Sustainability in fashion production – How are the pioneers doing it?
Neuman, Salla (2019)
2019
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2019052010733
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2019052010733
Tiivistelmä
The topic of the thesis is sustainable fashion production, which is a current and important topic. Fashion production is linked to various negative social and environmental impacts such as unfair working conditions, high use of harmful chemicals, water, land and energy, and emissions to air and water. This is why more sustainable ways of producing are needed. Sustainable fashion is gaining more visibility and pioneers of the industry are leading the way towards a more sustainable future of fashion production.
The aim of the thesis was to find out what are the key aspects of sustainable fashion production including different ways of producing more sustainably, ways of ensuring sustainable practices in the production and ways of evaluating the impacts of production. The thesis focused on social and environmental sustainability in clothing and small accessories.
In the theoretical framework, the social and environmental aspects of fashion production are presented and more sustainable alternatives are given. Also, monitoring and impact measuring are covered. Fashion production has various negative impacts on people and the environment. Sustainable alternatives in fashion production include fair working conditions, local production, use of more sustainable materials, avoiding the use of harmful chemicals and designing durable products that can be recycled. Certifications and personal relationships with manufacturers form the basis for monitoring sustainability throughout the production chain.
The research was conducted as qualitative research as it was most suitable for collecting a lot of valuable insights of the topic. The research method was theme interviews and the interviews were conducted via Skype or e-mail. The interviewees were representatives of six European fashion companies that are considered pioneers in sustainable fashion production. The research was conducted in winter of 2019.
The research results show that there are many ways of producing fashion more sustainably. Producing locally or in developing countries according to fair trade principles, preferring more sustainable materials and designing durable items are examples of more sustainable options. Personal relationships with manufacturers are important in ensuring sustainability in production. There are also many challenges related to sustainable fashion production including traceability and profitability.
The aim of the thesis was to find out what are the key aspects of sustainable fashion production including different ways of producing more sustainably, ways of ensuring sustainable practices in the production and ways of evaluating the impacts of production. The thesis focused on social and environmental sustainability in clothing and small accessories.
In the theoretical framework, the social and environmental aspects of fashion production are presented and more sustainable alternatives are given. Also, monitoring and impact measuring are covered. Fashion production has various negative impacts on people and the environment. Sustainable alternatives in fashion production include fair working conditions, local production, use of more sustainable materials, avoiding the use of harmful chemicals and designing durable products that can be recycled. Certifications and personal relationships with manufacturers form the basis for monitoring sustainability throughout the production chain.
The research was conducted as qualitative research as it was most suitable for collecting a lot of valuable insights of the topic. The research method was theme interviews and the interviews were conducted via Skype or e-mail. The interviewees were representatives of six European fashion companies that are considered pioneers in sustainable fashion production. The research was conducted in winter of 2019.
The research results show that there are many ways of producing fashion more sustainably. Producing locally or in developing countries according to fair trade principles, preferring more sustainable materials and designing durable items are examples of more sustainable options. Personal relationships with manufacturers are important in ensuring sustainability in production. There are also many challenges related to sustainable fashion production including traceability and profitability.