The fashion industry is facing increasing global scrutiny of its environmentally polluting supply chain operations. Despite the widely publicized environmental impacts, however, the industry continues to grow, in part due to the rise of fast fashion, which relies on cheap manufacturing, frequent consumption and short-lived garment use. In this Review, we identify the environmental impacts at critical points in the textile and fashion value chain, from production to consumption, focusing on water use, chemical pollution, CO2 emissions and textile waste. Impacts from the fashion industry include over 92 million tonnes of waste produced per year and 79 trillion litres of water consumed. On the basis of these environmental impacts, we outline the need for fundamental changes in the fashion business model, including a deceleration of manufacturing and the introduction of sustainable practices throughout the supply chain, as well a shift in consumer behaviour — namely, decreasing clothing purchases and increasing garment lifetimes. These changes stress the need for an urgent transition back to ‘slow’ fashion, minimizing and mitigating the detrimental environmental impacts, so as to improve the long-term sustainability of the fashion supply chain. The increase in clothing consumption, exemplified in fast fashion, has severe environmental consequences. This Review discusses the impacts of fashion on natural resources and the environment, and examines how technology, policy and consumer behaviour can mitigate the negative effects of the fashion industry.

The environmental price of fast fashion

Sustainable product-service systems for clothing: exploring consumer perceptions of consumption alternatives in Finland

Product/service‐systems (PSS) that focus on selling service and performance instead of products are often mentioned as means to realize a circular economy (CE), in which economic growth is decoupled from resource consumption. However, a PSS is no implicit guarantee for a CE, and CE strategies do not necessarily lead to decoupling economic growth from resource consumption in absolute terms. Absolute resource decoupling only occurs when the resource use declines, irrespective of the growth rate of the economic driver. In this forum paper, we propose a two‐step framework that aims to support analyses of PSS and their potential to lead to absolute resource decoupling. In the first step, we present four PSS enablers of relative resource reduction that qualify as CE strategies. In the second step, three subsequent requirements need to be met, in order to successfully achieve absolute resource decoupling. Conditions and limitations for this accomplishment are discussed. Danish textile cases are used to exemplify the framework elements and its application. We expect that the framework will challenge the debate on the necessary conditions for CE strategies to ensure absolute resource decoupling.

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Product/Service-Systems for a Circular Economy: The Route to Decoupling Economic Growth from Resource Consumption?

https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3057&context=michigantech-p

Plastic recycling in additive manufacturing: A systematic literature review and opportunities for the circular economy

Policy considerations for limiting unintended residual plastic in agricultural soils

Textile exerts various environmental impacts throughout its life cycle. Prevention of textile waste is one means to reduce these impacts. This study seeks to map-out the flow of textile products in the three Nordic Countries – Denmark, Finland and Sweden – from the time they are put on the market until they are discarded. Based on the findings on the flows as well as on the perception of stakeholders, the study reviews and discusses government interventions that may be useful for the enhancement of textile waste prevention. Potential use of various policy instruments based on the concept of extended producer responsibility (EPR) is analysed. The study indicates a handful of areas where further research is needed in order to fine-tune policy actions that would best address the situation specific to the case countries.

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Prevention of Textile Waste : Material flows of textiles in three Nordic countries and suggestions on policy instruments

Achieving a high quality of waste plastic materials and recycling processes is a key challenge in closing the resource loops for plastics. This report reviews the status and trends for plastic waste flows and treatment in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Furthermore, it gives an overview of existing policy instruments and the main challenges for designing policy instruments for improved recycling of plastic waste in these Nordic countries. The report identifies potential market failures associated with closing the resource loops for plastics. It reviews the economics research literature on policy instrument design for achieving optimal recycling rates and makes policy recommendations from the Nordic perspective. Finally, it presents results from a survey on market conditions to managers in the recycling and plastic manufacturing industry in Sweden.

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Economic policy instruments for plastic waste

This project, commissioned by the Nordic Council of Ministers, had the objective of providing first proposals for targets and indicators that can be used in the Nordic countries' waste prevention p ...

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Proposals for targets and indicators for waste prevention in four waste streams

Housing assessment : final report

The study has identified and evaluated waste prevention initiatives in the building and construction sector. The main part of the initiatives is based on information tools such as guidelines, handb ...

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Birgitte Kjær

Papers

Prevention of Textile Waste : Material flows of textiles in three Nordic countries and suggestions on policy instruments

Economic policy instruments for plastic waste

Proposals for targets and indicators for waste prevention in four waste streams

Housing assessment : final report

Assessment of initiatives to prevent waste from building and construction sectors : Sustainable consumption and production, Environment