Clothing consumption and the environment

Comparing Male and Female Wardrobes: Gender Dynamics in the Practice of Dressing

Authors: Vilde Haugrønning and Ingrid Haugsrud

Studying clothing consumption volumes through wardrobe studies: a methodological reflection

Authors: Irene Maldini, Vilde Haugrønning and Lucrecia de León Abstract 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…

THE PLASTIC ELEPHANT: Overproduction and synthetic fibres in sustainable textile strategies

Authors: Ingun Grimstad Klepp, Lisbeth Løvbak Berg, Anna Schytte Sigaard, Tone Skårdal Tobiasson andLea Gleisberg Summary In this report, we examine national, international and corporate strategies for sustainable textiles to understand if and how they…

Natural and Sustainable? Consumers’ Textile Fiber Preferences

by Anna Schytte Sigaard and Kirsi Laitala Abstract Textile fibers have become a major issue in the debate on sustainable fashion and clothing consumption. While consumers are encouraged to choose more sustainable and circular textile materials, studies have…

A functioning ‘functional unit’?

Ingun Grimstad Klepp and Tone Skårdal Tobiasson What on earth is the functional unit of a winter coat, t-shirt, a warm sweater… or a pair of boots? For LCA-based tools and category rules, there is…

How to make sure Extended Producer Responsibility becomes a silver bullet

This is a letter sent to commissioners and members of the European Commission in October 2022, from 4 participants in the Wasted Textiles project that explains their suggestions for a way of developing an EPR…

Delivering EU Environmental Policy Through Fair Comparisons of Natural and Synthetic Fibre Textiles in PEF

Make the Label Count Campaign: Simon J. Clarke, Ingun G. Klepp, Kirsi Laitala and Stephen G. Wiedemann. Summary Sustainability has become a priority objective for the European Union (EU). It is a key driver for…

Fossil Fashion: How Green Growth is Undermining the Circular Economy

Why the fashion industry, driven by the green growth notion, cannot recycle its way out of the climate crisis By Tone Skårdal Tobiasson Tone is co-editor of “Local, Slow and Sustainable Fashion Fibres: Wool as a…

Durable or cheap? Parents’ acquisition of children’s clothing

Parents are faced with a plurality of choices and concerns when it comes to the acquisition of clothing for their children. This paper explores how parents employ longevity in consumption of children’s clothing from a…

Consumer practices for extending the social lifetimes of sofas and clothing

Consumers play an essential role in efforts to extend product lifetimes (PL) and consumers’ practices can determine how long and active lives products get. Applying the framework of Social Practice Theory, this paper argues that…

Reducing environmental impacts from garments through best practice garment use and care, using the example of a Merino wool sweater

Garment production and use generate substantial environmental impacts, and the care and use are key determinants of cradle-to-grave impacts. The present study investigated the potential to reduce environmental impacts by applying best practices for garment…

What Affects Garment Lifespans? International Clothing Practices Based on a Wardrobe Survey in China, Germany, Japan, the UK, and the USA

Increasing the length of clothing lifespans is crucial for reducing the total environmental impacts. This article discusses which factors contribute to the length of garment lifespans by studying how long garments are used, how many…