Increasing the utilisation of clothing is a daunting challenge in a world of ‘fast fashion’ and accelerating consumption. Many companies have responded to market demand and competition by reinforcing and enabling ‘fast fashion’ trends.
But simply selling more new clothes to meet demand in high consuming and fast-growing economies is unsustainable. It puts more pressure on natural and human resources that are already over exploited. It will mean even greater negative impacts on the environment and society.
- Consumption of clothing is outpacing utilisation; we are buying more clothes and wearing them less.
- New business models offer a shift away from the traditional ‘linear’ approach to a ‘circular’ model.
- Citizens around the world are interested in trying these new models, and we could see a revolution in how we consume fashion
‘Changing our clothes: Why the clothing sector should adopt new business models’ demonstrates potential mass market appeal for re-use business models.
This report is an output of the ‘Clothing Reuse Market Makers’ project with the World Resources Institute, and has been made possible with support from the Laudes Foundation as part of their ‘Bridging the Gap’ initiative. Additional financial and/or in-kind support has been provided by a working group of apparel brands and retailers.
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