Designing a Sustainable Future for Kids Fashion
Disrupting fast fashion’s lack of regard for environmental consequences through initiating circular design principles and advanced consumer engagement solutions. Areas of Research: Fashion Business, Sustainability, Strategic Design, Branding, Retail Solutions, Circular Economy. ©️AngusBamford
Introduction
Inspired by ‘Circular economic theory’ (Pal et al, 2019 p 298), A circular business model takes a holistic approach based on five major principles: “circular supply, resource recovery, product life extension, sharing or collaborative economies, and product-as-service” (ibid, p.298). These are applied to solve the problem in fast-fashion of the paradox between:
- 1. Environmental concerns
- 2. Fast-fashion growth
- 3. Shifting consumer preferences
- 4. Coronavirus disruption
Cyndi Rhoades of Worn Again sees “The potential for circularity in clothing, where raw materials are kept in continual circulation, as completely achievable yet the barriers preventing it are challenging” (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017). Developing upon this hypothesis, I will demonstrate the existence of demand through a literature review, then illustrate a potential business idea and subsequently analyse the viability of the solution through the tools of Porter’s five forces, relationship marketing, ‘The Babel Effect’, sources of funding, and competitive analysis.
Literature review
Environmental concern
The fashion industry is the second-largest industrial polluter, “accounting for up to 10% of global pollution” (Niinimäki, 2020 p192). Undeniably it must change to mitigate its environmental impact. This, however, is held back by the seeming conflict between financial gains and environmental implications. Figure 1, illustrates the fashion supply chain and the stages in which environmental impact is made: Source: Niinimäki, 2020, p191
Lowering consumption and thus production is most effective in reducing impact. Pressures against such, whether direct or indirect, are however present with “clothing production doubling between 2000 to 2014” (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, McKinsey, 2014. p 2). The area, therefore, which could maintain economic and social capital while limiting environmental damage is recycling innovation. The case for recycling is summarised in Figure 2 below:
Fast-fashion growth
The Industry is reaching a breaking point because of linear consumption. A paradigmatic shift towards a circular economy is necessary. This change can mean for businesses “benefits that are operational as well as strategic, on both a micro-and macroeconomic level” (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, McKinsey, 2014 p13). Economically, the circular economy applied to fashion is a “trillion-dollar opportunity” (Ibid), with potential for “innovation, job creation and economic growth” (Ibid). A practical implementation of such is ‘Closed-Loop Recycling”, shown in Figure 3: Source: Ellen MacArthur Foundations, 2017
When clothing enters general waste streams, it “becomes contaminated or damaged beyond reuse or recycling” (EAC,.2019), illustrating it is essential to collect textile waste directly from the consumer. A solution is ‘Closed-loop Recycling’, meaning that companies take responsibility for the entirety of a product's lifespan, through “collection, sorting, processing, refurbishing, and recycling of one’s textile waste” (Ellen MacArthur Foundations, 2017. p 29) back into the supply chain. This already in practice with electronic products as The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE) (Implemented by the European Union as of February 2003) has meant by law it is the company’s responsibility to handle its products waste and dispose of them effectively with minimal environmental impact. This successful practice continues to be highly helpful in creating sustainable organisations. However, ‘Closed-loop Recycling’ solutions are currently underdeveloped in fashion as there are challenges at every step of the supply chain. These are summarised in Figure 4:
Shifting consumer preferences
Fast-fashion is set to grow and expand (not contract) as “by 2030 global apparel consumption is projected to rise by 63%” (Lehmann et al, 2019. p 25). Increased global demand has meant firms streamlining supply-chains, cost-cutting and decreasing lead-times (Zara having 24 seasons in 2019), resulting in the race for the lowest cost of clothing. Shoppers have responded by buying more items of clothing with “the average person today buying 60% more items of clothing than they did 15 years ago” (McKinsey, Bof 2018 p 39). To solve current supply and demand’s damage ‘new source of materials must be found urgently’ (ARP, 2017 p 5). Unfortunately, current efforts to improve sustainability are ‘often outpaced by increasing consumption’ (Niinimäki, 2020 p192). This may change as consumer demand increases, especially with younger generations who wish to see dramatic transformations in the world’s economy in order to revitalise natural capital. Although environmentalism has become key in the belief systems of younger persons, it has been shown in research that there is a divide between the supposed belief systems and purchase behaviour indicated by the increased quantity of clothing purchases per-person as illustrated by McKinsey & the Bof.
Sustainable fashion is growing in interest. Google search trends indicating a 46% increase over a 5-year period in the search ‘Sustainable fashion’. The United Kingdom is the 2nd largest searcher of ‘Sustainable Fashion’ globally. (Google Trends gathered 14.04.2020). Consumers have become aware of the damage caused by fast-fashion, with many stating their intentions to move away from purchasing fast-fashion, The ‘Pulse of the fashion industry report’ (2019) reporting that “38% of consumers are actively switching from their preferred brand to another because it credibly stands for positive environmental and/ or social practices” (Lehmann et al, 2019, p 11). Unfortunately, this change comes with much hypocrisy as according to a Harvard Business School Survey 2019 although ‘65% of respondents said they want to buy purpose-driven brands that advocate sustainability, only about 26% do so’ (White et al, 2019). This incongruity is driven by price, as with equally valued products, it has been shown that people are choosing the ethical alternative. In a study of ‘Sustainability-Marketed Product’ sales between 2013 and 2018, researchers at the Stern Center for Sustainable Business found that Sustainability-Marketed Products comprise only ‘16% of the market but delivered more than half of the market growth, as seen in Figure 5 below: Source: -Sacco and Whelan, T. 2019. Slide 7
Although evidencing changes in the industry, it has clouded reality as the difference between ‘being sustainable’ and being ‘marketed’ as sustainable can be misleading. Firms rather than taking action to become more sustainable have merely made minimal steps whilst taking full advantage in their marketing of the contradiction between peoples want for “perceived effectiveness of environmental protection” (Chan T-Y, 2012. p201) and their continual low-cost preferences. An example of a firm taking advantage is H&M with their ‘conscious range’ which was challenged in 2019 by Norway’s Forbrukertilsynet (Consumer Authority) through investigating H&M’s sustainability claims, under the Marketing Control Act, Section 2, stating that marketing cannot contain ‘an incorrect or otherwise misleading representation which is likely to influence the demand for or supply of goods’ (Whiting, 2019). This legal challenge saw that the information H&M provided evidencing that their ‘Conscious range’ was sustainable was both misleading and incorrect, as the range did not “conserve an ecological balance by avoiding depletion of natural resources” - the definition of sustainability. This lawsuit exemplifies that firms may identify products as sustainable without disclosing the accurate information which would allow consumers to make effective ethical choices. People are creatures of habit and although they may desire change such takes times, therefore in spreading sustainable consumer behaviours, “first bad habits must be broken and good ones encouraged” (White et al, 2019). Rewards and incentives can be used to create better sustainable consumer practice.
Coronavirus
Considering the COVID-19 outbreak, unforeseen challenges have emerged. It is predicted that many global fashion companies are likely to go bankrupt in the next 12 to 18 months, with established brands set to struggle with “56% of global fashion companies not earning their cost of capital in 2018” (McKinsey, 2020. p 7). As a result, firms may revert to in-trench practices of cost-efficiencies.
For future sustainable brands, this has positives, with established players in survival-mode prioritising finance, the growth potential for new brands expands amongst the disruption as according to McKinsey, 2020, it “presents fashion with a chance to reset and completely reshape the industry’s value chain” (Ibid. p 8). Expected changes include greater consumer expectations for purpose-driven sustainable brands, digital capacity increases and discounting, as well as an industry collaboration to navigate the uncertainty. The most important challenge coming out of the crisis is the future-proofing of business models. The fashion industry is no exception and must harness innovation and accept the change to maintain viability.
Technological advancements are promising, many firms will be catalysed by the Covid-19 crisis. Large industry players have introduced sustainability, but barriers are ever-present including:
An Example Business Design (referred to as X)
X will design circularity into the supply chain and product cycle through ‘Closed-loop Recycling’ and material and design innovation. This is economically beneficial as creating a closed-loop production process independent from the chain of suppliers would create a supply monopoly. This operational change will be the core of X as ‘instead of appealing to the consumer’s supposed ethical streak, the use new technology and business models to design products that can be recycled into new styles with minimal use of raw materials’ (Sumner, M. 2019) will mitigate the risk of relying on customer adoption due to ethical reasoning.
Features
Children’s wear
Newborn to 12 years old age range as a child grows and consumes clothes frequently creating both circularity and continual purchasing. History shows a tradition of re-use of children’s wear “whether handed down to siblings, passed to friends or wider family or given to charity” (Sustainable Brands, 2017). “The five-step waste hierarchy, introduced by the European Union (Directive 2008/98/EC), clarifies waste prevention, as the preferred option, followed by reuse, recycling, recovery (including energy recovery) and safe disposal as a last option” (Mistra, 2019. P 22). Unfortunately, waste prevention is limited in Children’s wear, thus ‘reuse, recycling and recovery’ are the best alternatives.
Price
To maintain competitiveness, affordable pricing is key. Prices at (excluding loyalty discount): Essentials (underwear/socks): £2-£3, Tops £9-£15, Overalls/dresses: £15-£30, outerwear/technical: £25-£50. Although cost is a barrier, affordability is possible through organisation design, such as:
- 1. Overseas manufacturing. Although increasing the carbon footprint per product, it mitigates product cost. To maintain ethical standards, proven manufacturers with OEKO-TEX® “Made in green” certification or equivalent should now solely be used.
- 2. Return benefits (loyalty card system through an app). The customer can return X items for recycling once the child’s outgrown it and gain 20% of purchased product value onto a loyalty card.
- 3. Small team and remote working. Due to app payment and assistance systems, retail teams should be ambassadors running the mixed-uses in-store, as well as sales. Remote working head-office will be possible with the COVID-19 situation illustrating that “new habits are already being put to the test across the fashion industry, from an 84% rise in remote working to a 79% uptake in video conferencing and a 58% increase in flexible working hours” (McKinsey, 2020 p 33).
Product
Products should be practical, hard-wearing and washable with a focus on: “Made to Move” “Made to Age” “Made Forever”. Garments will be minimal and gender-neutral. The design must enable easy de-assembling for recycling into the new ranges, thus maintaining 0-textile waste commitment. WARP’s “Guidance on design for longevity – Childrenswear” is a great template as a product design guide.
Technology
Customer experience through app technology (Mercaux). Stock availability online and in stores, styling, storytelling, omnichannel, mobile checkout and personalisation will all be in the hands of the customer, enabling better efficiency, customer interaction and mitigation of resource costs.
Location
Based in a city such as London with global E-commerce, retail spaces should be localised and based on the needs of the community. Essentials being that the space is child-friendly with pram accessibility and soft furnishing as well as for example, an in-store café or bookshop for parents. Customers should feel a sense of community and connection with the space as a place to relax and socialise. Usability is critical to maintaining longevity of customer stay.
The Analysis
Porter’s five forces (Porter, 1979) is an analytical framework which enables a business to understand how value is created and distributed amongst industry participates. Figure 6 shows Porter’s Five Forces applied to X:
Relationship marketing
Key to building the customer relationship is in two components centred around Moorman’s concept of continuation commitment (Moorman et al, 1992). The first area is localisation and convenience which in practice means implementing a service which “meets customers where they are and reduce friction in the customer journey” (McKinsey, 2020 p43). The other area is a memberships scheme utilising a digital customer identification (ID) linked through mobile application with instore capacities to streamline the point of sale as well as the refund > recycle > rebuy process. The combination of ID, User experience focused website and app with multichannel marketing, alongside localised physical spaces of customer-tailored mixed-uses, will create an effective link between e-commerce and physical spaces, building brand uptake and loyalty.
With decreasing popularity of commercial centres, consumers are opting for smaller convenient local retail spaces. According to an international study by Facebook IQ (2018) localisation is critical in people’s purchasing habits as people reported visiting up to seven local businesses a month and spending between 40–55% of their monthly budgets on local products and services. Beyond this, 85% of consumers cited convenience as the main motivator to shop locally and 87% cited trust and security as the main motivator (ibid). An example of an effective store concept is “Nordstrom Local in the USA which holds no inventory but provides styling services, fittings, alterations, as well as in-store pick-up and return of both Nordstrom goods and those of rival retailers” (McKinsey’s, 2020 p 44). This should be the foundation of a sustainable fashion brands ‘Brick and Mortar’ service, with an emphasis on the ‘Closed-loop Recycling’ process maximising garment collection capacity.
Having local spaces means fashion brands can build loyalty through community and education on the importance of sustainable fashion. ‘Localisation is key in generating value perceptions in retailing (Blazquez, 2014), this not just for the brand, but for promoting social, cultural and aesthetic capital for the neighbourhood it is situated in as “harnessing the power of social influence is one of the most effective ways to elicit pro-environmental behaviours in consumption” (White, K., Hardisty, J. and Habib, R. 2019). Through loyalty, a sustainable childrenswear brand will gain economic capital which in turn shall increase its capacity to make a positive societal and environmental impact. Evidence of complementary (channel-clustering) is Anthropologie, a lifestyle brand which in the UK has announced plans to open 20-25 new stores in ‘neighbourhood’ locations, doubling by end of 2021. Peter Ruis of Anthropology stated the decision was made because “People want to shop for inspiration, to relax and to be with family” (Fish I, 2019). The needs illustrated by Peter Ruis fit in line with how sociologist Hochschild (1989) showed that working mothers experienced a “Double-burden” between their work and societally assigned parental obligations. This burden still existing today with “four-in-ten full-time working moms saying they always feel rushed” (Pew Research Center, 2015). A Childrenswear brand alike X must be for family time, relaxation and inspiration and to meet this commitment, stores will further provide value to the customer by being a space of mixed-use with localised lifestyle offering such as exercise and educational classes and a café. I would recommend conducting a market segmentation research to identify the localities to base the stores. This would give a focused understanding of consumer needs.
Membership schemes are an effective data captioning tool in facilitating better marketing and strengthening the brand/customer relationship. As products are purchased, desires can be traced, stored and connected with an ID enabling personalised marketing and communication streams encouraging the returning of products and up-selling. One can utilise purchase tracking to predict the lifespan of an item as children grow and so can easily know when the item may become surplus, unlike in adult apparel is where a garment’s lifespan is unpredictable. When an item is predicted to be outgrown, communications remind the customer to recycle with the brand and offer a discount to encourage brand loyalty.
For data capture to be effective, it is important to have “a holistic, end-to-end view of the person at the time” (McKinsey, 2019 p 51), this facilitated collaboratively with personal interaction. Ambassadors can promote the customer to recycle and purchase the next item appropriate for their child. The combination of utilising the growing desire for individuals to be seen as a good citizen or of ‘Being Woke’ (McKinsey, 2018) and the personal interaction serves as an effective link between the multi-channel points of sale and enhances social media presence. Customer participation is likely as “Consumers want to support brands that are doing good in the world, with 66 per cent willing to pay more for sustainable goods.” (Mckinsey, 2019, p 61)
Challenges
Buyer Cost
Cost is a major challenge as ‘58% of 2019 CPO Survey respondents (Industry CEO’s) see additional costs for sustainable sourcing between 1% and 5%” (McKinsey, 2019 p 41). Effect on purchasing behaviour suggests that “a 10% product price rise would not affect fashion consumers’ willingness to purchase eco-fashion, but a 25-30% product price rise is considered unacceptable” (Chan, 2012, p199). The brand solution should utilize price marketing and time appropriate discounting for loyal customers who are members as “fashion consumers are likely to use the price as an indicator of quality” (Chan, 2012. p199). This will mitigate higher supply chain costs and customer expectations, whilst strengthening retention with continual communication.
The Babel Effect
‘Being seen’ is a challenge for any new fashion brand. To mitigate this one should leverage influencers and field-leaders, discussing the concept and its impact on society. Fundamentally, a brand must be worthy of its image and be ‘on the radar’ of the cultural intermediaries(magazines, forums, podcasts, social networks etc..)
Sources of funding
Initial funding could be granted from governments as the EAC stated that grants may be essential to innovation as, “To meet our future carbon budgets and reach net zero emissions by 2050 - which the IPCC tells us is needed - the UK will have to go further and ensure that all industries play their part in reducing their carbon footprint to near zero”(EAC, 2019). Even industry competitors are investing in start-ups as “incubators and other apparel companies are providing funding and operational expertise for developing innovations that promote sustainable practices” (McKinsey, 2018. p 63).
Competition
Up-cycling and recycling are already being adopted. H&M introduced the conscious range, collecting “29,005 tonnes of unwanted clothes and textiles through our Garment Collecting programme” (H&M, Close the loop, 2020) and Stella McCarthy creating high-end recycled clothing as examples. Beyond circular initiatives, clothes rental and sharing outlets are growing in popularity, amounting to “$28 billion worth of transactions in Europe in 2015 according to the Office for National Statistics” (Henninger, et al 2019). Fashion renting start-ups ‘Rent the Runway’ and ‘StockX’ both topped “billion-dollar valuations” (McKinsey, 2020 p14). Sustainable fashion brands fill a gap in the market, however, there is little to no direct competition in fast fashion Children’s wear founded in sustainability.
Conclusion
A start-up brand alike X would likely have the intended consequence in turning to larger industry players to pilot the concept as they are “more likely to invest to gain a competitive advantage from circular-economy” (McKinsey CPO Survey, 2019. p25), or significant venture capital. A Childrenswear brand could start as a minimum viable product with one local store physically and digital presence with a limited production scale. Once established and data captured, I would sell the business to a larger fashion organisation with the capacity to be both sustainable and competitive. Currently, however, Industry players seem reluctant to take the steps required with ‘economic uncertainty in coming years the defining worry of firm senior executives’ (McKinsey, Bof, 2020). Therefore, it is critical to illustrate the financial benefit which is ‘approximately $192 billion in 2030 if the industry were to address the environmental and societal fallout of the current status quo’. (Global Fashion Agenda and Boston Consulting Group, 2017. p 2).
Image: https://www.scandinaviastandard.com/the-best-scandinavian-clothing-brands-for-kids/
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