Extending the Life of Clothes
2nd December 2015
Extending the life of clothes by just nine extra months of active use would reduce carbon, water and waste footprints by around 20-30% each.
Retailers and brands can make a significant difference by making small changes to increase the durability of clothing during both design and production.
Benefits of producing more durable clothing:
safeguarding against garment failure;
strengthening brand reputation;
cementing customer satisfaction and loyalty; and
reducing the footprint of the clothing industry.
Sustainable Clothing Guide
The aim of the Sustainable Clothing Guide is to provide the clothing industry with advice and guidance to help them drive change in their supply chain.
It has been designed in a user-friendly format to encourage designers and technologists to use it as part of their daily work.
This Guide will be developed with further information in the future.
The first section focuses on making clothing more durable by implementing simple changes in the design and production phases.
The content has been developed with the help of SCAP signatories and the wider industry.
Case Studies
These case studies share the learning from five durability clothing trials involving SCAP signatories.
Each company explored a range of options of how they could increase the durability of their clothing.
They then identified and implemented actions they could take within their company and by influencing their supply chain.
The case studies focus on a range of issues from changes in the design and production phases to improving customer knowledge.
Case studies
Clothing Durability Report
The Clothing Durability Report has been developed to help clothing retailers and brands to embed durability processes within their company.
Enhancing the durability of clothing will ultimately extend the life of clothing.
This full and detailed report provides guidance and showcases good practice related to clothing durability such as improved quality and increased re-use and repair.