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PreparedbyFedericaBertolani&DanielleArzaga

August92017

Projectassignedincollaborationwith

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CompanyintroductionElobinaisatechcompanyhavingitshandatrevolutionisingthetextileindustry--somethingthatisbothtimelyandnecessary.Withtheiruniqueplatformandfocusonservicecustomers,bothprivateandprofessional,areabletochoose,create,andcustomisethetextilestheydesire,allwiththeclickofabutton.Theyaresuccessfullydemocratisingdesignwithasmallrun,made-to-orderprocessforbothinteriorandfashionfabricsandproducts.Fromonepillowtohundredsofdresses,thecustomerchooseswhat,when,andhowmuchofacertaintextileandprinttheywant.QualityanddurabilityensurethatElobinaprintedproductsaremadetolast.WithsocialandenvironmentalsustainabilityacornerstoneofElobina’smission,theyarefacilitatingthe possibility to reduce water and chemical use, while reducing the devastating trend ofoverproduction in the industry. Likewise, the localised production and partnership with sewingcooperatives throughout Skåne, in SouthernSweden, isbringingback transparencyand reducingkilometersintransporttoasupplychainnotoriousforlackinginboth.ThefocusonorganicandGOTScertifiedtextilesalsoensuresthatthecultivationandproductionofthetextilesthemselvesreceivedtheutmostattentionandrespectforbothpeopleandplace.

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Overview--Problemswithtextileindustry

Figure1.Industryissuesandopportunitiesforimprovement

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FROMResourceuse&pollution

Figure1.Heaviestimpactsoftextile/apparelindustry.RetrievedfromNRDC–CleanbyDesign,2010

The lifecycle for textile products is lengthy, complex and highly fragmented. The possibility forenvironmentalimpactsandpollutionoccuratmultiplestages,withwateruse,waterpollution,andtoxicchemicaluseamongthemostsignificant.Furthermore,everytypeoftextilehasthepotentialtoexhibitnegativeimpactsontheenvironmentwiththeaddedpossibilityofharmtohumanhealth.

Table1.Environmentalimpactsbytextiletype(adaptedfromChalla;Vicaire,2017)

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Theuseofchemicalsintextileproductioniscurrentlyoneofthemostpressingissues,astheiruseispervasivealongtheentireproductionchain.Furthermore,manyhavebeenidentifiedasharmfultotheenvironmentandhumanhealth.Greenpeacestatesthatanestimated3,500chemicalsareusedtoturnrawmaterialsintotextileproducts,andthatapproximately10%ofthosearehazardoustohumanhealthandtheenvironment(Vicaire,2017).Elevenchemicalsofhighconcernthatshouldbeimmediatelyeliminatedfromusehavebeenidentified(Greenpeace,2016).

Table2.Elevenchemicalsforimmediateelimination(adaptedfromGreenpeace,2016)Wateruseand the creationofwastewaterprimarilyoccurduring thewetprocessingoperations,whichincludesthefabricpreparation,dyeing,andfinishingprocesses(Nilsson,2007).Itisestimatedthatdyeingfabricsrequires150litersofwaterperkilogramoffabric(PulseoftheFashionIndustry,2017). Water is also a primary input during the production of fibers. For example, during thecultivationofcotton(Chen&Burns,2006),orinthedissolvingprocessusedtocreaterayonorothertypesofcellulosicfibers(Nilsson,2007).Greenpeacehasdeterminedthatthetextileindustryisthe2ndlargestpolluteroffreshwaterintheworld(Vicaire,2017).Whereas,therecentreportThePulseoftheFashionIndustry(2017),determinedthedesignanddevelopmentstagesofagarment’slifecyclehavea“veryhigh”impactonoverallwateruse,andaregovernedbythingssuchaschoiceofmaterials(e.g.thelargewaterfootprintofcottonproducts)andchoiceofdyeingandfinishingprocesses.

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TOEfficiency&Eco-friendlyprocessesIthasbeenarguedthatradicalandinnovativeproductofferingsandservicesrelatedtonewbusinessmodelsareneedtoaddressgrowingsustainabilitychallengesintheindustry(Tukkeretal.,2008;KantHvass,2015).Atpresent,mostoftheactivitiesinthetextileindustrytoaddresssustainabilityissues have centered around reducing chemical use, recycling and reusingprocessingwater, andreducingall formsofsolidwaste(Nilsson,2007).Acommonlyheldpointofview, is that thebeststrategytoreducepollutionistopreventitfromoccurringinthefirstplace(Nilsson,2007).Somecompanieshaveappliedcreativesolutionstoaddresspollutionthat intheendimproveefficiencyandincreaseprofits(Nilsson,2007).Somesuchstrategies include:managementofrawmaterials,chemicalsubstitution,processmodifications,andequipmentmodifications(Nilsson,2007).Eco-textileproducts,whichtakeintoaccounttheenvironment,aswellas,thehealthofworkersandconsumers,arebecomingincreasinglycommonandin-demand.Eco-textileproductsareconsideredtohavesomeorallofthefollowingcharacteristics(Challa,2017):

● Madeusingorganicmaterials● Nouseofharmfulchemicals,bleaches,ordyes● Canbemadefromrecycledorreusedtextilesormaterials(e.g.,plasticbottles)● Qualityandmadetolast● Fairtradecertified,orproducedwhereworkersarepaidafairwageandhavedecentworking

conditionsWhereas,examplesofsomeofthemostenvironmentallyfriendlyfabricsare:organiccotton,organicsilk,organicwool,soysilk,milk-silk,pineapplefabrics,hemp,peat,FortelEcospun,Ingeocornfiber,bamboo,Geo-jute,milkyarn,Tencel,linen,recycledfabricsfromrecycledfibresormaterials(Challa,2017).What will the future of the textile industry look like? At present, the textile industry is beingrevolutionised with the development of state-of-the-art technology (e.g. 3D printing), materialinnovations,andnewbusinessmodels.Likewise,thecirculareconomyisthecurrentbuzzwordthathas everyone’s attention. The Pulse of the Fashion Industry (2017) report has identified severalseveralgoalsandleversforchangethatwillsurelyimpactthetextileindustryasawhole.

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Figure2.LeversforchangeandindustrygoalsidentifiedbyPulseoftheFashionIndustry,2017ThepushtodeveloprecyclingtechnologyAnissue,thatmustbementionedhere,isthatrecyclingtechnologiesfortextilewastearevariedandinconsistentdependingonthematerialtype.Whilenotbeingconsideredatoppriorityaccordingtothewastemanagementhierarchy,recyclingisavitaltreatmentstrategyforproductsattheendoflife.Thusfar,oneofthegreatestbarriershasbeenhowtoseparateblendedfibers,andtheseparationofdyesandothercontaminantsfromoriginalfibers(McGregor,2015;PulseoftheFashionIndustry,2017).

Anotherissue,istheactualsortingofpost-consumertextiles.Anaccurateandefficientwaytosortproducts based onmaterial composition is currently non-existent (McGregor, 2015). If the fibercompositionisunknownitmeansthatthematerialscannotbeupcycled(McGregor,2015).Withthatsaid however, “a large opportunity for value creation awaits the world economy if the fashionindustrymanagestoconverttextilewasteintorawmaterialsthroughtheuseofadvancedrecyclingtechniques”(PulseoftheFashionIndustry,2017,p.12).

New technologies, notably a fiber-to-fiber chemical process that improve textile recycling are indevelopment,butremainsinthenascentphaseindicatingtheyhaveyettobesuccessfullyappliedatscale(PulseoftheFashionIndustry,2017;KeringPressRelease,2015).Likewise,theadvancementof“smartgarments”ore-textilesarecomingonlinetohelpmakethesortingofgarmentsbyfibertypeeasierandmoreefficient(PulseoftheFashionIndustry,2017).Whenthesetechnologiesarescalabletheywillhaveadramaticimpactontheindustryandworldeconomyasawhole(PulseoftheFashionIndustry,2017).

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Who’sworkingonit?• Greenpeace‘DetoxMyFashion’• NRDCandCFDA‘CleanbyDesign’• EuropeanClothingActionPlan-ECAP• GlobalFashionAgenda• ZHDC• MistraFutureFashion• CleanProductionAction• KeringGroup(recycling)• WornAgain(recycling)• H&M(recycling)• UniversityofBorås-TheSwedishSchoolofTextiles(SMDTex)

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FROMOverconsumptionCurrentlytheglobalfibermarketisbrokendownassuch:wool1.1%,syntheticfibers62.7%,cotton24.3%,othernaturalfibers5.3%,woodbasedcellulosefibers6.6%(Lenzing,2017).

Figure3.Globalfiberconsumptionin2016.RetrievedfromLenzing,2017.

Intotal,textilefiberconsumptionreached101milliontonnesin2017,whichisupfrom99milliontonnesinthepreviousyear(TheFiberYear,2017).Thisupwardtrendisconsistentandexpectedtocontinue,asglobalconsumptionisexpectedtoreach13kgpercapitaby2020(Eichinger,2012)Inrespecttothefashionindustry,consumptionisexpectedtogrow63%,inparallelwiththegrowingglobalpopulation,toanestimated102milliontonnesby2030(PulseoftheFashionIndustry,2017).Whereas,ifthisprojectionholdstrueanestimatednew57milliontonnesofwastewillbegeneratedplacingtheglobalaverageat148milliontonnes(PulseoftheFashionIndustry,2017).However,arecentGreenpeace(2)(2017)reportexploringconsumershoppinghabitsinChina,HongKong,Taiwan,ItalyandGermanyfoundthatoverhalfofparticipantsineachlocationindicatedtheyowned more clothes than they need. Overall the average person today is thought to purchaseapproximately60%moreclothes, yetkeep them forhalf the time in comparison to15yearsago(Greenpeace(2),2017).Whereas,thefastfashionpromotedbysomebrandsandfashionmarketershasleadtoanincreasein consumption of clothes overall. For example, while the 2002 sales of clothingwereworth $1trillion,thishasrisento$1.8trillionby2015,andispredictedtorisefurtherto$2.1trillionby2025(Greenpeace(2),2017;Kelleretal.,2014;Remyetal.,2016).Newstylesrapidlyreplacetheold,andareintroducedintothemarketstimulatingthedesiresfornoveltyandcontinualchange(Joyetal.2012).Evenmoreconcerning,beyondjustconsumingclothinginexcessoflegitimateneed,manyare

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consuming in excess of financial capacity aswell (Lang et al., 2016). The “fast fashion”model isconsidered to promote a consumer culture of evident product detachment, where purchasesatisfactionismomentaryandproceededbytheunrelentingdesiretoconsumeagain(Armstrongetal.,2016;Langetal.,2016).Likewise,consumershavebeenconditionedtoanticipatemarkdowns,whichleadsthemtoover-consume(PulseoftheFashionIndustry,2017).Ithasbeensaidthataslongas unsustainable clothing consumption continues, so too will the environmental degradationassociatedwiththeindustry(Connell&Kozar,2014).TOLesstextilewaste&Co-creationOneofthebiggestissuerelatedtotheproductionofgarmentsisrelatedtothenewbusinessmodelsthatstarteddevelopinginthe90swiththefastfashionbecominganimportantplayerinthemarket.Theypromotedabusinessmodelthatvaluesquantityoverquality,basedonconsumers’desiretopay the lowestprice for themostproducts,whichare thenreplaced fasterand faster (Lawless&Medvedev,2016).Soconsumersarebuyingmore,buttheyarealsodisposingmore.Theaveragelifetimeofagarmentisapproximately3years(LeBlanc,2017),resultingintheindustryasawholeproducinganestimated12milliontonnesofwasteayear(EASME,2015)–muchofwhichendsupinlandfillwitharound18%headingforincineration.

Theshortlifetimeoftheseproductsismainlyduetothequalityofthegarments-whichatpresentisprettylow,butalsoduetothefactthatconsumersdonotcareabouttheirclothesandareneitherinclined to take good care of them. In order to change the situation, different designers andresearchersaretryingtostudyhowwecanmakeconsumerscaremoreabouttheirpurchases.One solution is represented by a specific Sustainable Design strategies, called “Design forCustomizationorCo-creation”.Theco-designapproachenhancestheparticipationoftheuserinthedesignprocess(Fletcher&Grose,2012).Masscustomizationviaco-creationofferslargepromisestoreduce the waste in the textile industry via on demand production (resulting in no waste fromoverstock) and emotional durability (resulting in nowaste of unwanted products due to lack ofpersonalattachment)(CircleEconomyreport,2015).AsChapman(2005)pointsout,productsthatcanbecustomizableofferthechancetocreateadeeperbondingbetweentheuserandtheproduct.Thispracticecanleadtoanextensionoftheproductlifespanbecauseofthemajorattachmentoftheuserthatco-createdtheproduct:ifyoucreatesomething,youaremorelikelytobecomeattachedtoitandarelesspersuadedbythecurrenttrends.Thisresultsinalowerenvironmentalimpactwiththeextensionoftheproducts’usefullife,andthusisnotendingupinlandfill.Oneexampleofthis

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practice can be represented by kit-based products, or those products that are created by theconsumerhimself,byusinghisowncreativity.Via co-creation, brands can consequently leverage consumer creativity to develop truly originaldesigns.Asthetextileandfashionindustryhasweakintellectualpropertyrights,itisanidealspacetoadoptco-designstrategies.However,companiesmustprovidechoicenavigationtosimplifyandcontrolthewaysinwhichpeopleexploreitsofferingsandtoprotectthebrandimagefromdilution.Obviously,therearevariouschallengesthatcanbefacedintheapplicationofthispractice.Incontrastwiththeconceptofamassproducer,whosefocusisonidentifyingcommontendenciessothathecantargetthoseneedswithalimitednumberofstandardproducts,amasscustomizermustactivelymaptheidiosyncraticneedsofitsconsumers.Thisrequiresanentirelynewmindsetinthecurrentmarket,buttomovetowardsmasscustomizationtherearevariousconstraintsinthevaluechain.Newco-creationmodelsareoftendrivenbysmarttechnologiesthatcanbeutilizedon-siteeg.liveprinting,3Dprinting,liveknitting.Thesetechnologiesdonotrequiretheentirevaluechaintobereconfigured,and are therefore more practically and economically feasible, allowing the brand to delivercustomizedsolutionswithnearmass-productionefficiencyandreliability.

Who’sworkingonit?• WRAPUK-LoveYourClothescampaign• MistraFutureFashion• UniversityofBorås-TheSwedishSchoolofTextiles(SMDTex)

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FROMOverproductionThePulseof theFashionIndustry(2017)report, identifiesoverstockasoneof themostpressingissuesintheindustry.Theygoontostate“Planningproductiontomatchdemandisnecessaryandbeneficial to businesses and the economyalike to avoidwastingnatural resources” (Pulse of theFashionIndustry,2017,pg.84).Alackofcommunicationwithsuppliersandtheirgeneralexclusionfromthesupply-demandequationoftenresultsinpoordemandplanningandproductionscheduling(Pulse of the Fashion Industry, 2017). Furthermore, the structure of the typical fashion calendarmeansbrandsandretailersmustplacehigh-volumeordersfarinadvanceoftenleadingtoasupplythatexceedsdemand(PulseoftheFashionIndustry,2017).TOMadetoorder“Design for need” is considered a design strategy utilised to respond to actual needs, instead offleetingwants.Itpromotesaslowfashionthatslowsdownthecurrentlyrhythmsoffastfashion,andreduces the overproduction of unnecessary products (Gwilt, 2013). Whereas WRAP UK hasidentifiedmade-to-ordermodelsaspivotaltothemanagementofaproductionsystemthat“minimisematerialrequirementsandavoidpotentiallossesfromover-stockingproducts.”Likewise,thePulseoftheFashionIndustryidentified“production-to-demand”asakeyleverofchangewithinthefashionindustry, with immediately implementable solutions being a reduction in overproduction andmarkdowns and and an “offer to a segment of one” indicating a shift to making only what thecustomerwants(PulseoftheFashionIndustry,2017,pg.73).Severalnewtechnologiesaredirectedataddressingtheissueofoverproduction.Forone,Amazonjustpatentedanon-demandmanufacturingtechnologythatinsteadofmanufacturingandstockingstylesofall sizes, itwill allowconsumers to select theirownstyle,materials, andcolors (Brown,2017).Orderswouldbeprocessedbyseveralcomputer-drivensystemsatanearbyfabricationplant,whichisexpectedtobeturnedaroundforsame-dayornext-daydelivery(Brown,2017).Secondly, artificial intelligence is being considered a viable tool to forecast trends and consumerdemand with increased accuracy. While still in its infancy, data-driven analysis is consideredfoundational for the creation of flexible supply chains, and the development of on-demandproduction (Marsali, 2017). This technologywill enable retailer analytics to be linkeddirectly tomanufacturers(Marsali,2017).Finally,whilenotyetscalableandexhibitingalargeenergyfootprint,3Dprintingisatechnologythatenablesquickprototyping;on-demand,segment-of-oneandlocalisedproductionwithnoneedforinventory; and diminished waste (Pulse of the Fashion Industry, 2017). The technology haspreviously centered around the production of hardermaterial goods such as jewellery, eyewear,watches, buckles, and shoe outsoles (Morand, 2016). However, as the technology and materials

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advancenewer,softermaterialsarebeing3Dprintedsuchasembroideryandlace(Morand,2016).Thistechnologyisonlyexpectedtogrow,whichwilllikelyincludetheoutrightprintingoftextilesthemselves.Whereas the technology made available by the Elobina platform, is yet another example of thegrowing trend to provide customers the ability to produce onlywhat theywant. It provides theconsumertheautonomyandpowertoprintwhatevertheylike,inanypatternorcolor,atanygiventimeandasmuchastheylike(Elobinastory).Insteadofproducinginstock,theproductionismadeondemand(Elobinastory).

Who’sworkingonit?• Differentbrandsarerealizingthatthisisagoodstrategytoreduceunnecessarywastelike

forexample:HenricaLang(Finland);FlaviaLaRocca(Italy)• Madetoorder-Resourceefficientbusinessmodels(WRAPUK)• GlobalFashionAgenda• Amazon

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FROMLackofaccessforsmalldesignersIt is important to highlight that fashion designer (and consequently brands) can onlyworkwithfabricsthatexistandareavailable.Somefashionbrandsactuallycreatetheirownfabrics,butusuallythisisonlydonebylargesportswearcompaniesthatmightneedtohavespecialfabrics(onexampleisrepresentedbyNike).Othersbrandsmightrequestspecialprints,colourcombinations,ordyes,butitisunusualthattheywillhaveafabricpurposelycreatedforthem.

Figure4.Challengesforsmalldesigners.Ownsource.

Oneofthemainbarrierthatcanbeidentifiedinthefashionindustryistheavailabilityofmaterials,andthecooperationwithsuppliers.Justtogiveanexample,theavailabilityoforganiccottononthemarketcanbelimited,becausetheorganiccottongrowershavetolettheirlandrestevery2years,thusimpactingthesupplyofthematerial,especiallyifthequantityindemandissmall.Thissituationisalsoworsenedbythefactthatmanysuppliersimposeaminimumorderquantityofafewhundredmetersoffabric,whichmayrepresentanimportantbarrierforemergingdesigners.Thisisalsoduetosometechnicalaspectsofthefabriccreationitself:infacttheminimumamountforthesilkisusually35meters,forcottonis50mtwhileforthewoolis50/60mt.Soifoneislookingforsustainablematerials,thealreadylimitedfabricselection,ismadeevenharderifconsideringthatsuppliersmightnotbewillingtosellsmallquantities.Tosourcesmallerquantitiesmakemoresensetochoosethosefabricsthatareavailableinbulk,butmoretimesthannotwhatisonofferinbulkquantitiesarenotthemostsustainableoptions.If,ultimately,onedecidestosupplythebrandswiththechosenmaterial,thereareoftentwootherimportantfactorsthatshouldbeconsidered:firstofall,theprice.Infact,usuallysmallerquantitiesofmaterialsarealsomoreexpensive.Thisisbecausethesuppliermightdecidetoproducethatfabricevenifjustasmallamountisneeded,butinordertoamortizetherisksofnot-sellingtheremainingpart,heusuallyasksforahigherprice.Secondly,iftheorderissmall,itwon’tgetthepriorityovera

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biggerorderthatthecompanymightreceive.Soitisalwaysnecessarytoaskforaleadtime,bothfortheproductionprocessandthedelivery.Who’sworkingonit?

• OffsetWarehouseTOAdemocratizeddesignandmanufacturingprocessItisimportant,especiallyforsmallbrands,toletthemfreetoexperiment.Infact,smallbrandsarethoseinwhichinnovationismostoftencreated,becausetheirbusinessmodelallows themmoreflexibility.Successively,forinnovationtospreaditisnecessaryforbiggerbrandstointerveneandspread it at global level.However, becauseof the constraintspreviouslymentioned, designers insmallbrandsmightfeelthattheirpossibilityto introduceinnovationinthemarket is limited:notbecausetheydonothavethenecessaryknowledge,butmainlybecauseofexternalbarriers.One of themain innovations that Elobina has been able to bring on themarket, it has been thecapacity to understand a need and serve that niche. If we consider that “democratization oftechnology”referstotheprocessbywhichaccesstotechnologyrapidlycontinuestobecomemoreaccessibletomorepeople,wecanclaimthatforexampleElobinahasbeenableto“democratize”thedesign and manufacturing process, through mainly allowing designers to choose among a greatvariety of fabrics, available in all prints. Their platform collects and organizes individual ordersaccordingtochosenmaterial,sothroughtheirtechnologytheyhavebeenabletoovercometheissuerelated to the minimum orders that suppliers require. This is extremely important because thematerialschosenbythebrandscanhaveahugeimpactonthebrand’sfootprint.Infact,ifconsideringsustainability,theymightnothavethemeanstocreateatake-backsystem,becausethisrequiresalotofcommunicationandinvestmenttoputinplace;theymightnotbeabletoasktheirsupplierstostart implementingsomenewpractices,becauseifconsideredthepowermatrix(IIAPS,n.d.)theymaybelikelyinasituationofsupplierdominance.

Figure5.Purchasingportfoliopowermatrix.RetrievedfromIIAPS.

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However, they can have an immediate and huge impact through their materials selection. Thepossibledemocratizationofmanufacturingprocessallowsbrandsthatwanttousecertainmaterialstofinallysourcethem,withoutbeingforcedtolookforalternativesolutions,andfinallycreatethecollectionwiththepreferredandsustainablematerial.Sothosebusinessesthatareabletocreatealinkbetweenthedemandandtheoffer,areextremelyimportantinthisindustry-transformation.Itisimportanttodemocratizethisprocessfordesigners,especiallyinatimewhenconsumersarelooking for uniqueness, and one of a kind designs, which could very well be provided by smallsustainablebrands. Moreover,theco-creationprocesspreviouslydescribed,canbeintendedasacooperation between designers and consumers, or even leave consumers the freedom to designcompletelytheirownproduct.Thiswouldresultinaevenhigherattachmenttotheproductitself.

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FROMGlobalsupplychainsOneofthemainissuesinthefashionindustryisthenatureofitssupplychains.Theyareoftenglobal,and in fact, forsomebigcompanies, their supplychainsareso long that thecompany itself losesdirectcontactwithitssuppliers.Thefigurebelowshowsthemainstepsthatcharacterizeasupplychain.

Whensupplychainsaredefinedas“global”,itmeansthatallthesedifferentactivitiescantakeplaceanywhereintheworld.Eachactivitycanevenbegroupedintodifferentstepsthatusuallyarecarriedoutbydifferent companies. Ifwe consider for example the “Textileplants” andhow the fabric isobtained,wecanseethatfromtherawmaterial,toobtainthefinishedfabricthatwillbeusedfortheproductioninthe“Apparelplants”,differentactorsareinvolved.Dependingonthedifferentkindoffibersthatwillbeused(naturalorman-made)therecanbevariousstepsandprocedures,likeforexamplethespinning,theweaving,theknittingandthenthebleaching,printing,dyeingandfinishing.The imagebelowshowanexample(in thiscaseH&Msupplychain)ofhowcomplicatedasupplychaincanbeinthefashionindustry,especiallywhendifferentstepshappenindifferentcountriesandindifferentcompanies.

Figure4.AroughillustrationofthecomplexityoftheH&Msupplychain.Retrievedfrom:Kogg,2009,pp.153

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Forexample,ahypothetical“brand”underanalysiswillhirecompanyAinBangladeshtoproducesomeitems.ThecompanyAmightevenrespectthecodeofconductestablishedbythebrandforitsownsuppliers;however,thiscompanyAmightthenhirecompanyB,C,andDtoproducepartsofthesameitem,andthisisgenerallythemainreasonwhyabrandwillultimatelylosethecontroloveritssupplychain.LegallythebrandcannotbeheldresponsibleforwhatcompanyCdoes,buttherearemanycriticsthatarespeakingupagainstthisdarkreality.Thisisparticularlybecominganimportantissue,becausetherearenewregulationsbeingconsideredthatwillbringsignificantchangesintheindustry(EuropeanParliament,2017).Sowhyisitnecessary?Theglobalgarments-tradeisworthmorethanEUR2.86trillionandemploysover75millionpeople,mostofwhomarefemale;thissectorsupplychainisconsideredamongthosewiththehighestriskofviolationofhumanrightsandpeople’sdignity.

Figure6.Fashionindustrystatistics

OnMay19th2017theEuropeandevelopmentministerscalledontheCommissiontopromotebasiclabor andenvironmental standards in the textile sectorofdeveloping countries, through the EUflagshipinitiativeonthegarmentsector.Themainrequestsoftheresolutionrelateto:

• Enforceandensuredecentworkandsocialstandards.Indeed,theministersdeclared“Deadlyaccidents in the garment sector, such as the collapse of the factory in Rana Plaza inBangladeshfouryearsago,underlinetheimportanceofpromotingmoresustainablegarmentvaluechains”;

• Promoteconsumersinformationtools,andpromotenewlabellingschemes;• Increasetraceabilityingarmentsupplychains.Infact,we,ascitizens,aremostofthetime

completelyinthedarkwhenitcomestotheconditionsunderwhichourclothesareproduced,bothfromasocialandenvironmentalperspective.

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Who’sworkingonit?• FairTradeInternationalCertification• FairWearFoundation• CleanClothesCampaign• LabourBehindtheLabel• FashionRevolution-Whomadeyourclothes?

TOLocalisedproductionAccording to DeLong, “designing local is about developing greater sensitivity to place wherecommunitiesaresustainedandjobsaresupported”(2013,pp.62).Thispracticepromotesproductsthatsuitlocalcultureandcommunityandusetheskillsetsofpeoplewholivethere.The are various advantages for a company to keep its production more localized. Using localproduction is a way of minimizing carbon-footprints – in essence by simply removing from theequationtheneedforlong-distancetransportation.Futuredesignersneedtoknoweverythingabouttheir products, and domesticmanufacturing allows the brand to visit the factories in which thegarmentsareproduced,andalsoinspectthequalityoftheproduction.Likewise,inconsiderationofEuropean regulations, it is also veryprobable that factories located inEuropehave abetter eco-profilebecauseofthecurrentstringentlawsthatregulateemissionsandchemicalsuse(exampleofREACH).Another important reason, especially for small brands whose target consumer group might belocalizedtoo,isthatlocalizedproductioncanhelptoshortenshippingtime,leadtimesandcost.Infact, considering that their ordersmight be limited (and somight be initiated at a later time incomparisontoabiggerbuyer),itisimportanttoshortenthewaitingtimewheneverfeasible.Moreover,itcouldalsobeconsideredaviablemarketstrategybecauseofamatteroftrust.Indeed,accordingtosomeresearchmadeonconsumer’spsychology,apparentlythecountryoforiginofaproductinfluencesthefinalchoiceoftheconsumer,becauseofsomepredefinedstereotypes.So,asforthesamereasonforsometimetheconceptofsustainablefashionwasmainlyperceivedas“un-fashionable”andcateredonlytothosewitha“hippie”style,whereasthe“MadeinItaly”labelisconsideredtobewell-madeandhigherqualitywhencomparedtoalabelreading“MadeinChina”.Thisisimportant,becauseEuropeanbrandscouldusethissustainablestrategyalsoasamarketingstrategy.Finally,lastbutnotleast,itcreatesjobslocallybygeneratingwealthandcommercedirectlyinthecommunity. This reality is also echoed in the first law of ecology which states, “everything isconnectedtoeverythingelse”.

Who’sworkingonit?• UniversityofBorås-Competitivelocaltextilemanufacturing(Prof.Pal)

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Casestudies“Whatdoessustainabilitymeantoyou?”withMadeleineSantiagoOlofsson

Canyouprovideabriefbioofyourwork?

I am a full time artist and do original paintings; moreover, I alsoreproducedpillowcases,traysandcoastersofmyoriginals.

Whatdoessustainabilityinthetextileindustrymeantoyou?

For me it means a lot that my pillowcases are handmade here inSweden;IalsochooseasoftenasIcanecologiccottonformyproductsaswell.

Whyisthisimportanttoyou?

BecauseIknowitismadeinSwedenfromaprofessionalcompanywithgreatreferences,likeElobina.

Whywouldyoudefineyourproductasbeingsustainable?

Because it ismadehere inSweden. Itdoesn’thave to travel fromtheothersideoftheworldandcausetheclimatealotofpain.

HowhasthetechnologyenabledbyElobinahelped/changedyourcreativeprocess?

IcanseemyproductwhenI'mdesigningit,thatI likealot.Howit isgoingtolookandevenin3D.

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While,intheend,wewereunfortunatelyonlyabletoreachoneofElobina’scustomers,webelievethis is an interesting example that warrants continued development. The vision is to providefirsthandexamplesofsustainabledesignersandnotonlythosewhouseElobina’splatform.Thisisconsideredtobringapersonalaspecttothesite,andprovideopportunitiesforcommunitybuilding.

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brandinbasealPaesed’origine.StateofMind:ilgiornaledellescienzepsicologiche.April14,2016.Fletcher,K.,&Grose,L.(2012).Fashion&sustainability:designforchange.London:LaurenceKing,2012.Greenpeace.(2016).Elevenhazardouschemicalswhichshouldbeeliminated.Retrievedfrom

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