Page 94 - Anthropometry, Apparel Sizing and Design

National size and shape surveys for apparel design 59

changes in their supply chains include Nike (2010), Patagonia (1980), and Marks and
Spencer (M&S) (2018). A further, more ambitious solution suggested is the first Plan-
etary Boundaries Assessment report of collaborative research between Houdini and
Albaeco. They looked to improve materials, processes, and operations as a whole,
not only to remove negative impacts but also to exercise a long-term positive influence
on the planet (Sustainable Brands, 2018).
An ideal outcome of these activities is for companies to have a closed-loop strategy,
where products are returned to the company for refurbishment, repair, resale, and
recycling or to nature at the end of product life. That is a circular rather than a linear
economy (take, make, dispose) adopted by, for example, Nike, Patagonia, and Paramo,
and promoted by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2017a). Although not without its’
critics (Greenpeace International, 2017) further support for this circular strategy is being
acknowledged through recent EU legislation (European Legislation 2018a), the
EU-China “global” agreement (European Commission, 2018b), and “Circular Economy
Multinational Awards” given in 2017 to Patagonia at the Economic Forum annual meet-
ing in Davos (Bryers, 2017). However, while this strategy is easier for sportswear or
outerwear companies, it is considerably more complex for fast fashion. It has been
reported that the fashion industry is still wasteful and polluting:
Every second the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is land filled or burned (e.g.,
l
Burberry, 2018).
l An estimated USD 500 billion value is lost every year due to clothing barely worn and rarely
recycled.
l Clothes release half a million tonnes of microfibers into the ocean every year equivalent to
more than 50 million plastic bottles.
(Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017b)
It is because of a growing awareness of these “unsustainable challenges” that many
organizations, both national (e.g., M&S and Tesco) and international (e.g., Nike and
Adidas), that joined the original UK roadmap initiative are continuing to resolve their
ongoing Sustainable Clothing Action Plan (SCAP) that is to target areas in the clothing
product life cycle.

l Improving environmental performance across the supply chain, including the following:
sustainable design
fibers and fabrics
reuse, recycling, and end-of-life management
clothes cleaning
l Consumption trends and behavior;
l Awareness, media, education, and network;
Creating market drivers for sustainable clothing;
l
Instruments for improving traceability along the supply chain (environment, ethics,
l
and chain).
(Defra, 2010)
Such targets have helped companies to engage with these actions (WRAP, 2017)
and to fuel a cultural shift in the clothing industry. It is suggested that “sustainability