Towards a proactive approach in supporting sustainable product life cycles in fashion through the development of a new clothing retail cycle

Abstract

South African clothing fashion retailers contribute a significant amount of waste through their seasonal processes (retail cycle processes) and fast fashion approaches to maximise profit. Company R, a South African fashion retailer, produces pre-consumer waste and post-consumer plastic and textile waste. The two principal objectives of the study were to determine firstly the quantities of non-recyclable textile and plastic waste that were generated during each phase of the retail cycle (planning, marketing, buying, design, technology, distribution, and operations) and secondly to develop an improved business model for the retail cycle that enabled the quantities of both categories of waste to be minimised and the practices of the company to become more aligned with the priorities of environmental sustainability. The qualitative research design was based on a case study strategy; a single case study in this instance – focusing on one company within the local clothing industry - Company R. Qualitative data was obtained from one-on-one and group interviews and analysed through thematic analysis. The sample assessment and manufacturing stage was found to be very polluting as the factories produce toxic waste, air pollution, textile waste, and plastic waste at this stage. This stage can add up to over 700 samples produced - just for the ladieswear department - in one season. Although single-use plastics have been removed from their stores, store staff are still discarding polybags that thousands of garments are delivered in. Processes in the retail cycle of Company R therefore informed a model that is geared towards sustainable practices throughout the cycle, and an improved business model underscoring a more sustainable retail cycle was developed, focusing on waste reduction.