IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/circec/v4y2024i2d10.1007_s43615-023-00322-w.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

From Simplistic to Systemic Sustainability in the Textile and Fashion Industry

Author

Listed:
  • Olli Sahimaa

    (Aalto University School of Business, Ekonominaukio 1)

  • Elizabeth M. Miller

    (University of Western Ontario)

  • Minna Halme

    (Aalto University School of Business, Ekonominaukio 1)

  • Kirsi Niinimäki

    (Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture)

  • Hannu Tanner

    (VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd.)

  • Mikko Mäkelä

    (VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Ltd.)

  • Marja Rissanen

    (Tampere University of Applied Sciences)

  • Anna Härri

    (LUT University)

  • Michael Hummel

    (Aalto School of Chemical Engineering, Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems)

Abstract

The fast fashion industry is notorious for wicked environmental and social problems, such as exploitative resource use, high amounts of waste, excessive pollution, below-living wages and unsafe working conditions. Addressing these problems calls for a systemic view on the industry with the goal of minimising the intake of natural resources into the system as well as the output of waste. However, thus far, most solution attempts have turned out simplistic and insufficient to nudge the industry to more sustainable practices at scale. We examine the textile and fashion system at the three different levels—the product, industry and socio-ecological system levels—and show the inadequacy of the current sustainability-driven practices in the field. As an alternative, we propose systemic solutions, geared toward long material and product lifetimes, that have the potential to trigger adaptive responses throughout different actors in the system and across all three levels. These systemic solutions operationalise a circular value retention hierarchy coupled with a sufficiency-based consumption philosophy.

Suggested Citation

  • Olli Sahimaa & Elizabeth M. Miller & Minna Halme & Kirsi Niinimäki & Hannu Tanner & Mikko Mäkelä & Marja Rissanen & Anna Härri & Michael Hummel, 2024. "From Simplistic to Systemic Sustainability in the Textile and Fashion Industry," Circular Economy and Sustainability, Springer, vol. 4(2), pages 1115-1131, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:circec:v:4:y:2024:i:2:d:10.1007_s43615-023-00322-w
    DOI: 10.1007/s43615-023-00322-w
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s43615-023-00322-w
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s43615-023-00322-w?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Schmelzer, Matthias, 2015. "The growth paradigm: History, hegemony, and the contested making of economic growthmanship," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 262-271.
    2. Elisa Arrigo, 2020. "Global Sourcing in Fast Fashion Retailers: Sourcing Locations and Sustainability Considerations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-22, January.
    3. Trevor Zink & Roland Geyer, 2017. "Circular Economy Rebound," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 21(3), pages 593-602, June.
    4. Riikka Piippo & Kirsi Niinimäki & Maarit Aakko, 2022. "Fit for the Future: Garment Quality and Product Lifetimes in a CE Context," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-15, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Etienne Lorang & Antonello Lobianco & Philippe Delacote, 2023. "Increasing Paper and Cardboard Recycling: Impacts on the Forest Sector and Carbon Emissions," Post-Print hal-04690101, HAL.
    2. Monia Niero & Charlotte L. Jensen & Chiara Farné Fratini & Jens Dorland & Michael S. Jørgensen & Susse Georg, 2021. "Is life cycle assessment enough to address unintended side effects from Circular Economy initiatives?," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 25(5), pages 1111-1120, October.
    3. Myrto Kasioumi & Thanasis Stengos, 2023. "A Circular Model of Economic Growth and Waste Recycling," Circular Economy and Sustainability, Springer, vol. 3(1), pages 321-346, March.
    4. Xhulia Likaj & Michael Jacobs & Thomas Fricke, 2022. "Growth, Degrowth or Post-growth? Towards a synthetic understanding of the growth debate," Basic Papers 2, Forum New Economy.
    5. Millar, Neal & McLaughlin, Eoin & Börger, Tobias, 2019. "The Circular Economy: Swings and Roundabouts?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 158(C), pages 11-19.
    6. Siemoneit, Andreas, 2023. "Growth imperatives as a conflict between efficiency and justice," EconStor Theses, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, number 301394, September.
    7. Claudia Aparecida De Mattos & Thiago Lourenço Meira De Albuquerque, 2018. "Enabling Factors and Strategies for the Transition Toward a Circular Economy (CE)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-18, December.
    8. Jan Streeck & Quirin Dammerer & Dominik Wiedenhofer & Fridolin Krausmann, 2021. "The role of socio‐economic material stocks for natural resource use in the United States of America from 1870 to 2100," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 25(6), pages 1486-1502, December.
    9. Rachel Greer & Timo Wirth & Derk Loorbach, 2023. "The Circular Decision-Making Tree: an Operational Framework," Circular Economy and Sustainability, Springer, vol. 3(2), pages 693-718, June.
    10. Leonidas Milios, 2021. "Towards a Circular Economy Taxation Framework: Expectations and Challenges of Implementation," Circular Economy and Sustainability, Springer, vol. 1(2), pages 477-498, September.
    11. J. Brusselaers & J. Gillabel, 2024. "How Circular Is the European Policy Landscape?," Circular Economy and Sustainability, Springer, vol. 4(2), pages 1559-1585, June.
    12. Mariana Oliveira & Mécia Miguel & Sven Kevin Langen & Amos Ncube & Amalia Zucaro & Gabriella Fiorentino & Renato Passaro & Remo Santagata & Nick Coleman & Benjamin H. Lowe & Sergio Ulgiati & Andrea Ge, 2021. "Circular Economy and the Transition to a Sustainable Society: Integrated Assessment Methods for a New Paradigm," Circular Economy and Sustainability, Springer, vol. 1(1), pages 99-113, June.
    13. Hans Eickhoff, 2024. "The appeal of the circular economy revisited: on track for transformative change or enabler of moral licensing?," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-8, December.
    14. Leandro Javier Llorente-González & Xavier Vence, 2019. "Decoupling or ‘Decaffing’? The Underlying Conceptualization of Circular Economy in the European Union Monitoring Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(18), pages 1-21, September.
    15. Pedrini, Giulio & Cappiello, Giuseppe, 2022. "The impact of training on labour productivity in the European utilities sector: An empirical analysis," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    16. Nancy Bocken & Lars Strupeit & Katherine Whalen & Julia Nußholz, 2019. "A Review and Evaluation of Circular Business Model Innovation Tools," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-25, April.
    17. John Ryter & Xinkai Fu & Karan Bhuwalka & Richard Roth & Elsa Olivetti, 2022. "Assessing recycling, displacement, and environmental impacts using an economics‐informed material system model," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 26(3), pages 1010-1024, June.
    18. Carlos Scheel & Bernardo Bello, 2022. "Transforming Linear Production Chains into Circular Value Extended Systems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-17, March.
    19. Chembessi Chedrak & Gohoungodji Paulin & Juste Rajaonson, 2023. "“A fine wine, better with age”: Circular economy historical roots and influential publications: A bibliometric analysis using Reference Publication Year Spectroscopy (RPYS)," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 27(6), pages 1593-1612, December.
    20. María Jesús Ávila-Gutiérrez & Alejandro Martín-Gómez & Francisco Aguayo-González & Juan Ramón Lama-Ruiz, 2020. "Eco-Holonic 4.0 Circular Business Model to Conceptualize Sustainable Value Chain towards Digital Transition," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-32, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:circec:v:4:y:2024:i:2:d:10.1007_s43615-023-00322-w. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.