Studying clothing consumption volumes through wardrobe studies: a methodological reflection

Lisbeth Løvbak Berg on 10. september 2023

Authors: Irene Maldini, Vilde Haugrønning and Lucrecia de León

Abstract

This paper introduces the relevance of volume-centric research in studies of clothing use. The global production of garments has grown dramatically in recent decades, bringing along significant environmental challenges. However, knowledge is lacking about why people deal with clothing quantities in such varied ways, and what leads some of them to overconsumption. A review of wardrobe research methods shows that there are various approaches to studying garments going in, around, and out of wardrobes. Gathering qualitative insights about specific garments, such as favorite garments, has been quite common. However, in order to advance knowledge about clothing consumption volumes, it is important to look at the wardrobe as a whole and include quantitative aspects. This paper reflects on what approaches and techniques can be used to that end. The reflections are combined with lessons learned from a pilot wardrobe study conducted in Uruguay, Portugal and Norway in 2022 with 20 respondents, concluding with recommendations for volume-centric methods in future wardrobe studies. Rigorous accounts of all garments owned should be combined with registration of items going in and out of the wardrobe over time in order to link accumulation to production and waste volumes. Methods connecting garment quantities with practices of daily use are particularly valuable. One example that has proven successful is piling exercises, a technique where participants are invited to categorize garments in groups according to specific criteria.

Click here to download and read the full article.

Click here to download and read the full conference proceedings (aalto.fi)

Local clothing: What is that? How an environmental policy concept is understood

ingridha on 10. april 2022

Ingun Grimstad Klepp, Vilde Haugrønning & Kirsi Laitala

The textile industry is characterized by global mass production and has an immense impact on the environment. One garment can travel around the world through an extensive value chain before reaching its final consumption destination. The consumer receives little information about how the item was produced due to a lack of policy regulation. In this article, we explore understandings of ‘local clothing’ and how the concept could be an alternative to the current clothing industry. The analysis is based on fifteen interviews with eighteen informants from Western Norway as part of the research project KRUS about Norwegian wool. Five ways of understanding local clothing were identified from the interviews: production, place-specific garments, local clothing habits, home-based production and local circulation. We lack a language with which to describe local clothing that covers local forms of production as an alternative to current clothing production. As such, the article highlights an important obstacle to reorganization: local clothing needs a vocabulary among the public, in politics and in the public sector in general, with which to describe the diverse production processes behind clothing and textiles and their material properties.

Klikk her for å se artikkelen (ingentaconnect.com)

Textile Cleaning and Odour Removal

ingridha on 18. mars 2022

Authors: Kirsi Laitala, Ingun Grimstad Klepp and Vilde Haugrønning

Consumers’ textile care practices today are characterized by frequent laundering. The importance of the removal of odours has increased, especially the smell of sweat. This chapter summarizes knowledge about removing odour from textiles. It provides information on suitable cleaning methods for different textile fibres and types of soils. The considered cleaning methods include laundering, stain removal, airing, hand wash, and professional cleaning methods. The cleaning result from laundering depends on water, washing temperature, length of washing cycle, types and amounts of laundry chemicals, and mechanical agitation applied. Textile material and type of soil that needs removal will determine the right mix of these factors.

Inherent fibre properties affect the soiling characteristics of garments. Comparisons of odours retained in textiles have shown that wool has the least intensive odour, followed by cotton, and synthetic polyester and polyamide garments have the most intense odour. Most textiles can be washed with water and detergents, which are more efficient in the removal of many odorous soils than dry-cleaning, but low-temperature laundering and/or lack of chemical disinfectants such as bleaches can contribute to odour build-up in textiles and in the washing machine. These aspects contribute to the environmental impacts of textiles.

Bokkapittel i Odour in Textiles: Generation and Control (taylorfrancis.com).

Product lifetime in European and Norwegian policies

Lisbeth Løvbak Berg on 8. september 2021

Nina Heidenstrøm, Pål Strandbakken, Vilde Haugrønning og Kirsi Laitala

Sammendrag

Formålet med denne rapporten er å få en bedre forståelse av hvordan produktlevetid har blitt posisjonert i politikken de siste tjue årene. Ved bruk av dokumentanalyse undersøker vi forekomsten og kontekstualiseringen av produktlevetid i EUs sirkulærøkonomipolitikk, norske partiprogrammer og offisielle dokumenter, dokumenter fra norske miljøorganisasjoner, forbrukerorganisasjoners politikk og produktpolitikk. Samlet finner vi at det er lite fokus på produktlevetid mellom 2000-2015, menat det har vært en stor økning i fokus de siste fem årene. Imidlertid er det fremdeles lang vei å gå i arbeidet med å utvikle tiltak som faktisk adresserer produktlevetid.

Klikk her for å lese hele rapporten på engelsk (oda.oslomet.no).

WOOLUME: Mapping the market for acoustic and sound absorbing products made of wool

Lisbeth Løvbak Berg on 9. juni 2021

Anna Schytte Sigaard og Vilde Haugrønning

Sammendrag

Denne rapporten er første leveranse fra arbeidspakke 2 i WOOLUME-prosjektet. Hovedmålet med WOOLUME er å utforske ulike måter å bruke ull fra polske fjellsau for å oppnå bedre utnyttelse av ressurser og økt verdiskaping. Målet med rapporten har vært å kartlegge markedet for akustiske og lydabsorberende produkter laget av ull for å undersøke potensialet for å innføre grov ull som materiale. Dette er gjort gjennom skrivebordsundersøkelser og intervjuer med fokus på ullens egenskaper som et naturlig produkt. Funnene viser at selv om menneskeskapte materialer som polyester dominerer på markedet for akustiske produkter på grunn av lavere priser, foretrekkes ull som materiale på grunn av dets naturlige egenskaper i tillegg til det estetiske. Produsenter som bruker ull anser produktene sine som eksklusive, hvor målgruppen er kunder som ønsker produkter av god kvalitet og som er villige til å betale en høyere pris for å oppnå dette. Imidlertid er det få produsenter som bruker grov ull i disse produktene, og mange er laget av ren merinoull. Bruk av merinoull som ofte anses å være av svært fin kvalitet på grunn av det lave mikronantallet samsvarer ikke med idealet om god ressursutnyttelse. Derfor foreslår vi å bruke grov ull som i dag bare blir kastet som biprodukt til kjøttproduksjon. Merino kan i stedet brukes til produkter der finhet og mykhet er viktigere egenskaper, som for eksempel i klær. I tillegg argumenterer vi for at råheten og unikheten ved grov ull er positivt med tanke på estetikk og noe som styrker posisjonen til ullakustiske produkter som eksklusive.

Klikk her for å lese hele rapporten på engelsk (oda.oslomet.no).

Durable or cheap? Parents’ acquisition of children’s clothing

ingridha on 28. mai 2021

Ingun Grimstad Klepp & Vilde Haugrønning

Abstract

Parents are faced with a plurality of choices and concerns when it comes to the acquisition of clothing for their children. This paper explores how parents employ longevity in consumption of children’s clothing from a practice-oriented perspective. The material consists of 6 focus groups with 40 parents who have at least one child under the age of 18. The aim of the groups was to establish children’s clothing needs: how many they need of each garment, how long parents expect the garment to last and what they understand as quality in clothing.

The analysis shows that parents mainly opt for an ‘one or the other’ strategy; they choose what they understand as quality, often affiliated with specific brands, and accept paying more for the garment, or they mainly choose based on low prices, and expect less of the garment. Quality is evaluated based on the garments’ durability and function. More specifically, the parents measure the service lifetime of a garment based on the number of seasons it lasts, either in terms of wear and tear or the child growing out of it. The expected lifetime is defined by uncertain sources, from their own and friends’ experiences, and their desire to justify their own choices as well as routinised practices.

Our discussion section employs these findings and contextualise them within product lifetime discourses. By doing this, we provide knowledge about how quality is understood, and how brand and price are used as indicators. We show how lack of information about products, especially on garments, leads to uninformed consumption practices that have consequences for how quality and longevity are prioritised and understood.

PLATE-2021_Klepp-and-HaugronningDownload
PLATE-2021_Klepp-and-HaugronningDownload

Consumer practices for extending the social lifetimes of sofas and clothing

ingridha on 27. mai 2021

Vilde Haugrønning, Kirsi Laitala & Ingun Grimstad Klepp

Abstract

Consumers play an essential role in efforts to extend product lifetimes (PL) and consumers’ practices can determine how long and active lives products get. Applying the framework of Social Practice Theory, this paper argues that in order to suggest changes to how consumers can contribute to longer product lifespans, research needs to focus on consumer practices. The data material consists of 4 focus group interviews with 38 participants about household goods and 29 semi-structured interviews about clothing.

Previous research shows that consumers’ expectations of product lifetime has decreased, while satisfaction with products is relatively high, which may indicate that product break down and/or replacement is more accepted. Therefore, we argue, it is necessary to focus on social lifespans. Our findings show that products such as clothing and sofas often go out of use or are disposed of before their physical lifespan ends, and it is more common to donate or sell old clothing and sofas than buying the products second hand. There are a number of routinised practices, such as disposal of functional items, that are considered normal, which leads to less reflexivity of seemingly unsustainable practices.

The material in products, or the expectation to the material, is highly influential for practices that can extend the social lifespan, such as maintenance. We conclude that by understanding practices as integrated and influenced by elements of the material, social and cultural, policy interventions may have a greater impact on the social lifespan of products.

PLATE-2021_Haugronning-et-alDownload
PLATE-2021_Haugronning-et-alDownload

Naturgarvet skinn i et miljøperspektiv

ingridha on 20. mai 2021

Ingun Grimstad Klepp & Vilde Haugrønning

Sammendrag

Rapporten tar utgangspunkt i naturgarveriet Jutulskinn (nå ULU) og deres utvikling av en ny kolleksjon i form av friluftslivsklær i skinn og pels. Rapporten er en leveranse i et ‘forprosjekt for innovasjon’ finansiert av Norges Forskningsråd. Målet med dette prosjektet er å plassere Jutulskinns produkter inn i et miljøperspektiv ved å se på råvarer, alternative produkter og hvordan produktene kan minimere miljøbelastning gjennom å forlenge sosial levetid og planlegge for fremtidige reparasjoner, samt forbedringer under produksjon. Rapporten går gjennom flere aspekter rundt garving som håndverk og materialer og råvarer benyttet i produksjonen. Vi ser også på råvaretilgangen for pels og skinn i Norge og finner at det er stor tilgang på råvarer som huder og skinn. Hud og pels fra dyr som felles under jakt eller avlives av andre grunner blir i liten grad utnyttet. Basert på dette ser vi at det er behov for mer forskning om hvordan færre materialer og ressurser kan gå til spille og hvordan vi kan få en større utnyttelse av skinn og pels fra dyr i Norge. Dette krever også en diskusjon om lovverk som regulerer biprodukter og sidestrømmer. Vi konkluderer med at produktene til Jutulskinn har lav miljøbelastning og lavere enn produkter som det er naturlig å sammenligne med. Jutulskinn har mulighet for å bidra inn i en bærekraftig utvikling gjennom å være et eksempel på en bedrift som kan bidra til reorganisert og minsket forbruk og produksjon. Av de ulike miljøfortrinn nevnes at bedriften bruker flere lokale råvarer som ellers hadde gått til spille, at de ikke bruker farlige kjemikalier og et minimum av energi, og ikke minst at de representerer en motsetning til vekst og overproduksjon som er et stort problem med dagens klesproduksjon.

Klikk her for å lese hele rapporten (oda.oslomet.no)

Increasing repair of household appliances, mobile phones and clothing: Experiences from consumers and the repair industry

Lisbeth Løvbak Berg on 1. desember 2020

modell som viser hvordan vi reparerer vaskemaskiner i Norge

Kirsi Laitala, Ingun Grimstad Klepp, Vilde Haugrønning, Harald Throne-Holst & Pål Strandbakken

Abstract

Increasing product lifespans is one of the most effective environmental strategies and therefore repair is a part of the circular economy approach that aims to keep products and materials longer in use. This article explores drivers and barriers for repair from consumers’ and commercial repair actors view-points, in order to understand how the repair rates of household appliances, mobile phones and clothing could be increased.

The study is based on a consumer survey of 1196 respondents in Norway, and 15qualitative interviews with actors in the commercial repair industry working with repairs of household consumer goods. A surprisingly high share of repairs was conducted by consumers themselves. The main barrier is the consistently low price of new products, and often of poor quality, which contributes to low profitability in repair work for businesses and low motivation from consumers. Furthermore, access to competent personnel is a major challenge for the repair industry, a need which is expected to increase in the coming years.

Both the industry and consumers agree that better quality of products is a starting point for increased product lifespans, and this will also increase the motivation and the number of profitable repairs. These results have political implications on how to promote longer product lifespans through repair such as increased utilization and knowledge of consumers’ complaint and warranty rights.

Click here to read the full article (sciencedirect.com).

Jul – pynt, gaver, klær og mat

Lisbeth Løvbak Berg on 6. desember 2019

Annechen Bahr Bugge, Ingun Grimstad Klepp, Anita Borch, Alexander Schjøll, Kirsi Laitala og Vilde Anine Rydal Haugrønning

Sammendrag

I denne rapporten er det sett nærmere på hvilken betydning og rolle pynt, gaver, klær og mat har i juleritualet. Resultatene av spørreundersøkelsen viser at hvordan vi feirer jul er preget av stabilitet og relativt små endringer. De aller fleste deltar i julefeiringen. Syv av ti ga uttrykk for at julen hadde stor betydning for dem. Det respondentene satt mest pris på ved ritualet var det sosiale samværet, maten og måltidene og tradisjonene. Langt færre beskrev det kristne julebudskapet eller gavene som betydningsfulle. Samlet viser rapporten at den stemningen og det sosiale samværet som mange sier de setter pris på ved julen, nettopp skapes gjennom forbrukspraksiser som å kjøpe og lage gaver, vaske, rulle og stryke, bake, koke og steke, pynte og dekke bord, kle seg til høytiden, sette god mat på bordet og dele den med kjente og kjære. Rapporten viser dessuten at vi ikke bare er sammen, men også er sammen på en annen måte, en bestemt måte nokså annerledes enn i hverdagen.

Klikk her for å lese hele rapporten (oda.oslomet.no).

Summary

This report looks at the meaning and role of decorations, gifts, clothing and food in the Christmas ritual. The results show that the way we celebrate Christmas in Norway is characterized by stability and small changes. The vast majority of people attend the Christmas celebration. Seven out of ten stated that Christmas was important to them. Social gatherings, food and meals, as well as traditions, were the most appreciated by the respondents. Far fewer described the Christian Christmas message or gifts as important. Overall, the report shows that the atmosphere and sociality that many say they appreciate at Christmas is precisely created through consumer practices, such as buying and making gifts, washing, rolling and ironing, baking, cooking and roasting, decorating, dressing up for the holidays and sharing meals with known and loved ones. The report also shows that we are not only together, but also together in a different way at Christmas, a certain way quite different from everyday life.

The full report is only available in Norwegian.