Consumer’s
behaviors in purchasing and in using products have changed in pursuit of a sustainable lifestyle. For sustainable fashion
to success as a business model, products must meet or exceed both market
regulations and consumer expectations. To demonstrate this, products must be verified
to demonstrate their quality, durability and versatility.
Jean-Paul
Gaultier’s announcement of his retirement from the world of haute couture,
partly because of the “ridiculous” levels of waste produced in fashion industry
he had attacked in 2019, signals a shift towards more sustainable fashion
choices. This phenomenon is not only industry based.
Consumers are searching for sustainable products – 19% of fashion related
online searches now incorporate terms such as environment, sustainability and
ethics. Consumer demand is increasing as a fuller understanding of some industry
practices on the environment become better known.
WRAP
estimates that the UK alone disposes of GBP 140 million of clothing into
landfill every year. On a global scale, that could mean around USD 500 billion
of value is lost every year due to clothing underutilization, according to the
Ellen MacArthur Foundation. At the same time, biodegradable and
non-biodegradable chemical substances carried on disposed clothing are being
discharged into the environment, leading to calls for reductions in the use and
disposal of harmful chemicals when manufacturing textiles and footwear. Underutilization
of clothing also indicates significant waste of production costs in terms of
water, energy, chemicals, labor, and so on
While
consumers are calling for more sustainable clothing options, they still want high
quality products. For manufacturers, the model for sustainable clothing is
successful because it relies on fewer styles that cover a variety of outfits and
that can be worn for multiple purposes. High quality products last longer and
so consumers are happy to pay more. Better quality and less quantity also mean lower
incidental costs for manufacturers, in terms of shipping, storage, maintenance,
etc. and a reduction in input costs (water, chemicals, electricity, etc.). Creating
clothing in this fashion allows manufacturers to ultimately increase their
margins.
To
succeed in the sustainable clothing market, products need to conform to, or
exceed, market regulations and consumer expectations. Happy consumers will have
greater loyalty to a brand that improves its reputation.
SGS offers a full range of testing and inspection solutions to help
manufacturers and brands gain the most from their textile and footwear products.
Their solutions ensure a high level of conformity for businesses, creating
products that satisfy consumers and demonstrate best commitment on environment
and sustainability.
SGS Softlines Services
SGS
has a worldwide network of over 40 state-of-the-art laboratories specializing
in testing of apparel, footwear and home textiles. Their committed team is
drawn from multi-disciplinary backgrounds, allowing them to carry out a
comprehensive range of chemical, material, colorfastness &shrinkage, physical & mechanical,
and flammability testing. SGS helps companies ensure quality,
performance and compliance with international, industrial and regulatory
standards worldwide. Learn more about SGS’s Softlines Services.
For
more information, please contact:
Min
Zhu, Ph.D.
Consumer and Retail Services
US & Canada Softlines, Technical Director
SGS North America, Inc.
Email: crs.media@sgs.com
Website: www.sgs.com/softlines
LinkedIn:
sgs-consumer-goods-&-retail
About SGS
SGS is the
world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company.
SGS is recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. With more
than 94,000 employees, SGS operates a network of over 2,600 offices and
laboratories around the world.