Upcycled and low-cost sustainable business for value-added textiles and fashion

Abstract

Consumers face multiple barriers in adopting attitudes and behaviors on the path to sustainable fashion consumption, including the externalization of social and environmental impacts. By consulting with industry stakeholders and providing recommendations to multiple stakeholders, including the EU government, the NICE Consumer project intends to: Inspire the implementation of SCP policies and practices within the fashion industry Encourage and support the production and marketing of more sustainable fashion products and services Support the creation of awareness-raising and behavior change campaigns that encourage and support the purchase, wear and care, and recycling of sustainable fashion products Overcome initial barriers to SCP of fashion and set the stage for continued sustainable behavior Scope This report is a first step and builds on prior research in the field. It is not a comprehensive solution on its own. The authors endeavor to introduce four topic areas: 1. Desired attitudes and behaviors of the "NICE Consumer" 2. Barriers to change 3. Potential solutions to overcome these barriers 4. Roles of stakeholder to implement these solutions Note Note Note Note: There are many unanswered and important questions raised in this report. We have highlighted some of these using the symbol at left to indicate questions which are not within the scope of this report and/or which are important priorities for further discussion and research. ? * The Nordic Initiative Clean and Ethical (NICE) is a Nordic project with the main purpose to raise awareness and guide practices within sustainable business methods in the Nordic fashion industry.

Textile Waste Fiber Regeneration via a Green Chemistry Approach: A Molecular Strategy for Sustainable Fashion

“…[ 21 ] Garments can be reused by transferring them to new owners through donating, swapping and reselling and, for those obsolescent ones, even upcycling by adding valuable features and remodeling. [ 22,23 ] When a garment is no longer suitable for wear, its fabric can be recycled into new products, such as upholstery, low‐grade blankets, industrial rags, and insulation materials. [ 24 ] Even after a fabric is disassembled, the remaining fibers can be isolated for potential use in carpet padding, thermal insulation, and acoustic sound absorbers.…”

Evaluating Barriers, Enablers and Opportunities for Closing the Loop through ‘Waste Upcycling’: A Systematic Literature Review

“…The key enablers identified from literature have been proven to be effective in their relative locations, wider application of these approaches will facilitate a more rapid and expansive transition to waste upcycling. Macro enablers for upcycling include education and knowledge sharing, discovering resource sharing partnerships and promoting of circular-inspired entrepreneurs [102]. Researchers suggest that interdisciplinary collaboration and the mobilization of resources and knowledge can enable the generation of new upcycled product ideas for businesses [97].…”

Textile Industry in a Changing World

“…This type of waste is generated in excess of production, which includes remains from store sales and some products resulting from innovative trials developed in the industry and defective returned goods. Around 95% of that textile waste could be recovered by recycling or upcycling (Pandit, Nadathur, and Jose 2019). According to Teli et al (2014), upcycling is the process of converting waste or useless products into new materials or products of better quality by adding valuable features and remodeling.…”

“…According to Teli et al (2014), upcycling is the process of converting waste or useless products into new materials or products of better quality by adding valuable features and remodeling. It is one of the most economical and fashionable forms of sustainability in the textile industry in the case of pre/post-consumer waste (Pandit, Nadathur, and Jose 2019). Another strategy that needs to be implemented is the concept of cradle-to-cradle.…”

“…This practice is used in a circular economy and uses recycling to close the cycle, enabling the production of a new generation of products from the initial articles. The circular economy is a model whose objective is to keep products/components/materials in circulation in the cycle as long as possible and maintaining its value (Pandit, Nadathur, and Jose 2019). In recent years, several tools and indices have been developed to assess and compare various systems' impact on the environment.…”