We have too much clothes and we buy too much is recently shown in the study “Measuring the Dutch Clothing Mountain”. A Dutch wardrobe typically contains 173 items of clothing, of which no less than fifty items have not been worn during the past year. That is almost 1/3 of the total amount in our wardrobe! I was part of this research and would like to share with you the findings.
In follow up to a study done by MVO Nederland last year about unsold garments at retailers this year Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS), Saxion, Sympany, Circle Economy, Modint and MVO Nederland did research on the volume of the Dutch clothing mountain.
Companies miss chances to process the excess clothing of consumers
This research discovered a Dutch consumer buys approximately 46 new clothes items annually. The average price of each item is around 16 euro. In any case, we buy less than consumers in other countries in the region such as Germany, Denmark and the United Kingdom. However, we keep approximately 173 pieces of clothing in our personal wardrobe, of which 50 have not been worn in the last year and 7 are second-hand.
6,5% of all new produced clothes stays behind at producers, wholesalers and retailers. Each Dutch inhabitant throws away approximately 40 clothes per year, 24 of these clothes are thrown away in general household waste and they are therefore incinerated. 5 are collected separately but they are not suitable for reuse, so they can be recycled, 2 are re wearable according to consumers, but not by international second-hand standards; finally, 9 of these garments are suitable for the international second-hand market.
Companies can address these issues. The report gives valuable suggestions:
Fashion design education suggestion
The focus of design education on the aesthetic performance of products inspired in fashion trends and lifestyle does not help to find innovative solutions to the growing clothing mountain. Educators must teach the next generation of makers to think systemically, considering and facilitating a product’s end-of-life and viewing garments also in terms of materials, not only trend items. Using common design practices in other sectors such as involving potential users in the process of design, prototype testing, and incremental innovation could lead to more meaningful and long-lasting products. Moreover, encouraging fashion designers to use their problem-solving skills to find better ways of designing, producing, selling, using, maintaining, and disposing of clothing would empower the sector to find alternatives.
More information about the study can be found here at HvA.
Read the full report here.
Companies miss chances to process the excess clothing of consumers
This research discovered a Dutch consumer buys approximately 46 new clothes items annually. The average price of each item is around 16 euro. In any case, we buy less than consumers in other countries in the region such as Germany, Denmark and the United Kingdom. However, we keep approximately 173 pieces of clothing in our personal wardrobe, of which 50 have not been worn in the last year and 7 are second-hand.
6,5% of all new produced clothes stays behind at producers, wholesalers and retailers. Each Dutch inhabitant throws away approximately 40 clothes per year, 24 of these clothes are thrown away in general household waste and they are therefore incinerated. 5 are collected separately but they are not suitable for reuse, so they can be recycled, 2 are re wearable according to consumers, but not by international second-hand standards; finally, 9 of these garments are suitable for the international second-hand market.
Companies can address these issues. The report gives valuable suggestions:
- Offering wardrobe apps or other wardrobe managing tools may enable consumers to experience a more structured, time saving, cost saving and satisfying handling of clothes and it may prevent overconsumption.
- Curated second-hand boutiques and specialized laundry services may contribute to reducing reluctance to reuse.
- Fashion retailers may incorporate take-back systems and second-hand sections within their stores. This may benefit the image of their brands in terms of durability, and awareness of the company buyers and designers on critical points to improve product quality. Moreover, offering reused products may provide an extra source of revenue and an additional group of potential clients arriving to shops.
- The container analysis pointed out that a lot of work is needed in the removal of buttons, zippers, linings etc. to prepare garments for recycling. Awareness of the process of disassembly may contribute to better product design.
- Additionally, complex multi-fibre blends are a barrier for many existing and upcoming recycling technologies. Designing with end-of-life in mind should prioritise recyclable fabrics and fibres.
- The reports highlights the importance of grounding creative projects for a better apparel sector on actual facts. Much of the creative design work in sustainable fashion is based on assumptions of what may be the central problem and effective solution. Analysing reliable information and testing creative solutions in order to observe their effects in practice can result in more realistic actions with a positive effect.
- The collection of post-consumer textiles in the Netherlands can be improved by clearer and more efficient communication to the public. We found that consumers are generally not informed about the destiny of textiles placed in the container. Communication programmes such as the ‘plastic hero’ campaign may contribute to bigger separately collected volumes.
- a general evaluation of the current collection system and assessment of its long-term sustainability is suggested. According to the interviews, a declining quality in the textiles collected and the lack of end markets for low-value post-consumer textiles are challenging the economic sustainability of collectors and sorters. Moreover, more than half of all post-consumer textiles are still disposed of via general household waste.
Fashion design education suggestion
The focus of design education on the aesthetic performance of products inspired in fashion trends and lifestyle does not help to find innovative solutions to the growing clothing mountain. Educators must teach the next generation of makers to think systemically, considering and facilitating a product’s end-of-life and viewing garments also in terms of materials, not only trend items. Using common design practices in other sectors such as involving potential users in the process of design, prototype testing, and incremental innovation could lead to more meaningful and long-lasting products. Moreover, encouraging fashion designers to use their problem-solving skills to find better ways of designing, producing, selling, using, maintaining, and disposing of clothing would empower the sector to find alternatives.
More information about the study can be found here at HvA.
Read the full report here.