainable business organisation models in manner and rethink value creation from a wider perspective: value proposals from the consumers' side likewise as from the environmental perspective and through creating long-term relationships between business and its stakeholders (Niinimäki 2013). In this context, it is possible to create sustainable value proposals and stimulate new business thinking and business models that contribute to a subtract in materialistic consumption.

Innovation for sustainable business

Vezzoli (2007) argues that radical innovations are needed which practise not only depend on technological development and innovations only also stimulate new interaction and partnerships between different stakeholders every bit well as new sustainable relationships betwixt consumers and products. If we want to change the mode organisation towards a new kind of balance, we need new kinds of radical design and concern thinking. We accept to change the electric current economic epitome, and we have to practise business organization differently than we exercise today. Business and industry have to redefine their tasks more radically in social club to conductor in significant eco-innovations and about importantly all-new business strategies (Ottoman 2011, 90). As Kemp (2008) reports, a primal change is needed to reach systemic alter, only transition faces resistance and information technology takes time to emerge. On the other manus, arrangement level changes can exist based on paradigms, understanding how ideas relate to each other to form accepted models (Fletcher 2008, 73, based on Meadows 1997). As Fletcher (2008, 71) argues 'if we influence things at the level of a paradigm, then a system tin can exist totally transformed'. This organisation level transformation needs questioning current practices and understanding, and further, it needs a new way of seeing and agreement.

When we talk nigh eco-innovations, nosotros mean products, services or processes that offer value not just for both the business and customer but also to the environment through meaning subtract in environmental impact. Sustainable innovation is a larger systemic approach where sustainability thinking is integrated in all levels of the business (products, technologies, services, new business models, organisation model and relationship with stakeholders) (Niinimäki 2013).

The levels of innovation are described every bit follows (based on Brezet and van Hemel 1997):

(1)
Incremental (small improvements for existing products)
(2)
Redesign (major redesign for existing products)
(3)
Production alternatives (new product or service concepts)
(4)
System innovation and pattern for a sustainable society

The commencement level of innovation refers to small, incremental product improvements. The second means redesigning existing products and product processes (east.g. in an eco-efficient way), and the 3rd innovation type aims to detect culling methods of delivering the same role (Brezet and van Hemel 1997). Currently, our efforts in sustainable fashion are between the second and third levels. Nevertheless, these innovation types are not plenty, and we need to move towards more radical and systematic innovative thinking while challenging the whole industry and its electric current practices of doing business.

Tischner and Charter (2001) identify 4 approaches to sustainable design: repair, refine, redesign and rethink. The quaternary approach is the i we should aim for and close to the forementioned organization level innovation. A rethink requires a radical modify in our mind set, and it can offer breakthroughs for new lifestyles, ways of living and doing things, likewise as approaches to fulfil consumer needs in a more sustainable manner (Tischner and Lease 2001). This approach needs strategic innovations that lead to new business organization models. As Tukker et al. (2008) debate, these new practices oftentimes stay in niches for a long catamenia until a window of opportunity opens and their quantum is possible.

For this radical and strategic innovation approach, we need a much more creative way of conducting the business organisation of way. Strategic innovation questions who the customer is, what products or services should be offered and how to offer those products and services (Markides 1997). It is non merely near rethinking the fundamentals on the supply side just as well well-nigh redesigning the business organization on the demand side, due east.g. in the form of the user experience and rethinking value creation moving from product design to systems thinking (e.g. designing product-service systems) or designing products for closed loop arrangement.

Several companies acknowledge that market competition is driven by products' meanings: 'why' people demand a product rather than 'what' they need in a production. As Verganti (2009) argues, people use things for profound emotional, psychological and sociocultural reasons equally well every bit commonsensical ones, and this understanding is most important in creating successful sustainable innovations for business organisation. This deep understanding of consumers also lays the footing for transforming business concern models and creating for example sustainable product-service systems to fulfil the bodily needs behind product employ in a less materialistic mode (e.g. Armstrong et al. 2015).

Innovations for sustainable business in the material and way sector can exist driven by technological improvements or technological innovations (like digital technology), economic changes (new sustainable business thinking and a systems arroyo) or legislation. With regard to legislation, new regulations for extended producer responsibility (EPR), for example, can change the logic in the style arrangement, and preventing and/or recycling waste material might be i future business concern model if EPR begins to cover the cloth and fashion business. Innovation can also be driven by more abstract value issues, east.yard. safeguarding the corporate or brand value from a bad reputation.

Succeeding in innovation in the sustainability context always needs a new kind of concern logic. Driving sustainable innovation, whether to a more radical or incremental path, needs experimental and creative thinking, and this experimentation can get support from lead users before presenting these ideas to all customers. Furthermore, it is important to create networks of sustainable-oriented companies. These networks can support a company's own values-based practices and offering assist in reaching their goals.

Futurity-oriented thinking and collaboration with customers

New kinds of relationships with the customer create new kinds of value in the business organization. Through a deeper relationship with the client, a company can create a long-term dialogue with the end-user and through this dialogue create new business opportunities, new understanding of the customer's true needs and desires and robust understanding of the customer's readiness to modify consumption habits. Simultaneously, the company can communicate its values and practices to customers and thereby create trust and customer loyalty towards the brand.

Through this approach, the company'southward focus moves from a single transaction and short-term economical thinking to long-term sustainable strategic planning and futurity-oriented thinking. Customer satisfaction and customer value will exist at the core of the visitor's practices. Traditional marketing focuses on profit and revenues. Sustainable marketing besides concentrates on psychographic aspects similar consumer satisfaction and consumers' involvement to stay loyal to the brand (Belz and Peattie 2011).

New business concern approaches are possible, but they require radical business thinking, focus on the consumer side and the garment'southward utilise stage and, most of all, consumer satisfaction issues. Co-ordinate to Manzini (1994), to change the system towards sustainability, it is non enough to redesign existing products and brand some eco-efficiency improvements in manufacturing processes if the aim is to reach a more sustainable time to come. Eco-efficiency aims to subtract the environmental touch on of industry while simultaneously using less material while manufacturing more products and resulting in less waste. The eco-efficiency approach also means savings in material, free energy and chemical costs and waste disposal costs (Niinimäki 2011).

On the other manus, by taking consumer-based eco-efficiency into business relationship, information technology is possible to open up upwards opportunities for the fashion business organisation that aim for sustainable consumption patterns. Hence, consumer-based eco-efficiency thinking in business tin transform the fashion system towards re-directive practices that aim for deeper consumer satisfaction and therefore sustainable consumption patterns. Consumer-based eco-efficiency focuses not only on the environmental touch on of the use phase but also on product quality and consumer satisfaction issues (Park and Tahara 2008; Niinimäki 2014). Through the satisfaction approach, value tin be created for the consumer, the company and fifty-fifty the environment. Satisfied customers use products longer, and this is an opportunity to subtract the corporeality of purchased vesture and slow downwards consumption. This is a value opportunity from the ecology viewpoint. Satisfied consumers are loyal customers, and they echo their purchase behaviour and go along buying brands that can provide them with product satisfaction on many levels, and this is a value opportunity for sustainable business (Niinimäki 2014).

Ethicality in production and CSR

In today's reality in the fashion field, more and more than garments are manufactured in other countries, very often on the other side of the globe. Most eighty% of wearable exports are shipped from undeveloped countries to developed economies. For example, in Republic of finland, well-nigh 90% of sold garments are imported from Asian and Far East countries, about 5% from European Union (Eu) and other countries, and only nearly 5% are manufactured in Republic of finland. In this fragmented and globalised supply network, the main event is hazard management. From the recent accidents and fires in Bangladeshi textile factories, nosotros know that the lack of sensation about the weak points in the supply chain creates a reputational risk, at the very least. CSR tackles these bug: i.e. what enterprises' responsibilities are regarding their impacts on guild. Additionally, corporations should integrate social, environmental, ethical human rights and consumer concerns into their strategy in cooperation with their stakeholders. Corporate social responsibleness is used in parallel with the terms corporate citizenship, corporate responsibility and corporate sustainability (Niinimäki 2013).

If the producer wants to address sustainability issues in the supply concatenation to a greater extent, it is important to select subcontractors well and demand good practices. The code of conduct principles help companies in this process, and standards similar SA 8000, ISO 14001 and Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) help when considering environmental and social aspects in design and manufacturing practices. Additionally, the Un has defined ten principles called the 'Global Compact' to gear up standards for subcontractors (https://www.unglobalcompact.org/abouttheGC/thetenprinciples/index.html). These principles take account of issues from human being rights, labour problems, environment initiatives and bug in anti-abuse. Several companies have voluntarily accepted these principles and follow them in their own subcontracting arrangements, for example, Puma, GAP and Nike. Checklists exist where producers tin can selection requirements for their subcontractors (e.g. http://www.csrcompass.com/).

Better than just giving the code of behave list to manufacturers is to work in collaboration to improve the state of affairs. Working with subcontractors and establishing a tight relationship, mutual understanding and trust take time. The producer's goals and requirements in sustainability accept to exist well communicated and preferably based on common motivation. Furthermore, to build motivation, it is uplifting to show successful examples of how to work with sustainability in the fashion field (Kruger et al. 2012).

Companies tin can do good and proceeds groovy advantages by using charity or donation in their CSR strategies. The charity work should be rooted in the companies' actions strategically so that it engenders long-term business opportunities and 'improves the competitive environment through clemency…' (Porter and Kramer 2006, as cited past Kruger et al. 2012, p. 15). It is of import to realise that interim responsibly and promoting CSR do not necessarily mean direct revenues to the company. The motivation to act responsibly is based on values other than economical simply actions might likewise be (or should exist) economically successful in the long run.

The sustainability strategies should besides be included at all levels inside the company. All departments should commit to sustainability practices, and all processes and products should include sustainability principles. Furthermore, the sustainability of business is the virtually important, so the business must be assisting. It is as well important to understand that sustainability and CSR needs abiding evaluation; therefore, it is a abiding delivery and learning process for the company (van Dyk 2008).

EPR extended producer responsibility

Recently, the arroyo of extended producer responsibility (EPR) has gained a lot of attending and discussion in the Eu. Extended producer responsibleness requires the original manufacturer or producer to take back the product subsequently its use. In EPR, the goal is that already in the design phase producers remember about and plan how they tin can reduce environmental touch of the product after its apply. This post-consumer waste matter should exist reused, redesigned or recycled. In this concept, companies are forced to have a waste product management system and preferably take-back systems based on airtight or open loop thinking, or, if not, pay waste handling costs. Closed loop thinking means that all off-cuts, waste and products afterward their utilise fourth dimension are treated inside the manufacturing plant's own processes, and open up loop means that leftovers are handled by some other outside partner (Niinimäki 2013; Belz and Peattie 2011). The principle is familiar in, e.g. electronic products but not withal in textiles.

EPR does not yet embrace the fashion and cloth field but it soon might, and this would modify fashion companies' action logic, equally one-time garments mean extra cost through waste matter treatment. Eu policy aims for waste prevention, closing landfills and effective fabric recycling systems already in year 2016. This would also comprehend textiles and manner. Right now, textile waste ends up in landfills or as energy waste in almost European countries. French republic is ane exception. At that place producers, distributors and importers of clothes, linen and footwear have had to have back old products since 2008. A company has to have a take-dorsum system itself or it can join a scheme, which is accredited by the French authorities, and pay into it (right now EcoTLC) (Tojo et al. 2012).

Extended producer responsibility is a good example how to transform the business and industry and how to include the ecology values in the business logic. It is an case of environmental ethics: how nosotros should take responsibility of our actions and accept account the consequences of our industrial manufacturing and concern logic.

Creature ethics and ethical luxury

Animal ethics are largely discussed in the fashion field, yet the issue is controversial. This word needs philosophical foundation. The moral discussion, whether information technology is morally right or wrong to mistreat animals, has a long history in environmental ethics, longer than any other ethical give-and-take. Already, Immanuel Kant and St. Thomas Aquinas in the eighteenth century argued that information technology is morally wrong to harm animals, simultaneously arguing that animals deserve moral recognition (Light and Rolston 2003). Contemporary philosophy 'Animate being Rights View Ethics' (also known as intentional ethics) points out that each individual (homo or animate being) has rights that should not be violated, and therefore, 'living creatures must never be used exclusively every bit a means to others' satisfaction' (Kruger et al. 2012,133). On the other hand, 'necessary ideals' or 'commonsensical ethics' emphasises that at that place has to exist a balance in the sum of individual's utility/happiness/quality of life, and therefore, animals tin can be used in industrial production but the animals' living situation has to be evaluated based on the same residue as well in the industrial production (ibid.). In the code of conduct by the Trade Association Dansk Fashion and Textile is stated following: 'in businesses where animals are used in labour and/or in the production (fur, wool, etc.), such animals must exist fed and treated with dignity and respect and no animal must deliberately be harmed nor exposed to hurting in their lifespan' (Kruger et al. 2012, 135).

Animal products are used in wool, silk, feather, leather and fur production. Large-scale industrial production causes ethical problems through animals' living condition and, e.1000. while plucking feathers from alive ducks and killing silkworms during silk production. Wool is a renewable cloth and therefore good for the environment, but practices in the wool production crusade ethical problems, east.one thousand. 'mulesing', practised in Australia, causes unnecessary hurting for sheep. In 'mulesing', some pare is removed from the sheep's tail and breech to prevent 'flystrike' (Black 2011, 136).

Some animal materials such as leather come as leftovers from food product, and this tin be seen equally a valuable and sustainable resource in the fashion industry. On the other hand, fur farms are considered every bit unethical practices in many countries, and they raise much discussion and counterreactions among stakeholders because of the fauna welfare. Even though circumstances on the fur farms are improved, word on ethics and animal rights is continuing. Nevertheless, clothes made from fur are expensive, valuable, durable and long-lasting, and they need petty maintenance during utilise. Very often, fur coats are passed on for generations, which make these items connect with addicted memories, and emotional attachment may easily form to these kinds of special possessions. It is also possible to redesign onetime fur clothes with high-quality manufacturing processes so they look new. Therefore, durable and long-lasting fur is a potentially sustainable alternative (Niinimäki 2013).

WILD Concept by Marita Huurinainen offers i sustainable way to observe other fur resource than farmed ones. WILD Concept's furs come from animals that take been hunted in the wilderness. In Finland, many thousands of animals need to be shot every yr to maintain remainder in the ecosystem, specially to protect other animal populations, and normally, these carcasses are disposed of as waste. The of import issue is that no extra hurting is caused to animals during the hunting (e.g. avoiding human foot-hold traps). The fur used for WILD Concept is bought directly from registered Finnish hunters who chase the animals within the quotas allowed by the regime. The wild origin of the furs is assured by the Wild Finnish Fur characterization. Together with the Wild Finnish Fur Association (Luonnonturkisyhdistys), designer Huurinainen has developed this alternative fur concept in order to prevent hunted animal carcasses ending up equally waste. It tin can be guaranteed that the animals used for the WILD concept take non suffered to go a clothing item. What makes WILD unique is that it offers an ethical and responsible fashion to article of clothing fur, as fur of farmed animals is not used. The cease consequence is ethical luxury (Niinimäki 2013). Ethical luxury can be defined to mean something which is produced according to sustainable and ethical principles, which has a high ecology, intrinsic and aesthetic value, it is high quality, durable and long lasting. Ethical luxury is produced in slower processes and in small quantities, ending upwards in unique pieces or limited edition. Its loftier artful and budgetary value makes information technology valuable and long lasting, something to autumn in love with; maintain it well, perhaps update it and pass on for the adjacent generation.

Ethical and transparent

Since global manufacturing systems are complex, transparency is an important outcome in the sustainable mode field. Publishing all data from the supply chain, the names and locations of the suppliers and subcontracting partners sends a positive message; and therefore, transparency can build consumers' trust. An encouraging case of this practice is the company Patagonia, which has been a leader in supply chain transparency for many years. Patagonia has ready sustainability principles as a core in their strategy. The company offers not only information about all its manufacturing locations worldwide but also background information nearly the factories they are collaborating with, too equally general environmental and social information almost global manufacturing. Consumers can find all this data in Patagonia's webpages.

In the global mode concern, information technology has become challenging to identify the origin of a product since product processes are fragmented into several countries, and supply bondage are complex. Yet, this information is valuable for consumers, and more transparency is demanded especially in clothing manufacturing. The 'Made by' label is based in the netherlands, and its goal is transparency in wear manufacturing. Through 'Made past' organization, it is possible to trace the manufacturer of a garment through a code and the use of the internet (Fletcher 2008, 68).

According to the principles of transparency, a visitor tin inform its sustainable and ethical deportment, yet all information has to be truthful and objective, even the negative aspects should be informed or which efforts have not yet ended in skillful results. Transparency should not exist simply positive marketing bulletin, or it changes to marketing ethos only and easily turns to greenwashing.

Greenwashing

Considering Western consumers' environmental interest is rising, companies may be tempted to utilise sustainable and environmental arguments but to increase sales. And considering environmental and sustainability problems are complex, it is also easy to mislead consumers. Companies can employ sustainability equally a "marketing ploy" (Goworek et al. 2013, 388) - something that tin can be seen every bit greenwashing.

To avoid greenwashing, likewise narrow a focus on ecology bug should be avoided and a more than holistic agreement is needed. For instance, if a fast-style company uses eco-labels on some of its products or one product line, information technology does not truly modify the fashion system or the economic logic behind information technology; the company's environmental load is even so huge since it produces too much stuff in extremely fast cycles. A similar case is where a fast-fashion company uses paper bags instead of plastic ones. The business logic does not change with this pocket-size detail. The company'south values accept to be grounded securely in sustainability, and its principles should be included and implemented substantially at all levels and functions.

The other attribute to consider is that all information near the environmental benefits of the product has to exist proven. In this regard, standardised eco-labels are much improve than the company's own environmental statements. Eco-labels (certificates) are based on an independent organization's tests and evaluation criteria and are thus more objective and reliable than the company's ain information. All irrelevant or confusing information should too be avoided.

Ethical consumption

Ane of the most important factors in the environmental impact during the use phase is the garment'south lifetime. Currently, garments are far cheaper compared to household incomes than a few decades agone (Niinimäki 2011). According to Jackson and Shaw (2009, 146), in the 1950s in the UK, thirty% of a household's income went to article of clothing purchases; currently, that figure is 12%, with a higher amount of consumed items. At the kickoff of the twenty-first century, e.thousand. in the United kingdom, fashion consumption increased by 1 third (Allwood et al. 2006, 11), and this was a tendency in all Western countries especially between years 1995 and 2005 (Niinimäki 2011). It is as well estimated that even if the full corporeality of textile and clothing purchasing is growing, wear volition form a decreasing proportion of households' full spending because of falling prices. Due to these low prices and households' high incomes, the consumption of extremely cheap and disposable fashion with a very short life span has increased (Jackson and Shaw 2009). Textile and clothing prices accept fallen, and currently, the consumer possesses more than and more than impulse-buy inexpensive garments and depression-quality textiles (Niinimäki 2011). These kinds of low-quality and cheap garments are easy to discard. Therefore, extending the life bridge of garments is one of the most critical issues for sustainable development.

In the United kingdom, a study showed that almost half of people's clothes have sabbatum in a closet without being used during the concluding twelve-calendar month period. It is estimated that this means 2.4 billion items in the UK lonely. And most of these unused clothes are owned by immature consumers aged 25 to 34 years (Belz and Peattie 2011, p. 125). Another study from kingdom of the netherlands showed that the boilerplate piece of clothing is owned for 3 years and v months. During that time, information technology is worn for only 44 days (Uitdenbogerd 1998, every bit cited by Fletcher 2008). These figures show that all Western consumers pose too many clothing items and use them too seldom earlier disposing them.

Opposite to the current system, production durability and long-term use are prerequisites for sustainable consumption (Cooper 2005). To irksome down consumption, it is important to invest in high quality and durability likewise as in aesthetically ageing materials, loftier design and lasting style. In this regard, services that aim to extend how long garments are used offering value in the sustainable development context (Niinimäki 2014). One challenge in the current system is how to design products added with services that encourage consumers to prefer a more environmentally responsible behaviour.

When focusing on ethical and sustainable employ and consumption, the following issues should exist considered (Niinimäki 2013):

−Purchasing fewer garments
−Investing in meaningful garments (promoting emotional bonding)
−Investing in durable garments, more classical style and loftier quality
−Investing in eco-materials and eco-labels
−Extending garments' owning time and using them more frequently
−Washing less, letting garments balance and air between utilize
−Maintaining garments, also repairing
−Using services to intensify use and to extend the utilize fourth dimension (e.g. repair, upgrading) (Niinimäki 2013).

Consumption and consumerism prevarication at the core of Western societies. Consumption is an important function in people's everyday life. Current consumption patterns are strongly continued to industrial manufacturing systems, economic systems and the underlying economic values supporting this unsustainable system. Consumption and purchasing situations ofttimes involve a stiff emotional feel for consumers. Therefore, nosotros should also create systems that offer other kinds of emotional experiences and satisfaction than from buying new fashion items. This could happen for example through strategically sustainable design that includes services (Niinimäki 2011).

Designing value

Ehrenfeld (2015) points out that conventional actions in sustainable fashion can at best only irksome down the devastation, non salvage the Globe. Co-ordinate to him, electric current actions in the industry do not create sustainability, they simply reduce unsustainability. He claims that concentrating in, due east.1000. technical eco-efficiency improvements, CSR or eco-materials just fool the designers, manufacturers and consumers into believing that they are doing all it takes to create sustainability-equally-flourishing (ibid., 59). Ehrenfeld (2015) defines sustainability-as-flourishing to mean a normative arroyo to sustain human beings and ecosystems on the planet forever. In this approach, it should exist named what has to sustain. Without naming the elements to be sustained, sustainability is an empty word according to him. To be more influential, sustainable fashion industry has to focus on transforming underlying beliefs and values that currently maintain unsustainable practices in the arrangement level. Pattern system has to change the beliefs on caring, instead of needing in sustainability-as-flourishing arroyo. In here, the projection 'Local Wisdom' which concentrates on the apply phase of vesture and the craft of use is a proficient case. The project collects user experiences: tending, fixing and satisfying the use of garments in a long term, and information technology frames the design and use as a single whole and uses the use practices into design thinking, bringing the artistic employ practices into designers' reality (Flecther 2015). Equally Fletcher (2008) argues in a more holistic arroyo to sustainability, the blueprint aesthetic has to be grounded on long-term sustainability and values in it.

Blueprint forms an integral part of our civilisation and values inside. This ways that sustainable design should non simply take into account ecology values but cultural, social, ethical and economic values should also be included in the sustainable design process (e.g. Tischner and Charter 2001). Designing could change and become a more than proactive and participatory process aiming for aesthetic sustainability (Niemelä 2010, lx). To this appetite, it can be added that sustainable design tin can likewise be a proactive process that aims to transform consumption patterns towards more than sustainable ones, and therefore, information technology includes futurity-oriented thinking and futurity-oriented value (Niinimäki 2011). It is important to sympathise how the electric current design, manufacturing and business organization practices affect unsustainable consumption patterns. Products actually configure consumers' needs and use patterns, and hence, design can be said to exist 'practice-oriented', which leads to certain everyday consumption habits (Shove et al. 2007, 134–136). Therefore, designers, manufacturers and companies are responsible not merely for the environmental impacts of the fashion industry but also for the unsustainable consumption behaviour of consumers and the increase of waste streams.

Designers can even destroy the value of the product past creating fast-irresolute trends that rapidly outdate the products and render them valueless. The product itself may destroy something valuable, such as a craft skill or local knowledge (Fry 2009), something we already have seen in the area of fashion: manufacturing locations are far from end markets, and local manufacturing skills have diminished or disappeared. At the same fourth dimension, only few consumers can repair their ain garments or have skills to create garments themselves; many do not even own a sewing machine (Niinimäki 2011; Armstrong et al. 2015). Thinking about what we blueprint and produce and why, as well as what consequences our blueprint may bring, forms the basis of upstanding thinking and future-oriented value creation.

Future-oriented value creation every bit an approach guides designers and manufacturers towards far-sighted products and far-sighted business organisation thinking, transforming current practices towards more than sustainable societies. Each pattern and manufacturing determination has to include consideration of the time to come: how the production volition be used, how information technology will age, how information technology will be disposed of and what environmental impact the product will have (during manufacturing, use and afterward utilise). Furthermore, the business model and its influence on consumption practices are included in this evaluation process (e.g. a slow system versus a fast system). What consequences exercise the product and its manufacturing have with regard to environmental, societal and cultural values? All these aspects have to exist considered before the product is designed or manufactured. And is at that place the possibility to completely avert materialistic consumption and practice business differently? Radical thinking (e.g. a PSS approach to fulfil consumers' needs in a de-materialistic way) is needed to create a new value cosmos procedure in sustainable fashion (Armstrong et al. 2015).

At best, a new kind of sustainable way system can create value for people, planet and profit (see Figure one). For people, the system can create a safe environment through the utilize of fewer chemicals in production, i.eastward. safe products for end-users. This system can also promote greater product satisfaction through better quality and longer-lasting products. Information technology tin can promote well-being and happiness through less materialistic consumption, e.one thousand. past offer experiences through sharing, swapping, lending, updating or do-it-yourself mode. We can larn to invest in college quality and more expensive products, utilise them longer, own less and accept good care of our possessions. Furthermore, such a organization can mean more social justice and better working conditions for material manufacturing plant workers, while through slowing the organization, it is possible to increment the stop toll of the product and invest in ameliorate factories. For the environment, through cleaner production and perhaps even less industrial production and waste, the benefits for slower cycles are clear. For business, new models to brand profit in an environmentally benign way have to be created. New organization thinking and these radical business organisation models can afford new business concern opportunities through, east.yard. a service arroyo, to encourage less materialistic industrial manufacturing (Niinimäki 2013).