Consumer engagement in the circular economy: Exploring clothes swapping in emerging economies from a social practice perspective

Abstract

One of the sectors that are being challenged to become circular is the clothing sector.Clothe swapping is considered as an example of a circular solution that enables slowing material loops. However, consumers have failed to widely engage in this type of practice and only a few studies explore this topic using a social practice perspective. This theoretical approach bridges individual and structural approaches to social change. In this study we explore why people in an emerging economy such as Colombia engage in clothe swapping, by exploring it from a social practice perspective.Based on interview and visual data, we explored the configuration of the practice, the interaction between elements, and the reasons why it recruits practitioners. We found that people participate in clothe swapping for economic, environmental, and innovative reasons. In order to perform the practice, three types of elements are involved: material elements such as clothes and place, skills for selecting and preparing the clothes for exchange and rules regarding these materials and behaviours during the event, and images and meanings. We characterised three interconnections between these elements that have been used to enable the practice, and finally, we explored how the participants' networks, histories, and capitals; the social significance of the practice; and its connections to other practices influence recruitment. This approach allowed us to identify paradoxes between the purpose and the implementation of the practice. Future research could use this perspective to compare cases in different socio-economic context.

Towards Circular Economy in Fashion: Review of Strategies, Barriers and Enablers

“…In order to swap, clothes should be in good condition but may be less than to an ideal. Cloth swapping is beneficial not only in extending life span of clothing, but also when consumers have no money to buy new clothes or when consumers want to find something different than their existing wardrobe [62,63].…”

Fashion with heart: Sustainable fashion entrepreneurs, emotional labour and implications for a sustainable fashion system

“…Much SF scholarship examines the consumer perspective including the importance of style and aesthetics on fashion choices even for SF consumers (Joy, Sherry, Venkatesh, Wang, & Chan, 2012; Niinimaki, 2010), and alternative forms of consuming clothing such as clothes swaps, repairs, take‐back systems and fashion rental (Armstrong, Niinimäki, Lang, & Kujala, 2016; Camacho‐Otero, Pettersen, & Boks, 2020; Stål & Jansson, 2017). Additional scholarship emphasizes the role of design in minimizing environmental impact (Fletcher, 2014; Gwilt & Rissanen, 2011; Leerberg, Riisberg, & Boutrup, 2010; Rissanen & McQuillan, 2016).…”

Towards A Conceptual Framework of Sustainable Practices of Post-consumer Textile Waste at Garment End of Lifecycle: A Systematic Literature Review Approach

“…The quality and rigour of the articles forming the review can be traced to the journals in which they were published. Twenty of the articles analysed were published in Scimago-rated Q1 journals [2,5,51,52,[54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69]; 12 articles were included in Q2-rated journals [23,53,[70][71][72][73][74][75][76][77][78][79]; with two articles rated Q3 [80] and Q4 [81], and the last journal was not available on Scimago [82].…”

“…Comparably, re-distributing retrieved second-hand clothing to other countries for resale requires transportation, which contributes to the overall environmental footprint, emphasising the point for retailers to look at shorter, more localised supply chains [51]. Donated clothing of low quality collected during swapping events, are kept aside for donation to charities and vulnerable communities, implying that these groups are not deserving of quality clothes and therefore, contradicts the aim of swapping which is to promote sustainability, solidarity and community values [55]. While Shen [23] argued that a win-win-win outcome between consumers, H&M, and the environment is realised by using the take-back scheme, Stål and Jansson [69] counter-argued that take-back schemes are deceptive, with vouchers offered to consumers on disposal of their PCTW in collection boxes.…”