Apparel maintenance - the use phase - contributes to a significant portion of the total lifecycle ecological footprint of the apparel. Thus, well thought out energy and resource efficient practices for apparel maintenance and care can add significantly to the textile industry’s overall sustainability.
How does it work?
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Sustainability benefits
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Highlights/USPThe USP is its simplicity - by educating the end-users on a small set of good habits, significant value can be added to the industry sustainability. |
Stage of commercializationNot applicable |
Types of professionals who can improve the solutionTextile engineering professionals, Digital professionals working on IoT, Fashion designers, Laundry professionals, Public relations professionals
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Specifically relevant to any geography?Could be more relevant to developed economies that use highly automated solutions for laundry. Could be more relevant to cold regions that need more heat energy for washing and drying
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Decarbonization PotentialModerate
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Value ChainProduct use , |
The study examined clothing care practices of 158 youth ages 13-to-19 in Ohio 4-H programs. The mail survey addressed teen clothing care and repair practices for own and family clothing and disposition of garments not repaired. Findings suggest teens who do not develop necessary skills for clothing maintenance are likely to discard apparel needing repair resulting in a potentially negative economic and environmental impact for the individual as an adult and society as a whole.
This article tries to act as a guide to sustainably care for our clothes. It answers some obvious questions which we have like how often should I wash my clothes, is steaming better than ironing, are recycled fabrics as good as new ones, and much more.