According to WRAP, the guide aims to help designers, buyers, technologists, and manufacturers to enhance clothing durability across their design, sourcing and production practices.
Extending the life of clothes by enhancing clothing durability offers the opportunity for significant environmental savings, WRAP said.
The guide explains that by extending the life of clothes by nine months of active use would reduce carbon, water and waste footprints by 4-10%.
The findings from WRAP’s report Design for Longevity have been summarised in the ‘Enhancing Clothing Durability’ chapter of the guide. The report provides guidance on increasing the active life of clothing and gives recommendations for product development teams on how to design clothing for longevity.
The report found that the global footprint of UK consumption of clothing annually is 1.8 million tonnes of material. However, it estimates that if clothing had a 10% longer lifetime (i.e. 3 months) there would be a waste saving of 9% (150,000 tonnes). And, if this was a 33% longer lifetime (i.e. 9 months) there would be a waste saving of 22% (400,000 tonnes).
Solutions
In the report, clothing is separated into categories including childrenswear, occasionwear, tailoring and denim. Within each chapter, the report recommends five top solutions to increase longevity; advises how to care for and repair the product; and, suggests the best ways to reuse or discard the item.
Actions put forward in the guide include designing-in a growth allowance in children’s clothing; providing a ‘specialist aftercare service’ for tailoring; and, enhancing the fabric strength and surface quality of denim by applying sustainable dyeing, bleaching and surface treatments.
The updated guide has been developed with input from Sustainable Clothing Action Plan (SCAP) signatories and features seven new case studies from industry trials. The case studies come from a range of clothing retailers which have trialled the best practices recommended in the guide, and include ASOS, John Lewis and New Look.
Alongside this, WRAP has developed a ‘How to Measure Guide’, which it described as a ‘practical guide’ to help achieve consistent clothing measurements in men’s trousers and shirts.
The announcement comes after a number of measures by WRAP to improve the sustainability of clothing. In December 2016 the charity published a Textiles Collections Procurement Guide to assist local authorities in delivering collection services for clothing. (See letsrecycle.com story)
Related links
Sustainable Clothing Guide
Design for Longevity report
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