THE PLASTIC ELEPHANT: Overproduction and synthetic fibres in sustainable textile strategies

Lisbeth Løvbak Berg on 30. juni 2023

Forfattere: Ingun Grimstad Klepp, Lisbeth Løvbak Berg, Anna Schytte Sigaard, Tone Skårdal Tobiasson og Lea Gleisberg

Sammendrag

I denne rapporten undersøker vi nasjonale, internasjonale og bedriftsstrategier for bærekraftige tekstiler for å forstå om, og i så fall hvordan de inkluderer problemet med økte produksjonsvolumer basert på syntetiske materialer som kan bli omtalt som ‘plastelefanten i rommet’. Dette gjøres ved å stille fire spørsmål. Først ser vi etter om strategiene diskuterer vekst i produksjonsvolumer og mulige virkemidler for å stoppe denne veksten. Deretter undersøker vi om de adresserer plastifiseringen av tekstiler. Med plastifisering mener vi den økende andelen plastfibre som brukes i tekstilproduksjonen. For det tredje, om de diskuterer råmaterialene for plast, og for det fjerde, plastavfall. Resultatet viser at ingen av disse spørsmålene relatert til å få ned miljøbelastningene fra produksjon av klær står sentralt i strategiene.

Klikk her for å lese hele rapporten på engelsk.

Want Not, Waste Not: Preliminary findings

Lisbeth Løvbak Berg on 31. mars 2023

Author: Anna Schytte Sigaard

Summary

This project note presents preliminary findings from a PhD project looking into textile waste from Norwegian households. 28 households collected textiles that they would have otherwise discarded for a period of six months. The textiles were collected by the PhD candidate during visits to the households where qualitative interviews were carried out. Then, all textiles were registered along with information from the interviews. The findings indicate that most of the discarded textiles are clothes and shoes. However, when broken down into textile categories, household textiles represent the largest group of discarded textiles. In addition, findings show that about one third of the collected textiles were in a very good condition, either like new or with only minor changes. The fiber content of the textiles corresponded with the preliminary findings from work package 2 in Wasted Textiles, as there was an equal distribution between 100% synthetic textiles, 100% non-synthetic textiles and textiles containing a mix of these. It was also found that the largest group of users were adult women, especially when looking at number of textiles discarded. If weight was applied instead, the difference between the genders evened out more. As these findings are preliminary, it is too early to provide any hard conclusions. Instead, the project note is meant to grant insights into the kind of data that will eventually be available and shared with the project group.

Click here to read the full project note.

Natural and Sustainable? Consumers’ Textile Fiber Preferences

Lisbeth Løvbak Berg on 26. januar 2023

by Anna Schytte Sigaard  and Kirsi Laitala

Abstract

Textile fibers have become a major issue in the debate on sustainable fashion and clothing consumption. While consumers are encouraged to choose more sustainable and circular textile materials, studies have indicated that a reduction in production and consumption has the greatest potential to reduce the total environmental impact. This can be considered an ecocentric perspective with a focus on degrowth as opposed to a technocentric view where new technologies are expected to solve environmental problems while economic growth continues. Based on a survey in Norway (N = 1284), we investigate how the techno- and ecocentric perspectives impact Norwegian consumers’ fiber preferences and perceptions and the corresponding effects on their clothing consumption. We found that the majority of consumers preferred natural fibers compared to synthetic materials. This contradicts current market practices and the recommendations by material sustainability comparison tools such as the Higg Material Sustainability Index (MSI), where many synthetics receive better ratings than natural fibers. We also found that perceptions of high sustainability regarding fibers were negatively correlated with reduced consumption. Our study suggests that a continued focus on material substitution and other technological measures for reducing climate change will impede the move toward sustainability in the textile sector.

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

Stemmer fibermerkingen?

Lisbeth Løvbak Berg on 14. november 2022

Vi sjekker merkelappen med Matoha FabriTell fiberskanner.

Forfattere: Anna Schytte Sigaard, Ingun Grimstad Klepp og Tone Skårdal Tobiasson

I prosjektet Wasted Textiles har en av utfordringene vært å identifisere hvilke fibre klær faktisk består av, både når klærne er merket – men spesielt når de ikke er det.

I november var Wasted Textiles så heldige å få tilgang på fiberskanneren FabriTell fra det engelske firmaet Matoha (matoha.com). FabriTell er en liten håndholdt maskin på bare 0,5 kg som bruker nær infrarød (NIR) analyseteknikk til å identifisere fibersammensettingen i tekstiler. Den kan kjenne igjen to-komponent blandinger av de mest vanlige fibrene, som bomull, polyester, viskose, ull, silke, elastan og akryl i alle typer konstruksjoner av tekstiler, altså både strikkede, vevde og nonwoven materialer.

Vi skal bruke skanneren til å sjekke fiberinnhold i klær og tekstiler innsamlet fra husholdninger i Oslo, Vestfold og Salten i løpet av det siste året. Vi har allerede registrert fiberinnhold som angitt på merkelappene, men mange av tekstilene har ikke merkelapp og i en stor del av klærne har lappen blitt klippet av eller er så slitt fra vask at den ikke kan avleses. Med FabriTell får vi nå mulighet for å registrere innholdet mer presist for disse tekstilene. Vi vil også få vite om våre antagelser om fiberinnhold stemmer. Undersøkelser i andre land har vist at mange klær er feilmerket og faktisk inneholder en større andel av syntetiske fibre enn det som er oppgitt på merkelappene. Vi skal sjekke om dette også gjelder for klær i Norge.

De siste dagene har vi skannet over 200 klesplagg og ser allerede nå at noen er feilmerket, mens andre utelater visse deler av plaggene i det oppgitte fiberinnholdet. På bildene under ses eksempler fra skanningene. På det første bildet skannes en bluse, som ut ifra fibermerkingen skulle bestå av 60% viskose, 20% bomull og 20% polyester, altså 80% plantebaserte fibre og 20% syntetiske fibre. Ifølge skanningen består denne blusen av ca. 80% polyester og 20% elastan, altså 100% syntetiske fibre.

På det andre bildet skannes en genser som ifølge merkelappen skal være laget av 50% bomull og 50% viskose, men FabriTell gir et litt annet resultat. Når forside og bakside av t-skjorten skannes, viser den riktignok 100% plantebaserte fibre, men når kragen skannes, blir resultatet ca. 80% bomull og 20% polyester. Vi fant det samme for flere plagg som var angitt som 100% plantebaserte fibre. Når vi testet hoveddelene av plaggene, stemte fibermerkingen overens med resultatene fra skanneren, men når vi testet krage, ermekanter og bunnribben på gensere og t-skjorter, så målte vi opp imot 30% elastan, nylon eller polyester.

Det vi har sett så langt tilsier at mange klesplagg som ifølge merkelappen skal være laget av plantebaserte fibre også inneholder syntetiske fibre i deler av plaggene og at andre plagg kan være fullstendig feilmerket. Merking av klær er en av de få kildene til informasjon vi som forbrukere har tilgang på om klærne vi kjøper. Feilmerking av denne typen bidrar derfor til at forbrukere får enda større problemer med å navigere i et allerede uoversiktlig marked og, i visse tilfeller, blir ført bak lyset av klesprodusentene. For oss i Wasted Textiles vil skanneren bidra til mer nøyaktige opplysninger om hvor mye av klærne som går ut av bruk i Norge er laget av syntetiske fiber.

I løpet av den neste måned skal vi skanne datamaterialet som er innsamlet til doktorgradsprosjektet i prosjektet bestående av kasserte klær og tekstiler fra 28 husholdninger. Resultatene vil gi et innblikk i feilmerking av klærne som i Norge ender opp i avfallsstrømmer eller går ut av bruk på andre måter. Dette er viktig informasjon hvis vi skal planlegge for hva vi skal gjøre med tekstilavfallet vårt fordi fiberblandinger vanskeliggjør resirkulering.

DELIVERING EU ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY THROUGH FAIR COMPARISONS OF NATURAL AND SYNTHETIC FIBRE TEXTILES IN PEF

Lisbeth Løvbak Berg on 25. mai 2022

Make the Label Count Campaign: Simon J. Clarke, Ingun G. Klepp, Kirsi Laitala and Stephen G. Wiedemann.

Summary

Sustainability has become a priority objective for the European Union (EU). It is a key driver for policy development through the global leadership role the EU has taken in addressing climate change, decoupling economic growth from resource use, and the sustainable use of
resources. The global supply of textiles has been recognized by the EU as a major source of emissions and resource use; the sector has become increasingly reliant on fossil feedstocks to supply synthetic fibres, and the textile industry has been roundly criticised for unsustainable and non-circular consumption patterns.


The Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) system – which assesses a product’s environmental impact and provides consumers with information on that impact – has the potential to be paramount in directing the textile sector towards a sustainable system of production and consumption. However, the PEF system has not been designed to deliver the EU’s strategies and, without amendment, its application to the textiles sector risks undermining the EU’s laudable intent. The PEF system is designed to facilitate like-with-like comparisons, but assessment of textiles made from natural and synthetic fibres are not yet comparable because the impacts of forming natural fibres are fully accounted for, but omitted for fossil fuels. The single biggest sustainability issue for the textile industry is the growth in synthetic fibre production and the causally related rise in fast fashion. A PEF-derived comparison will not challenge the over-consumption of resources, and risks legitimising unsustainable consumption with an EU-backed green claim.


These limitations present a significant challenge to the delivery of both EU strategy and the PEF goal of providing fair comparisons of products based on their environmental credentials.


In combination, the characteristics of the textiles category, together with the limitations of PEF methodology, provide a strong argument for not comparing textiles made from renewable and non-renewable raw materials. However, achieving the EU Green Deal and circular economy objectives mandates a pragmatic approach; hence our analysis recommends methodological improvements to deliver EU environmental policy through fair comparisons of natural and synthetic fibre textiles in PEF. Addressing these limitations now will avoid
the same problems arising when PEF is applied to other product categories that compare renewable and non-renewable raw materials, such as furniture and fuel.

Click here to read the full report (makethelabelcount.org).

”Hvorfor kan ikke bare alle produkter være bærekraftige?” Hvordan forbrukere oppfatter og påvirkes av markedsføring med bærekraftpåstander

ingridha on 20. januar 2022

Nina Heidenstrøm, Ingrid Haugsrud, Marie Hebrok & Harald Throne-Holst

Sammendrag

Formålet med denne rapporten er å få en bedre forståelse av hvordan markedsføring med bærekraftpåstander kommuniseres til norske forbrukere gjennom nettbutikker og sosiale medier, og hvordan forbrukerne oppfatter og håndterer markedsføringen. Rapporten ser spesielt på to produktkategorier; klær og kosmetikk. En skrivebordsstudie analyserer markedsføringens tekstlige og visuelle utforming, og data fra fokusgrupper brukes for å forstå hvilke ressurser og begrensninger forbrukerne har i møte med markedsføringen. Skrivebordsstudien viser at markedsføringen av klær og kosmetikk benytter seg av store og felles samfunnsfortellinger om hvordan vi skal møte klimautfordringene gjennom forbruksendringer. Fortellingene bruker emosjoner, moral og logikk i sine argumenter, som forsterkes gjennom symboler og visuelle atmosfærer. Resultatene fra fokusgruppene viser at informasjon og kunnskap om markedsføring med bærekraftpåstander per i dag ikke er tilstrekkelig, og det er lav tillit til påvirkere i sosiale medier, forhandlere, og produsenter. Tilliten er høy til myndighetene, som samtidig anses å være ansvarlige for å regulere markedsføringen.

Rapporten avsluttes med fire læringspunkter for å utbedre forbrukernes forståelse av markedsføring med bærekraftpåstander:

i) standardisere og kontekstualisere informasjon,

ii) videreutvikle det nordiske miljømerket,

iii) regulere feilbruk av vitenskapelig kunnskap og

iv) lage retningslinjer for visuelle virkemidler. 

Abstract

This report aims to gain a deeper understanding of how marketing with sustainability claims is communicated to Norwegian consumers through online stores and social media, and how consumers perceive and handle such marketing. The report looks specifically at two product categories: clothing and cosmetics. A desktop study analyses the textual and visual design of the marketing, and data from focus groups are used to understand what resources and limitations consumers have when facing sustainability claims. The desktop study shows that marketing of clothing and cosmetics is constructed using shared cultural narratives about how we should understand and act on the global climate crisis through changed patterns of consumption. The narratives use emotions, moral and logic in their arguments, which are reinforced through symbols and visual atmospheres. The focus group results show that information and knowledge about marketing with sustainability claims are insufficient, and there is a low level of trust in social media influencers, retailers, and manufacturers. There is a high level of trust in national authorities, who are also considered to be responsible for regulating marketing. The report concludes with four learning points to improve consumers’ understanding of marketing with sustainability claims: i) standardise and contextualise information, ii) further develop the Nordic eco-label, iii) regulate misuse of scientific knowledge, and iv) create guidelines for visual techniques in marketing.

Klikk her for å lese hele rapporten.

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

Reducing environmental impacts from garments through best practice garment use and care, using the example of a Merino wool sweater

Lisbeth Løvbak Berg on 19. april 2021

Stephen G. Wiedemann, Leo Briggs, Quan V. Nguyen, Simon J. Clarke, Kirsi Laitala and Ingun G. Klepp

Abstract

Purpose

Garment production and use generate substantial environmental impacts, and the care and use are key determinants of cradle-to-grave impacts. The present study investigated the potential to reduce environmental impacts by applying best practices for garment care combined with increased garment use. A wool sweater is used as an example because wool garments have particular attributes that favour reduced environmental impacts in the use phase.

Methods

A cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to compare six plausible best and worst-case practice scenarios for use and care of a wool sweater, relative to current practices. These focussed on options available to consumers to reduce impacts, including reduced washing frequency, use of more efficient washing machines, reduced use of machine clothing dryers, garment reuse by multiple users, and increasing number of garment wears before disposal. A sixth scenario combined all options. Worst practices took the worst plausible alternative for each option investigated. Impacts were reported per wear in Western Europe for climate change, fossil energy demand, water stress and freshwater consumption.

Results and discussion

Washing less frequently reduced impacts by between 4 and 20%, while using more efficient washing machines at capacity reduced impacts by 1 to 6%, depending on the impact category. Reduced use of machine dryer reduced impacts by < 5% across all indicators. Reusing garments by multiple users increased life span and reduced impacts by 25–28% across all indicators. Increasing wears from 109 to 400 per garment lifespan had the largest effect, decreasing impacts by 60% to 68% depending on the impact category. Best practice care, where garment use was maximised and care practices focussed on the minimum practical requirements, resulted in a ~ 75% reduction in impacts across all indicators. Unsurprisingly, worst-case scenarios increased impacts dramatically: using the garment once before disposal increased GHG impacts over 100 times.

Conclusions

Wool sweaters have potential for long life and low environmental impact in use, but there are substantial differences between the best, current and worst-case scenarios. Detailed information about garment care and lifespans is needed to understand and reduce environmental impacts. Opportunities exist for consumers to rapidly and dramatically reduce these impacts. The fashion industry can facilitate this through garment design and marketing that promotes and enables long wear life and minimal care.

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

Barn og unges forbruk: Klær, mat og kropp

Lisbeth Løvbak Berg on 19. november 2020

Bahr Bugge, Silje Elisabeth Skuland, Kamilla Knutsen Steinnes og Helene Fiane Teigen

Sammendrag

Denne rapporten, som i hovedsak er basert på en spørreundersøkelse om barn, klær, mat og kropp blant foreldre med barn i alderen 1-16 år, beskriver barn og unges forbruk av klær og mat og hvordan de forholder seg til kropp, helse og miljø. Undersøkelsen viser at mange foreldre gir klær til gjenbruk, men en mindre andel sier at deres barn bruker brukte klær. Spesielt klær blant de yngste barna går i arv. Det er vanlig å reparere barneklær selv, men uvanlig å betale andre for det. De færreste foreldre svarer at barna går med halvskitne klær, men helse og miljø fremstår ikke som spesielt viktige for foreldre når det gjelder klesvask. Det er delte meninger om og erfaringer omkring spørsmål om klær, klesnormer, kjønn, kjøpepress og religion. Hovedansvar for barns klær har mødrene eller ansvaret deles likt mellom foreldrene. Barn og unges meninger om klærs betydning for inkludering og erting er delte, det samme gjelder skoleuniform som mulig løsning. De er mer positive til dette tiltaket enn foreldrene. Resultatene viser at det mangler kunnskap om hvordan vi kan kle barn slik at de får en sunn, trygg og god barndom og hvem som har ansvar for at det skjer.

De fleste barn og unge rapporterer et mat- og spisemønster som er i tråd med ernæringspolitiske målsettinger. Tilgjengeligheten hjemme av sunne matvarer er høy i barnefamilier og tilgjengeligheten av usunne matvarer er lavere, men en av ti sier at de alltid har usunne matvare hjemme. Tre av fire foreldre sier at deres yngste barn spiser matpakke hver dag på skolen, og mange er enige i at matpakka bør erstattes med et skolemåltid. Behovet for å erstatte matpakka med et skolemåltid er størst blant foreldre i de laveste inntekts- og utdannelsesgruppene, og for foreldre som oppgir at barna deres ikke spiser matpakke daglig på skolen. Foreldre synes at det i stor grad er den enkeltes ansvar å spise sunt, men at også myndighetene har ansvar. Mange foreldre er enige i at myndigheter bør benytte seg av prisvirkemidler og at markedsføring og reklame av usunn mat til barn bør forbys. Barn og unge uttrykker både tilfredshet og misnøye med egen kropp og utseende. Ungdommer, jenter oftere enn gutter, gjennomfører en rekke skjønnhets- og kroppspraksiser regelmessig. Det er vanlig blant unge å unngå mat som allment anses som usunn.

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

Summary

This report, which is mainly based on a survey about children, clothes, food and the body among parents of children aged 1-16 years, describes children’s and young people’s consumption of clothing and food and how they relate to the body, health and the environment. The survey shows that many parents give clothes for reuse, but a small proportion say that their children wear used clothes. Especially clothes among the youngest children are inherited. It is common to repair children’s clothes yourself, but unusual to pay others for it. Few parents answer that their children wear half-dirty clothes, but health and the environment do not appear to be particularly important for parents when it comes to laundry. There are divided opinions and experiences about questions about clothing, clothing standards, gender, buying pressure and religion. The main responsibility for children’s clothes lies with the mothers or the responsibility is shared equally between the parents. Children’s and young people’s opinions about the importance of clothing for inclusion and teasing are divided, as is the school uniform as a possible solution. They are more positive about this measure than the parents. The results show that there is a lack of knowledge about how we can dress children so that they have a healthy, safe and good childhood and who is responsible for it happening.

Most children and young people report a food and eating pattern that is in line with nutritional policy objectives. The availability of healthy foods at home is high in families with children and the availability of unhealthy foods is lower, but one in ten says that they always have unhealthy foods at home. Three out of four parents say that their youngest child eats a packed lunch every day at school, and many agree that the packed lunch should be replaced with a school meal. The need to replace the packed lunch with a school meal is greatest among parents in the lowest income and education groups, and for parents who state that their children do not eat packed lunches daily at school. Parents think that it is largely the individual’s responsibility to eat healthy, but that the authorities are also responsible. Many parents agree that the authorities should use pricing instruments and that marketing and advertising of unhealthy food to children should be banned. Children and young people express both satisfaction and dissatisfaction with their own body and appearance. Adolescents, girls more often than boys, conduct a variety of beauty and body practices regularly. It is common among young people to avoid foods that are generally considered unhealthy.

The full report is only available in Norwegian.