New product development and testing strategies for clothing longevity

Cooper, T. ORCID: 0000-0001-8623-2918, Oxborrow, L. ORCID: 0000-0003-2795-8131, Claxton, S., Goworek, H., Hill, H. and McLaren, A. ORCID: 0000-0002-9909-5403, 2017. New product development and testing strategies for clothing longevity. In: C.A. Bakker and R. Mugge, eds., PLATE: Product Lifetimes And The Environment 2017 - Conference Proceedings. Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands, 8-10 November 2017. Research in design (9). Delft: IOS Press, pp. 94-97. ISBN 9781614998204

[img]
Preview
Text
PubSub9664_Cooper.pdf - Published version

Download (153kB) | Preview

Abstract

Many garments have short life-spans, contributing to excessive carbon emissions, water consumption and waste. This paper reports on a research project which aimed to identify expectations of clothing longevity, examine the NPD process within the supply chain and identify opportunities for change, evaluate the potential for innovative technologies and improved product testing, and explore business practices aimed at more sustainable approaches to NPD. The paper provides an overview of the two-year project, presenting key findings from data collection that included interviews with 31 industry practitioners, three consumer focus groups, three industry and consumer round tables, an expert workshop, and four pilot actions undertaken with UK clothing retailers to evaluate key issues. The research identified and explored themes relating to NPD that could enable increased garment lifetimes, which were consolidated into six areas: the adoption of advanced textile processes and finishing techniques, action to overcome constraints on appropriate product testing, the potential for retailers to influence consumer behaviour, a loss of technical expertise and lack of multi-disciplinary collaboration, failure to embed good practice early in the NPD process, and evidence to encourage retailers and brands to adopt new business models. Industry and government policy recommendations were proposed to improve knowledge-sharing, strengthen the business case and influence consumer behaviour, while further research may be needed on the adoption of new garment and textile technologies, the business case and the global context of the clothing industry.

Item Type: Chapter in book
Creators: Cooper, T., Oxborrow, L., Claxton, S., Goworek, H., Hill, H. and McLaren, A.
Publisher: IOS Press
Place of Publication: Delft
Date: November 2017
Number: 9
ISBN: 9781614998204
Identifiers:
NumberType
10.3233/978-1-61499-820-4-94DOI
Divisions: Schools > School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment
Schools > School of Art and Design
Record created by: Linda Sullivan
Date Added: 04 Jan 2018 12:12
Last Modified: 04 Jan 2018 12:12
Related URLs:
URI: https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/32284

Actions (login required)

Edit View Edit View

Views

Views per month over past year

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year