Closing the Loop
Integrating Circularity within the Fashion
Industry’s Post–Retail Activities
COURSE: Bachelor Thesis, 15 credits
PROGRAMME:International Work – Global Studies
AUTHORS:Amina Johansson and Rebecka Stubb
EXAMINATOR:Johanna Bergström
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION AND Bachelor Thesis, 15 credits
COMMUNICATION in Global Studies
Jönköping University Spring term 2021
Abstract
Amina Johansson, Rebecka Stubb
Closing the Loop
Integrating Circularity within the Fashion Industry’s Post-Retail Activities Number of pages: 42
The fashion industry has historically been seen as synonymous with many unsustainable practices, such as overproduction, pollution, and mass-consumption. Today, many fashion brands are putting more attention to sustainability and are engaging in activities aimed at making the industry more environmentally friendly. This study investigates three Swedish fashion businesses, H&M, Lindex, and Gina Tricot, with the purpose of examining and analyzing how they integrate circular strategies within their post-retail initiatives. Additionally, the aim is to investigate what strengths and weaknesses can be identified as related to these strategies in terms of reducing the fashion industry’s negative environmental impacts. The study is based on a content analysis of websites, documents, and policies of the fashion businesses as well as a qualitative semi-structured interview with a circular sustainability expert. By using a theoretical framework related to circular post-retail strategies as a tool of analysis, the results showed various levels of implementation of circular strategies among the businesses. Prolonging the lifespan of clothing by reusing, repairing, or re-designing, rather than repurposing and recycling, is seen as more effective in terms of environmental sustainability. Moreover, all businesses aim to inspire its consumers to make mindful choices, though the inspiration needs to be connected to an actual service if behaviors are to change. Concludingly, fashion businesses need to embrace circularity by finding new ways to profit from already existing garments through rental, repair, and re-design services to make the industry more environmentally sustainable.
Key words: Environmental sustainability, fashion industry, circularity, post-retail, H&M,
Lindex, Gina Tricot
Postal address Visiting address Telephone Fax
School of Education Gjuterigatan 5 + 46 (0)36–101000 036162585
and Communication P.O. Box 1026
HÖGSKOLAN FÖR LÄRANDE Examensarbete, 15 hp
OCH KOMMUNIKATION Globala studier
Högskolan i Jönköping Internationellt arbete
Vårterminen 2021
Sammanfattning
Amina Johansson, Rebecka Stubb
Closing the loop
Integrating Circularity within the Fashion Industry’s Post-Retail Activities Antal sidor: 42
Modeindustrin har historiskt setts som synonymt med många ohållbara fenomen, såsom överproduktion, föroreningar och masskonsumtion. Idag ägnar många modeföretag mer uppmärksamhet på hållbarhet och engagerar sig i aktiviteter som syftar till att göra industrin mer miljömässigt hållbar. Denna studie granskar tre svenska modeföretag, H&M, Lindex och Gina Tricot, i syfte att undersöka och analysera hur dessa integrerar cirkulära strategier i post-retail-fasen. Syftet är dessutom att identifiera och undersöka styrkor och svagheter relaterade till dessa strategier gällande dess potential att minska modeindustrins negativa miljöpåverkan. Studien bygger på en innehållsanalys av webbplatser, dokument och policys från dessa modeföretag samt en kvalitativ semistrukturerad intervju med en cirkulär hållbarhetsexpert. Genom användningen av ett teoretiskt ramverk relaterat till cirkulära post-retail strategier som ett analytiskt verktyg visar resultatet på varierande genomförandegrad av cirkulära strategier hos de olika modeföretagen. Att förlänga livslängden på kläder genom att återanvända, reparera eller designa om ses som mer effektivt när det gäller miljömässig hållbarhet snarare än att återvinna. Samtliga företag syftar även till att inspirera sina kunder till att göra hållbara val, dock måste inspirationen vara kopplad till verkliga tjänster om konsumenters beteenden ska förändras. Sammanfattningsvis måste modeföretag hitta nya sätt att profitera från redan befintliga plagg genom omdesign-, reparations- eller uthyrningstjänster för att göra industrin mer miljömässigt hållbar.
Nyckelord: Miljömässig hållbarhet, modeindustrin, cirkularitet, post-retail, H&M, Lindex,
Gina Tricot
Postadress Adress Telefon Fax
Högskolan för lärande Gjuterigatan 5 036–101000 036162585
och kommunikation Box 1026
Table of content
1. Introduction……….………. 1
1.1 Purpose and Research Questions……….……….……….……….2
1.2 Disposition……….……….……….……….………. 3
2. Background………...3
2.1 The Fashion Industry – An Environmentally Unsustainable Practice………... 3
2.2 Closing the Loop – Moving Towards Sustainability by Establishing Circularity……..5
3. Analytical Framework………. 7
3.1 Post-Retail Sustainability and Circular Strategies for Sustainability……….……7
3.2 The 5R Framework……….……….……….……….……….8
4. Method and Material………. 10
4.1 Content Analysis……….……….……….……….……….. 10
4.2 Semi-structured Interviews……….……….……….………... 12
4.3 Selection Process and Units of Analysis……….……….……… 13
4.3.1 H&M……….……….……….……….………... 14
4.3.2 Lindex……….……….……….……….………..15
4.3.3 Gina Tricot……….……….……….15
4.3.5 Circular Sustainability Expert……….……… 15
4.4 Ethical and Critical Considerations……….……….16
5. Results………. 17 5.1 H&M……….……….……….. 18 5.1.1 Reuse……….……….…………. 18 5.1.2 Repair……….……….………… 19 5.1.3 Re-design……….………... 20 5.1.4 Repurpose……….………...20 5.1.5 Recycle……….………... 20 5.2 Lindex……….……….……… 21 5.2.1 Reuse……….……….. 21 5.2.2 Repurpose……….………...22 5.2.3 Recycle……….………... 22 5.3 Gina Tricot……….………...………....23 5.3.1 Reuse……….……….. 23 5.3.2 Repair……….………. 24 5.3.3 Re-design……….………....24 5.3.4 Recycle……….………... 25
5.4 Take Care Concepts……….……….25
5.5 The Perspectives of a Circular Sustainability Expert………...26
5.5.2 Repair……….………. 27
5.5.3 Re-design……….………... 28
5.5.4 Repurpose……….………...30
5.5.5 Recycle……….………... 30
5.5.6 Take Care Concepts……….………31
5.5.7 The Future of the Fashion Industry………. 32
6. Analysis and Discussion………. 34
6.1 Circular Post-Retail Initiatives as the Answer to Sustainability……….. 34
6.2 Counterproductivity in Terms of Environmental Efficiency………36
6.3 Post-Retail Sustainability Beyond the 5R’s………. 37
6.4 Bridging the Gap Between Inspiration and Action……….…. 38
7. Conclusion and Future Research……….. 40
References………... 43
Appendix I - Units of Analysis……….. 49
Appendix II - Interview Guide………..51
Appendix III - Summary of the Circular Post-Retail Initiatives of H&M, Lindex and Gina Tricot……….. 53
List of figures
Figure 1: The 5R Framework Regarding Circular Strategies within Post-Retail………101. Introduction
Due to increased awareness on climate change, governments, companies, and other major stakeholders are called on to implement sustainable approaches into their practices. This shift can be seen in the fashion industry as well, an industry that historically has been viewed as synonymous with many unsustainable practices, such as poor working conditions, pollution, overproduction, and mass-consumption (Dicuonzo, Galeone, Ranaldo & Turco, 2020). Today, many fashion brands seem to put more attention to sustainability and engage in activities aimed at making the industry more environmentally friendly (Ibid.). Much of the previous research regarding sustainability within the fashion industry revolves around environmental impacts from the early phases of the supply chain, from pre-production up until the garments are being sold in stores (Bick, Halsey & Ekenga, 2018; Feng & Sing-bik Ngai, 2020; Niinimäki et al., 2020). However, as a big part of the environmental impacts of the garments can be derived from the post-retail part of the supply chain, scholars argue that there is a need for a mindset shift within the pursuit of sustainability, where the focus is rather directed towards how the product is disassembled and recycled than how it is made (D’Adamo & Lupi, 2021; Santos, Ceschin, Martins & Vezzoli, 2016).
Additionally, scholars argue that the fashion industry is in need of a circular approach, including the use of fewer natural resources, less environmental pressure and longer clothing lifespans, all while the customers’ needs and wants are still fulfilled (Patwa & Seetharaman, 2019). Historically, the fashion industry has revolved around a linear model, where the supply chain is visualized as “take, make and waste” (Ibid. s. 93). However, by applying the concept of circularity, the last phase of the supply chain could be considered as the first phase, where
waste is replaced by recycle. Discarded products could, instead of being thrown into landfills,
be disassembled in order to obtain “new” raw materials which later could be used to create other products (D’Adamo & Lupi, 2021). This circular way of imagining the supply chain, where material from old products is used firsthand when making new products, implies a maximization regarding both usage and value generation of the Earth's resources (Patwa & Seetharaman, 2019). Furthermore, as stated by D’Adamo and Lupi (2021, p. 2), “The end of
the product in strategic planning is the beginning of invention: upstream a new process will be developed through which materials will not become harmful or toxic waste.”. A circular
approach would, thus, maximize the use of resources as well as reduce the amount of waste created by the industry (Potting, Hekkert, Worrell & Hanemaaijer, 2017).
Along with other major industries and companies, fashion businesses have a history of letting go of the responsibility over the environmental impacts of their products from the moment they are sold and put into the hands of the customers (Jacobsen, 2016; Kant Hvass, 2014; Santos, Ceschin, Martins & Vezzoli, 2016). Therefore, there are several possible starting points for future research to be conducted in terms of how fashion businesses are working towards achieving circularity and sustainability within the industry regarding the post–retail phase, which is where this study takes its departure.
Previous research has identified different strategies that fashion businesses can adhere to in order to achieve circularity and more sustainable practices. For this study, these strategies serve as a framework aiming to investigate three Swedish fashion businesses, H&M, Lindex and Gina Tricot, and identify and map out how they have developed their businesses in terms of post-retail circular strategies. The framework, labeled as the 5R Framework, encompasses five circular strategies: Reuse, Repair, Re-design, Repurpose and Recycle. Furthermore, these circular initiatives are being critically analyzed in order to investigate how effective they are in terms of reducing the negative environmental impacts that the fashion industry is contributing to.
1.1 Purpose and Research Questions
The purpose of this study is to examine and analyze how H&M, Lindex and Gina Tricot work with circular strategies in the post-retail phase, to gain an increased understanding regarding their sustainability efforts. In order to get an alternative and critical perspective of the circular activities presented and implemented by these companies, the purpose is also to question the efficiency of their strategies and activities.
1. In what ways are H&M, Lindex, and Gina Tricot integrating circular strategies within their post-retail initiatives?
2. What challenges, strengths, and weaknesses can be associated with these circular post-retail strategies, with regard to reducing the negative environmental issues identified as related to the fashion industry?
1.2 Disposition
Following the introduction is a background chapter regarding sustainability within the fashion industry. This chapter includes an overview of the environmental issues identified by previous research as related to the fashion industry, as well as solutions and strategies towards reaching more sustainable practices within the industry. The background chapter provides an understanding of the context in which this study is conducted, as well as establishing this study’s theoretical foundation. The third chapter makes an account for the analytical point of departure of this study and introduces the 5R Framework which serves as a tool of analysis. Chapter four explains the methodological approach of the study and includes a presentation of the research design, units of analysis, processing of the data material as well as ethical and critical considerations. In the fifth chapter, the result of the study is presented in accordance with the circular strategies of the 5R Framework. The following chapter consists of an analysis and discussion with the intention of connecting the results to the theoretical and analytical approaches presented in chapter two and three. Lastly, the final chapter summarizes the study with a general discussion about the findings and conclusions, as well as some possible points of departure for future research within the field of study.
2. Background
Previous research exemplifies sustainability issues in the fashion industry as well as several solutions and strategies that fashion businesses can adhere to in order to achieve environmental sustainability. These aspects serve as a background and theoretical foundation for this study and are presented below.
2.1 The Fashion Industry – An Environmentally Unsustainable
Practice
The fashion industry faces several challenges when it comes to sustainability as it is an industry characterized by high variability, short product life cycles and high volumes of impulse purchasing (Kant Hvass, 2014). According to previous research, it is one of the most polluting industries globally, ranking second in place after the oil industry in exerting negative impacts on the environment. Much of this negative impact derives from its supply chain, as it includes several resource intensive processes that causes environmental degradation globally
(D’Adamo & Lupi, 2021; Feng & Sing-bik Ngai, 2020; Garcia-Torres, Rey-Garcia & Albareda-Vivo, 2017; Patwa and Seetharaman, 2019; Santos, Ceschin, Martins & Vezzoli, 2016). Some sustainability issues that can be related to the production of raw materials in the fashion industry are CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions, overuse of harmful chemicals as well
as overuse and pollution of water (Bick, Halsey & Ekenga, 2018).
The production phase is the origin of considerably severe negative environmental impacts such as dyeing, drying, and finishing of textile. This intensive use of chemical products significantly contributes to pollution of both land and water (Dicuonzo, Galeone, Ranaldo & Turco, 2020; Feng & Sing-bik Ngai, 2020; Ozdamar Ertekin, Atik & Murray, 2020; Santos, Ceschin, Martins & Vezzoli, 2016). Additionally, Niinimäki et al. (2020) reports that approximately 20 % of global industrial water pollution derives from the textile industry’s treatment and dyeing.
The desire to provide the consumer with the latest trends has pushed the industry toward fast fashion, where both production time and costs have been decreased. Thus, resulting in overconsumption of clothing and textile (Pookalangaraa & Shepherd, 2013). Niinimäki et al. (2020) states that the global yearly textile production increased from 5.9 kg to 13 kg per capita between 1975 and 2018, resulting in a total global yearly apparel consumption of 62 million tons. By 2030 this amount is projected to reach 102 million tons. Overconsumption of clothing and textile further adds to waste ending up in landfills, which derives from the production phase as well as from post-retail (Niinimäki et al., 2020; Pookalangaraa & Shepherd, 2013). Additionally, the increasing demand of clothing contributes to a rising frequency of transportation in and out of different regions and countries. The transportation methods used to distribute fashion are associated with high emission rates of CO2and other air pollutants (Feng
& Sing-bik Ngai, 2020; Pal, 2016; Santos, Ceschin, Martins & Vezzoli, 2016).
Several scholars agree that the main environmental impacts at the retailing phase of the supply chain are associated with building operations such as electricity, heating, and lighting (Santos, Ceschin, Martins & Vezzoli, 2016). However, Niinimäki et al. (2020) adds a perspective that should be given substantial attention regarding this phase. Namely, a type of pre-consumer waste called deadstock described as a phenomenon where new and unworn garments are unsold or returned and designated as waste and ultimately being thrown away. Niinimäki et al. (Ibid.), additionally refers to a report from 2016 that claims only a third of all imported clothing in the EU is sold at full retail price and a third is sold at a discounted price, with the
Murray (2020) further agree that waste is a substantial sustainability issue within the fashion industry, reporting that less than 1 % of the materials from the fashion industry are being recycled with the rest going straight to landfills.
Regarding the post-retail phase, some sustainability issues are mentioned by Santos, Ceschin, Martins and Vezzoli (2016). Environmental impacts at this phase are effluent and hazardous waste generated from energy use, chemical use from washing with detergents, drying and dry cleaning of garments. At the end of their lifespan, clothes can be thrown in landfills, be incinerated, recycled, or reused. Historically, the responsibility to dispose of unwanted garments has been put into the hands of the consumers. Although, due to the fashion industry being pointed out as the fastest growing waste stream with approximately 20 % of all textile products resulting in some types of waste, fashion businesses are urged to take responsibility over their garments and work with sustainability throughout the whole supply chain, including post-retail (Ibid.).
2.2 Closing the Loop – Moving Towards Sustainability by
Establishing Circularity
As mentioned in the introduction, the fashion industry has traditionally been seen as a linear economy where the supply chain is imagined as “take, make and waste” (Patwa & Seetheraman, 2019, s. 93), and where the main focus is maximizing profit (Esposito et al., 2018). However, due to the raised awareness on the fashion industry’s sustainability issues, there is a need for circular approaches within the industry, where longer clothing lifespans are ensured while still fulfilling the customers’ needs and wants. A circular economical approach involves materials and resources being kept in the system for longer, which has the potential of improving environmental sustainability within the fashion industry (Niinimäki et al., 2020; Pal, 2016; Patwa & Seetharaman, 2019). As stated by Andersen (2007), the circular economy promotes a minimization of resources being used, as well as the implementation of more environmentally friendly innovations and technologies. Also, the circular economical approach contributes to the maintenance of the value and lifecycle of a product for a longer period, before turning it to waste (Esposito et al. 2018; Sariatli, 2017). However, according to Patwa and Seetharaman (2019) the implementation and change towards a circular economy is not an easy thing to accomplish as it would require changing the current global business model where
the bottom line is profitability. The solution could thereby be a circular shift in the global linear flow economy. As Patwa and Seetharaman (Ibid.) puts it:
The circular economy suggests that materials should initially get recovered for reuse, refurbishment, and repair, then sent for manufacturing and only later for raw material utilization (which is the focal point in traditional recycling) and finally landfill disposal should be the last option. (Patwa & Seetharaman, 2019, p. 94)
D’Adamo and Lupi (2021) adds that attention should be directed at how the product is disassembled and recycled, rather than how it is made. Likewise, this is the opinion of Yang, Song and Tong (2017) who describes circular logistics as the process of returning goods for the purpose of reusing or recycling. The value of returned fashion garments could therefore increase as they are being resold to other markets or recycled in a more sustainable manner. There have been some examples of post-retail activities attempted by fashion brands and retailers during the last decade with the aim of reaching a sustainable value generation (Santos, Ceschin, Martins & Vezzoli, 2016). Second hand fashion, for instance, is discussed in a large number of previous research, which represents collecting, selling, and exchanging used fashion products (Yang, Song & Tong, 2017). Through second hand, the discarded product, guaranteed it is still in good condition as well as fulfills its original function, has the potential of being reused by another consumer. Even though the post-retail initiatives in the fashion industry are still relatively new and have a limited number of practices, many retailers are adopting second hand retailing. By reselling used garments, new re-business models are formed, which generates an increased value of used clothing. Second hand fashion, additionally, plays a critical role in the disposal habits of customers, as well as contributing significantly to sustainable consumption (Pal, 2016; Yang, Song & Tong 2017). Ozdamar Ertekin, Atik and Murray (2020) mentions a zero-waste philosophy, where customers are urged to bring back unwanted clothes which apart from being resold can be used as textile materials in new products. The creation of such closed-loop systems, though, requires the collaboration of consumers. Moreover, in order to promote circular strategies and thereby contributing to closing the loop, companies should encourage different initiatives with the goal of increasing community sensitivity regarding the great challenge of climate change. There is a need for a change of lifestyles and mindsets if new sustainable consumptions and productions of clothing are to happen (D’Adamo & Lupi, 2021; Santos, Ceschin, Martins & Vezzoli, 2016). The subject of a mindset change is likewise the opinion of Ozdamar Ertekin, Atik and Murray
(2020, p. 1468), who puts it: “[...] the fashion industry requires a mindset shift from being
wasteful to being mindful”.
3. Analytical Framework
Based on previous research about solutions and strategies for achieving sustainability in the fashion industry, the analytical approach of this study is framed by five circular strategies;
Reuse, Repair, Re-design, Repurpose and Recycle. Altogether, they comprise the 5R
Framework. Below, a summary of how previous research has defined post-retail sustainability as well as circular strategies for sustainability are accounted for. Thereafter, each of the five components of the 5R Framework are presented, as well as some concluding remarks to summarize and lay the groundwork for the methodology.
3.1 Post-Retail Sustainability and Circular Strategies for
Sustainability
Sustainability as a concept is very comprehensive and is usually described as consisting of three dimensions; Social, Economic and Environmental sustainability (Dicuonzo, Galeone, Ranaldo & Turco, 2020). The dimensions are imagined in various forms where some scholars argue that all dimensions are equally important, while others argue that the environmental dimension must be prioritized as either social or economic aspects of sustainability are possible to achieve without the environmental sustainability (Hedenus, Persson & Sprei, 2018). Both the social and economic dimensions would be interesting points of departure when studying sustainability within the fashion industry, due to its negative impacts regarding human rights, poor labour conditions as well as unfair economic distribution (Gardetti & Torres, 2017). However, for the purpose of this study, sustainability has been limited to only include the environmental dimension.
For decades, the fashion industry’s sustainability initiatives have focused on improving practices of the supply chain upstream, aiming at the production of raw materials, production, and distribution, including initiatives aimed at minimizing the use of toxic chemicals as well as using sustainably sourced materials. Meanwhile, the post-retail phase of the supply chain has only in the last decade been given more attention, where issues regarding the use, reuse and end-of-use of products are included (D’Adamo & Lupi, 2021; Kant Hvass, 2014). Despite
there being several alternatives for used clothes, such as donations to charities, second-hand retailing as well as designer- and producer- led initiatives that focus on textile reuse and recycling, post-consumer textile waste is a growing problem and demands increased attention as the current systems divert too much used textiles to landfills (D’Adamo & Lupi, 2021; Kant Hvass, 2014; Pal, 2016). The logic of clothing production, distribution and sales could change if retailers were held accountable for the future care and disposal of their garments (Kant Hvass, 2014). The focus of sustainability initiatives in the fashion industry should extend beyond the upstream chain of supply to further include post-retail actions and consider new business models such as renting, leasing, updating, repairing, and reselling (Kant Hvass, 2014; Niinimäki et al., 2020). As well as having to focus on post-retail sustainability, previous research additionally calls for the fashion industry to shift from a linear to circular system to lower their environmental impact (Niinimäki et al., 2020).
3.2 The 5R Framework
As a way of describing how the fashion industry can act towards circularity, previous research has identified specific strategies. These strategies are referred to as R-strategies, R-activities or the different R’s and have been developed with the intention of decreasing resource and material consumption in supply chains as well as making the economy more circular (Potting, Hekkert, Worrell & Hanemaaijer, 2017). Even though the meaning of the concept varies somewhat between previous researchers, as shown in following paragraphs, all R-strategies resemble each other and have similar aims and purposes (Ibid.). Ultimately, the goal for the industry is to become more circular and achieve sustainability also in the post-retail phase by implementing these strategies.
The different R’s are described by Patwa and Seetharaman (2019) as a way of improving operational efficiency in the fashion industry by the implementation of a circularity. The following R-strategies are specified: Redesign; as a way of increasing efficiency and improving positive environmental impacts. Redistribute; by finding new markets to better serve the target group, for instance, leasing out fashion garments instead of customers buying them. Reuse; with the aim of prolonging the lifespan of clothing by finding new ways of using the same materials for either similar or different purposes. Recycle; by taking something old and transforming it into something new as a way of maximizing the usage of the raw materials
Pal (2016) is referring to the strategies as 5-R which includes the five broad areas of Reuse,
Reduce, Recycle, Redesign, and Reimagine. The author describes the 5-R’s as having the
purpose of driving higher resource efficiency, lower the consumption of raw materials, and lead to a higher end-of-use recovery. By combining these strategies, the material loop can be closed by redirecting the material back into different phases of the supply chain. For instance, by Reusing, used garments in good conditions can be worn repeatedly and by Redesigning, the garment can be altered into something new instead of being disposed of.
Ho and Choi (2012) refers to these strategies as the R-activities, a conceptual model consisting of five circular processes; ”Recycle, Reuse, Reduce, Re-design and Re-imagine”. In this case,
Reuse involves repeating the usage of an item with it still being in its original format. Reduce
means preventing waste by encouraging consumers to be more reflective of their shopping habits. Re-design, which involves the use of materials in product design. Lastly, Re-imagine refers to the process of companies re-imagining their products or practices, to seek new opportunities or innovations.
For the purpose of this study, an analytical framework called the 5R Framework has been created and processed with inspiration from the circular perspectives brought forward by Ho and Choi (2012), Pal (2016), Patwa and Seetharaman (2019), and Potting, Hekkert, Worrell and Hanemaaijer (2017). The 5R Framework consists of five circular strategies; Reuse, Repair,
Re-design, Repurpose and Recycle, as seen in Figure 1. The figure shows the priority order
from top to bottom based on the strategies’ level of circularity, where extending product lifespan (R1–R4) is preferred over material recycling (R5), in terms of environmental impact. This framework is used as an analytical point of departure when analyzing how fashion businesses are integrating circular strategies within their post-retail initiatives. Due to the focus of this study, a further delimitation has been made where the 5R Framework only consists of R-strategies applicable to the post-retail phase. Even though previous research has framed several R-strategies with various target points along the supply chain, for instance Ho and Choi (2012) who make use of the strategy Reduce which aims at changing shopping habits of consumers, these have not been deemed relevant for this study as they do not target the stage of post-retail.
Figure 1. The 5R Framework Regarding Circular Strategies within Post-Retail. Processed with inspiration from Ho and Choi (2012); Pal (2016); Patwa and Seetharaman (2019); and Potting, Hekkert, Worrell and Hanemaaijer (2017).
4. Method and Material
With the purpose of obtaining data material in regard to the first research question on how fashion businesses integrate circular strategies within their post-retail initiatives, a qualitative content analysis of websites and documents was performed. Based on the findings and patterns obtained from the content analysis, a semi-structured interview with an independent circular sustainability expert was used as a way of identifying challenges, strengths, and weaknesses of the post-retail circular strategies. Below, the processes of the content analysis and semi-structured interview are accounted for, as well as a presentation of the units of analysis and their respective selection processes. Lastly, ethical and critical considerations regarding the study are discussed.
4.1 Content Analysis
For this study, content analysis was chosen as the most appropriate method when analyzing the data for the first research question, in this case including sustainability reports and other available sustainability information found on the websites of H&M, Lindex and Gina Tricot –
all of which can be found in Appendix I. The reason behind this decision stems from the chosen units of analysis, where the content analysis examines the meaning of human communication in both oral, written, and visual forms. As the aim is to analyze written documents, and the content analysis provides an objective and systematic description of human communication focusing on meaning, structure and pattern in texts, it was singled out among other research methods for the purpose of this study (Elo & Kyngäs, 2008; Mahraj, 2012). Even though the content analysis is of a quantitative nature (Bergström & Boréus, 2012), this study is described as qualitative as substantial parts of the websites are picked out and thoroughly coded according to the 5R Framework. Content analysis may be used in an inductive or a deductive way – depending on the study. For the purpose of this study, the deductive approach is primarily used as the themes were created beforehand in line with the 5-R Framework and the units of analysis were analyzed based on these themes. However, the content analysis was also used inductively as further themes were identified beyond the predefined ones during the process of analyzing (Bryman, 2018; Elo & Kyngäs, 2008).
Initially, semi-structured interviews were thought of as an alternative method to analyze the sustainability communication of the fashion businesses. However, when reaching out to suitable interviewees all of them either referred to the information found on their websites or declined on the grounds of not having enough time to partake in an interview. The decision was then made to review the information found on the websites by using content analysis as a research method.
Critics have identified some weak points in regard to content analysis, as it is complicated, if not impossible, to design a coding manual entirely free from any kind of interpretation by the researchers. The making of the manual must contain more or less knowledge or previous experiences from the scholars for them to be able to analyze the material they are accumulating. The same could be said about the coding of latent material, as different researchers could draw different conclusions from the same data as their previous knowledge and experiences are varying (Bryman, 2018). However, as the focus for this study is to find the manifest and concrete information about the sustainability initiatives rather than eventual latent and abstract messages, the requirement of being objective could be easier to access. Additionally, due to the analysis process’ deductive approach, the risk that any preconceptions of the authors influence the results is deemed low.
The way of handling the acquired data was through a thematic analysis, where the 5R Framework was initially used to help order and synthesize data. Thematic analysis is a method based on finding themes in collected data and is regularly used as an approach in qualitative analysis of data. Themes and sub themes were forged and sorted into an index based on the strategies of the 5R Framework (Bryman, 2018). As the themes were selected beforehand, a deductive approach was used, and the coding described as structured. When inserting data in the index, segments from the different websites were first shortened and then clarified, as well as put into the correct cell. Attention was put on where the data was found, that original terminology was used, as well as making sure not to use too much material (Ibid.). The data material was read through by both authors, to reduce the risk of something being missed. Additionally, the benefit of being able to discuss the data and interpret it collectively can further strengthen both the reliability and the validity of the method (Ibid.).
4.2 Semi-structured Interviews
In order to answer the second research question of this study, regarding challenges, strengths and weaknesses that can be connected to the circular post-retail strategies of H&M, Lindex and Gina Tricot, a qualitative semi-structured interview was conducted. As the results from the content analysis highlights the perspective of the fashion businesses, an interview with circular sustainability expert Maria Lagerman was conducted in order to establish a more critical standpoint regarding these circular post retail strategies.
There are several ways to carry out a semi-structured interview, but it usually involves a situation where the interview is based on a questionnaire with a set of general predefined questions or themes (Bryman, 2018). The semi-structured interview was deemed appropriate for the purpose of this study as the interest was to explore what the respondent considered to be the most important aspects of post-retail sustainability, based on her previous knowledge and experiences (Ibid.). Semi-structured interviews offer both structure and flexibility (Hjelm, Lindgren & Nilsson, 2014), which was one of the motivations behind this choice of research method. When conducting the interview this meant that the researchers could be flexible in relation to the questionnaire and had the possibility to obtain in-depth answers from the Lagerman by asking follow-up or probing questions (Bryman, 2018). Even though semi-structured interviews offer more flexibility for the researchers than a structured interview, more preparation is required of the people conducting a semi-structured interview than of a
structured one (Hjelm, Lindgren & Nilsson, 2014). For the purpose of this study, the semi-structured interview aims to serve as a complement to the content analysis by offering the opportunity to get a deeper understanding regarding strengths and weaknesses of the circular post-retail strategies, in accordance with the second research question. Therefore, the questionnaire was structured based on the findings of the content analysis. Because the content analysis was conducted beforehand, the authors of this study had time to prepare for the interview by collecting relevant information and design a suitable interview guide (see Appendix II).
Due to the current situation of Covid-19 the interview was conducted through Zoom. It was recorded through Quicktime, as this programme allows playback in half speed which facilitated the transcription process. The interview was conducted in Swedish and lasted for about one hour. After transcription, the material was translated into English, which additionally entails that all direct quotes made by the respondent have been translated from Swedish. As the interview was based on the findings of the content analysis and constructed according to the 5R Framework, the material was already somewhat categorized. However, due to the flexible character of the semi-structured interview, the material was color coded in terms of the general themes of the 5R Framework before it was compiled and included into the results.
4.3 Selection Process and Units of Analysis
For the purpose of this study, three fashion businesses were selected: H&M, Lindex and Gina Tricot. The selection process of these fashion businesses consisted of the following steps. First of all, in order to delimitate the selection, a list of requirements was created.
1. The fashion businesses are founded in Sweden.
2. They are global fashion businesses, meaning they operate in more than one country through either physical retail stores or online markets.
3. The fashion business has some type of communication about sustainability on their website.
4. The fashion businesses have sustainability reports and/or other similar types of documents or policies.
The first requirement was established with the purpose to delimitate the selection to only include Swedish fashion businesses. The second requirement was made to exclude smaller fashion businesses with local markets from the selection, as a delimitation of this study was
that focus should be put on businesses that were considered major stakeholders within the fashion industry. The third and fourth requirements served the purpose of guaranteeing that the fashion businesses’ websites and documents contained enough material for the selection and analysis. Ultimately, three fashion businesses – H&M, Lindex and Gina Tricot – were selected as they met all the requirements as well as having extensive amounts of information and sufficient reporting and documents regarding their sustainability work.
To answer the study's second research question, an interview with an independent circular sustainability expert was conducted. In the search process, 20+ Swedish and international organizations focusing on fashion and sustainability as well as private individuals with experiences within fashion, sustainability and/or circularity, were contacted. Due to the organization's limited capacity and/or lack of time only one was able to accept our request. Though, as the purpose of the interview was to get an independent perspective from a sustainability expert on the circular post-retail initiatives, in addition to the fact that the result from the interview was not supposed to be generalized in any way, the one interview with Maria Lagerman was deemed to be enough.
4.3.1 H&M
To obtain data material from H&M regarding their circular and post-retail sustainability initiatives, their website www.hm.com was used. From the site’s navigation bar, the category “Sustainability” was clearly prominent, from which several sub-categories were identified. The relevance of the sub-categories and their content were estimated based on this study’s main themes. The sub-categories “Let’s close the loop” and “Let’s take care” and their respective written content were selected as the basis for the data analysis. Additionally, in connection to “Let’s take care” another sub-category was selected in terms of “H&M Take Care” which included a list of different tips and tricks regarding garment maintenance. The written content in addition to all the categories and their sub-categories was selected as data material for the study. In the search for sustainability reports the search was directed from H&M to the website of H&M Group, www.hmgroup.com. This site’s navigation bar included a “Sustainability” category as well and just as the selection process on the H&M website the categories and sub-categories were assessed based on their relevance according to post-retail initiatives and circularity. The category “Circular and climate positive” was selected as well as three of its sub-categories, “Recycling and upcycling”, “Circularity and our value chain” and “Resell,
repair and rental”. Furthermore the “H&M Group Sustainability Performance Report 2020”
was selected and saved as data material.
4.3.2 Lindex
With the purpose of selecting data material from Lindex their website www.lindex.com was used. From the navigation bar the category “Sustainability at Lindex” was singled out. Just as the selection process regarding H&M and H&M Group, the relevance of the categories and sub-categories was based on their connection to post-retail initiatives and circular strategies. The following levels of sub-categories as well as each of their written content were selected. Firstly, “Our promise for future generations”, secondly, “How we work”, along with the secondary sub-category “Circular fashion”. Third, “What you can do” including its second level sub-categories “Making mindful choices”, “Taking care of your garments” and “Reuse
and recycle” were selected. Lastly, the sub-category “Reports, policies and commitments” was
selected to access Lindex’s sustainability policies and reports. The following reports and policy documents were extracted and saved as data material; “Reuse and recycling policy”, “Sustainability Report 2019”, and “CSR 2020”.
4.3.3 Gina Tricot
To obtain data material from Gina Tricot, their website www.ginatricot.com was used. In the navigation bar the category “Sustainability” was highlighted. In accordance with how the selection process was used to obtain data from H&M and Lindex, the relevance of the sub-categories was based on their connection to post-retail initiatives and circular strategies. The selected sub-categories consisted of “Our collaborations” and “Policys”, and included the documents “Gina Tricot Water Strategy” and “Environmental policy”. Further, the sub-category “Sustainability report” which gave access to the document “Gina Tricot
Sustainability report 2019” was selected. Lastly, the sub-category “Product” including “Care instructions” was selected as data material.
4.3.5 Circular Sustainability Expert
Sustainability expert Maria Lagerman has during the last ten years been working with sustainable fashion in various forms. She began her career through the non-profit organization Stockholms Stadsmission, where she, together with a group of people developed a business model making locally produced fashion made from secondhand clothing. This provided her with the experience of how to deconstruct garments with the aim of creating new clothes, as
well as giving them as high a level of style as possible. During the seven years within the organization, she went from being Head of operation, Project leader to Director of Department. Since 2019, she is running her own business, engaging in sustainable development of affairs, businesses, and concepts, focusing on the textile and fashion industry. She works with projects as well as educates, offers consultations, works with finding new conceptual solutions, and talks about new services. At the moment, she is working as a tutor for a course developed by the Nordic Textile Academy at Textilhögskolan in Borås. The course contains subjects like the future of stores of fashion and shoes, as well as how to handle the future sustainable consumer. Lagerman is also interested in servicification, and what phases garments go through after they are produced and put on the market. She has also engaged in questions about consumption. Additionally, for the past four years she has been a member of the board of Medveten Konsumtion, a non-profit organization working for increased knowledge of the environmental impact of consumption.
4.4 Ethical and Critical Considerations
As the units of analysis of this study are documents and policies retrieved from the businesses own websites, and as the interview did not involve any sensitive information about the interviewee, there was no apparent need for an ethical evaluation. However, some basic ethical principles were considered for this study. The principles of information, consent, and usage with the purpose of making sure that the interviewee could give an informed consent into participating and that the material only would be used for the purpose of this study (Bryman, 2018; Swedish Research Council, 2021). When using documents, policies and websites that have been produced by businesses, without the intent of being used for research purposes, they cannot be presumed to show an objective picture of a situation. Thus, they need to be reviewed and assessed based on the following critical considerations; authenticity, reliability, representativeness, and validity (Ibid.). The authenticity of the data material could easily be confirmed as they were derived from the official websites of H&M, Lindex and Gina Tricot – all of which are accounted for in Appendix I. Their reliability and representativeness however, was more challenging to evaluate. The texts and documents have most likely been created with the purpose of conveying a positive image of the businesses and their sustainability initiatives. The possibility of the documents not reflecting reality cannot be dismissed, and therefore their reliability and representativeness cannot be confirmed without them being reviewed together with other independent sources of information. The material obtained from circular
sustainability expert Maria Lagerman complemented by information derived from previous research serves as independent sources of information for the purpose of this study. With regard to the documents and websites validity, no additional concerns were noted as the material was clear and comprehensive (Ibid.).
An additional consideration to reflect upon when analyzing documents and communication about sustainability efforts that has been written from a business perspective, is the possibility of greenwashing. Greenwashing is described by several scholars as the act of misleading consumers in terms of environmental practices of a company or environmental benefits of a product or service (Baum, 2012; Delamas & Burbano, 2011; Wu, Zhang & Xie, 2020). According to Niinimäki (2011) businesses may be tempted to use sustainable and environmental arguments due to the rise of consumers' environmental awareness in order to increase their attractiveness on the markets and their sales. However, environmental and sustainability issues are often very complex, and therefore easy to mislead or omit parts of the truth to consumers (Ibid.). As the interest in sustainability issues have increased among fashion businesses, there is a possibility that they include greenwashing to some extent (Dicuonzo, Galeone, Ranaldo & Turco, 2020). This study does not aim to investigate whether or not the documents and policies of the fashion businesses are completely true and implemented in reality. However, it was deemed important to mention this aspect in order to create transparency between the authors and the readers of this study and show that the authors are aware of these issues. Due to this, the content from fashion businesses websites, documents and policies are not critically discussed in the presentation of the results from the content analysis. However, the discussion and analysis chapter offer a critical perspective and problematizes their content more thoroughly.
5. Results
Following chapter presents the results of the content analysis and the semi-structured interview, answering both research questions. Firstly, the result of the content analysis is presented and structured along the three fashion businesses. Their respective circular post-retail strategies that were identified are presented according to the strategies of the 5R Framework. Secondly, the section called “Take Care Concepts”, presents additional circular post-retail initiatives of the three fashion businesses that were identified beyond the 5R Framework during the content analysis process. Lastly, is the presentation of the results from
the semi-structured interview with the independent circular sustainability expert Maria Lagerman. Likewise, these results are structured according to the strategies of the 5R Framework and the take care concepts along with Lagermans’ additional reasoning on future challenges and possibilities of the fashion industry’s aim towards becoming sustainable.
5.1 H&M
Hennes & Mauritz AB (H&M) is a Swedish multinational clothing retail company known for its fashion clothing for women, men, teenagers, and children (H&M Group, n.d.-a). Since the opening of the first Hennes store in Västerås, Sweden in 1947, the company has come a long way. With 4,371 stores in 74 countries and 52 online markets (H&M Group, n.d.-b), it is the second largest clothing retailer in the world (Olanubi, 2018). According to H&M Group, their sustainability vision is, as a major global stakeholder in fashion, to lead the change towards circular and climate positive fashion while being a fair and equal company (H&M Group, n.d.-a). Recognizing climate change and resource depletion as the two biggest environmental challenges of today, H&M has the ambition of becoming a fully circular business as well as being climate positive by 2040. Their intention is to have a clear focus on product use, care, repair, product reuse and recycling, and aims to take responsibility for recirculating products with the purpose of them being used for a longer period of time. Throughout this entire chain, H&M wants to empower its customers to prolong the life of their products, by providing accessible ways to engage in and experience circular fashion (Troberg & Söderlund, 2021).
Through content analysis of the website, policies and documents of H&M, several post-retail circular strategies were identified – all of which are accounted for in Appendix III. These are presented below according to the 5R Framework.
5.1.1 Reuse
From the following categories and sub-categories on the website of H&M; “Close the loop”, “Circularity and our value chain”, and “H&M Group Sustainability Performance Report
2020”, seven Reuse strategies were identified. Garment collections, where customers can
return their unwanted clothing, are offered in every H&M store. As a reward, they get 200 member points as well as a 50 SEK gift voucher. In cooperation with I:CO, a global collector of used clothing, the garments are being collected and further sorted into three categories; for reuse, repurposing, and recycling. If the quality of the clothing is good enough, they are re-sold in second hand stores (H&M, n.d.-a). Apart from collecting used garments, H&M offers rental
services in their flagship store in Stockholm, Sweden, where customers can rent selected garments from exclusive previous collections, instead of having to purchase them (H&M, n.d.-a; Troberg & Söderlund, 2021). Additionally, in cooperation with online second hand platform Sellpy, H&M are reselling clothes in both Sweden and Germany. Free Sellpy bags are handed out in stores for customers to return their old and unwanted garments and get assistance with selling them through Sellpy. H&M members are also given a discount of 15 % when purchasing old H&M clothing at Sellpy (H&M, n.d.-a; Troberg & Söderlund, 2021). Further, H&M is collaborating with clothing store Afound, which offers unsold H&M clothing and other pre-owned garments (Troberg & Söderlund, 2021). Apart from providing accessible ways for customers to engage in circular fashion through different Reuse initiatives, H&M is consistently promoting a more circular lifestyle throughout the website through encouraging customers to sell or give away old clothes to friends or family, pass them on to second hand stores, or try the concept of renting.
5.1.2 Repair
H&M encourages their customers to prolong their garments’ lives by several different initiatives connected to the Repair strategy. Both by encouraging the customers to repair their garments for themselves, but also by offering different services to facilitate this. On the website, in connection to the sub-category “H&M Take Care”, there are several tips and tricks listed regarding what customers can do themselves in order to repair broken garments and make sure that they last for a longer time. These tips and tricks include fixing broken zippers, how to sew a button, as well as how to repair holes in nylon stockings (H&M, n.d.-b). In addition to encouraging customers to repair their garments, H&M offers several products in their web shop that can be used to facilitate these, such as sewing kits, repair patches and extra zippers (Ibid.). H&M also supports their customers to extend the life of their products by offering repair services in stores. However, these services are only available in eight of their 4300+ physical stores worldwide, and according to their website these are located in Stockholm, Malmö and Gothenburg, Sweden (H&M Group, n.d-b; H&M Group, n.d-e; Troberg & Söderlund, 2021). Additionally, H&M are engaging in a collaboration with online tailor service Repamera that gives members of the H&M Club a 15 % discount on Repameras’ services (H&M n.d.-b).
5.1.3 Re-design
H&M offers several initiatives that connect to the Re-design strategy. Through their upcycling initiative, they encourage customers to update and alter their existing garments to make them on trend again and thereby contributing to a longer lifespan of the garments (H&M, n.d.-a; H&M Group, n.d.-d). Some upcycling initiatives that customers themselves can engage in can be found in the sub-category “H&M Take Care”, including several tips and tricks on how to creatively re-design old garments. These tips and tricks include re-design activities such as how to style old pumps, how to fold up jeans, or how to customize jackets (H&M, n.d.-b). Moreover, H&M offers several products such as sew-kits, patches, pile removers and clothing marker pens to provide their customers with the right tools to be able to upcycle their garments (Ibid.). In terms of physical services provided by H&M regarding re-designing, their collaboration with Repamera also includes altering and re-design of old garments. Lastly, H&M encourages their customers to prolong the life of their garments by offering in-store alteration services in some stores. Though, as previously stated, these services are only available in eight of their total number of stores (H&M Group, n.d-b; H&M Group, n.d.-e; Troberg & Söderlund, 2021).
5.1.4 Repurpose
In collaboration with I:CO, H&M aims to limit the amount of textile ending up in landfills by collecting used clothes and textiles from their customers. In 2019, H&M Group reports that they collected 29,005 tons of textiles for reuse and repurpose through their garment collecting initiative, which is equivalent to about 145 million t-shirts. The collected garments are sorted into three categories based on their condition, one of which is connected to Repurpose. Textiles of low quality are turned into textile fibers and are repurposed and transformed into something else, such as insulation or cleaning cloths (H&M, n.d.-a; H&M Group, n.d.-d).
5.1.5 Recycle
H&M aims to provide their customers with accessible ways to be circular through recycling, which connects to the Recycle strategy of the 5R Framework (Troberg & Söderlund, 2021). The previously mentioned collaboration between H&M and I:CO and the garment collecting initiative, additionally includes collected garments and textiles being sorted into a recycle category. Collected garments are being recycled into textile fibers, to be used to create new garments (H&M, n.d.-a; H&M Group, n.d.-c; Troberg & Söderlund, 2021). Another initiative
Conscious Points. A membership scheme where customers earn rewards for making more sustainable choices, such as using the garment recycling services (Ibid.). Lastly, in 2020 H&M launched the Looop machine which transforms old garments into new ones - without adding any environmental costs. The Looop machine, located in H&M’s flagship store in Stockholm, recaptures valuable raw materials in recycled clothing and regenerates them back into fibers that are spun into new yarn and knitted into new clothes (H&M Group, n.d.-e; Troberg & Söderlund, 2021).
5.2 Lindex
Lindex is a multinational fashion company, founded 1954 in Alingsås, Sweden. Starting out only selling lingerie, Lindex has today added both women and children clothing as well as cosmetics to its range of products. With stores in 18 markets and 33 online markets, Lindex is one of the leading fashion businesses in Europe (Lindex, n.d-c; Lindex, n.d.-g). As can be read on Lindex’ official website, their sustainability promise is related to the three areas of empowering women, respecting the planet, and ensuring human rights (Lindex, n.d.-d). They acknowledge that the fashion industry is connected to several harmful practices such as unsustainable consumption patterns as well as the overexploitation of the planet's resources. According to Lindex, a maximization of resource usage is crucial to meet these challenges and a circular approach is the only way forward for the industry (Lindex, n.d.-a). In their Sustainability Report from 2019 (Lindex, 2020), Lindex announced that a fifth of their total carbon footprint derives from their customers and the usage stage, which is why they additionally tries to inspire their customers to make conscious decisions in regard to their fashion consumption (Lindex, n.d.-a).
Through the content analysis of Lindex’s website, documents and policies, several post-retail circular activities were identified – all of which are accounted for in Appendix III. These are presented below in accordance with the circular strategies of the 5R Framework. However, as none of Lindex’s post-retail initiatives connected to the Repair or Re-design strategies, these are not included.
5.2.1 Reuse
In terms of making circular fashion possible, Lindex is integrating some circular activities into their practices which can be connected to the Reuse strategy of the 5R Framework. On the website, Lindex encourages its customers to prolong the lifespan of their garments by donating
them to local second hand shops or by arranging clothing swaps with friends (Lindex, n.d.-a; Lindex, n.d.-e). Additionally, Lindex offers post-consumer textile collections in all their stores in Sweden, Norway, and Finland, where customers can hand in their unwanted textiles and garments for reuse, repurpose and recycling purposes. For this activity, Lindex collaborates with Myrorna in Sweden, Fretex in Norway, and Recci in Finland. These partners sort the collected textiles with the purpose to circulate as much as possible and make sure that garments with good quality can be reused by someone else, such as through second hand stores (Dahlberg, 2017; Lindex, 2020; Lindex, n.d.-e; Stockmann, 2020). Lindex further encourages customers to use their post-consumer textile collection by rewarding them with a discount of 50 SEK (Lindex, n.d.-e). In 2019, Lindex started a collaboration with online fashion rental service Something Borrowed, as an incentive to let customers rent Lindex’s clothes instead of buying them as a way of prolonging the garments' lives and usage. However, the collaboration ended in 2020 as a result of Something Borrowed having to declare bankruptcy due to Covid-19 (Lindex, 2020).
5.2.2 Repurpose
The Lindex post-consumer textile collection initiative can additionally be connected to the
Repurpose strategy from the 5R Framework. When customers return old garments and textiles
in Lindex stores they get dispatched to partner companies Myrornas, Fretex and Recci. While some of the collected textiles are sent to second hand shops to be reused by others, others that do not meet the right standards of quality get repurposed into insulation or industrial cloths (Lindex, n.d.-e).
5.2.3 Recycle
Lindex encourages its customers to recycle their garments as a final step of their life spans, in line with the Recycle strategy of the 5R Framework. When the usage of the garment has been maximized, recycling is, according to Lindex, both resource efficient as well as key to a circular approach to fashion (Dahlberg, 2017; Lindex, n.d.-a). Apart from inspiring its customers, Lindex provides some concrete ways for the consumers to easily contribute. As previously mentioned, Lindex offers textile collections, which also connects to the Recycle strategy. The handed in clothes are collected by partners in each sales country and sorted by level of quality where the lowest quality garments are sent for recycling (Lindex, 2020; Lindex, n.d.-e).
5.3 Gina Tricot
The fashion business Gina Tricot was founded in Borås, Sweden, in 1997. With an initial focus on tricot tops, the company has since then grown into having more than 160 stores in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland, as well as providing an online market to the rest of Europe (Gina Tricot, n.d-e). The sustainability work of Gina Tricot revolves around four central themes: the people, the product, the planet, and their pledges with important stakeholders within the field of sustainability (Gina Tricot, n.d.-d). Aside from minimizing their environmental impact by putting effort into minimizing water use, energy use as well as chemical use in their production, Gina Tricot also believes that by embracing the circular economy they could make a meaningful contribution towards making the fashion industry more sustainable (Gina Tricot, 2020). Through their “wear-care-share” concept, Gina Tricot encourages its customers to take care of their garments to make them last longer as well as how to dispose of them in a correct way (Gina Tricot, n.d.-g).
As a result of the content analysis of Gina Tricot’s website, policies, and reports, several post-retail circular activities were identified, all of which are accounted for in Appendix III. In agreement with the circular strategies of the 5R Framework, Gina Tricot’s post-retail circular activities are presented below. Although, as none of the post-retail activities identified through the content analysis were connected to the Repurpose strategy, this aspect is not included.
5.3.1 Reuse
At Gina Tricot, the concept of reusing clothes is considered a priority to achieve circularity. Several strategies are identified with regard to the Reuse strategy of the 5R Framework. Primarily, Gina Tricot gives its customers the opportunity to return old clothing in all stores with the purpose of giving them a second life through reusing (Gina Tricot, 2020; Gina Tricot, n.d.-c). They are cooperating with aid organizations Human Bridge and Fretex, which collects the clothing and donates them to people in need, or resells them in second hand stores (Gina Tricot, 2020; Gina Tricot, n.d.-g). Gina Tricot launched a new business model called RENT, as a means for customers to rent clothing instead of buying them (Gina Tricot, 2020). Additionally, the concept GEMME with Gina Tricot was initiated, a rental capsule collection where customers can share their own designer garments and accessories with each other. Most items of the GEMME collection can be hired directly through their website, but some pieces are available to rent directly in stores in Gothenburg and Stockholm (Gemme Collective, 2020; Gina Tricot, n.d.-f). Further, Gina Tricot began a collaboration with online subscription rental
service Hack Your Closet (Gina Tricot, n.d.-f; Hack your closet, 2021). Apart from partnering up with other stakeholders and collecting garments in stores, Gina Tricot is consistently inviting and encouraging its customers to donate their old clothing for reuse purposes through their websites (Gina Tricot, n.d.-a).
5.3.2 Repair
In collaboration with online tailor service Repamera, Gina Tricot forwarded all their denim complaints in 2019 to be repaired instead of giving customers new denim garments. The purpose was not only to save the earth’s resources, but to send a message to consumers that defective products still have value and can be repaired instead of being thrown away. In accordance with the Repair strategy, Gina Tricot tries to inspire customers to repair clothing when needed to prolong their life span (Gina tricot, 2020; Gina Tricot, n.d.-a; Gina Tricot, n.d.-b).
5.3.3 Re-design
In terms of achieving circularity, Gina Tricot is engaged in several post-retail activities that can be connected to the Re-design strategy of the 5R Framework. Through their website they aim to inspire their customers to re-do their clothes for updated looks, as an initiative to prolong their lifespan (Gina Tricot, n.d.-g). Additionally, they offer several garment altering services to their customers that are connected to the Re-design strategy. The company launched a remake collection, where old and previously used clothing collected through the garment collection service was remade into new vintage garments. Through this re-design initiative, second hand is transformed into first hand and the lifespan of the textile is expected to be prolonged (Gina Tricot, n.d.-f). Another re-design initiative is Upcycle by Gina Tricot, a collection made from customer claims and defected garments in collaboration with the research projects Re:Textile, XV Production and Färgeriet EK. Normally, these products and materials would have been donated to Gina Tricot's partners working with garment reuse, but through this initiative they are given a chance at a second life instead (Gina Tricot, 2020). Lastly, in cooperation with Repamera, Gina Tricot offers consumers to customize and alter their denim products in one of their stores in Malmö, Sweden. Through this initiative, Gina Tricot aims to inspire its customers to realize that the value of their garments can increase through alteration and re-design (Gina Tricot, 2020; Gina Tricot, n.d.-a).
5.3.4 Recycle
Gina Tricot describes recycling as a priority to achieve circularity within the fashion industry (Gina Tricot, n.d.-d). In order to accomplish this, they are collecting old and unwanted garments in stores from their customers (Gina Tricot, n.d.-c; Gina Tricot, n.d.-f; Gina Tricot, n.d.-g). In collaboration with Human Bridge in Sweden and Fretex in Norway, the collected garments are being sorted into categories, one of which is recycling (Gina Tricot, n.d.-f). Garments that are worn out and cannot be used for reuse or remake purposes get recycled and circled back into the production loop as new raw materials (Gina Tricot, 2020).
5.4 Take Care Concepts
Apart from the strategies based on the 5R Framework, other aspects regarding post-retail and circularity were identified when collecting the data. All fashion businesses outlined the fact of taking care of the purchased garments to prolong their life span as an important activity in relation to post-retail activities. H&M, Lindex and Gina Tricot are providing online care instructions for their products, aiming to educate their customers on how to take care of their clothes to maximize their usage (Gina Tricot, n.d.-a; H&M, n.d.-b; Lindex, n.d.-f). H&M wants to inspire its customers to be conscious about the way they treat their clothes, with the aim of decreasing the environmental impacts of sold garments (H&M, n.d.-a; H&M Group, n.d.- c). They are contributing to this with an online guide where consumers, among several other tips and tricks, can learn about how to iron a shirt properly, how to remove stains, as well as a further instruction on how to care for various materials (H&M, n.d.-b).
Lindex highlights the importance of making mindful choices to prolong the lifetime of garments. According to the brand, using a garment many times contributes to the maximization of resources and is often more beneficial for the environment (Lindex, n.d.-b). Therefore, they encourage their customers to make mindful choices regarding the clothes they purchase. Just like H&M, Lindex is providing a care guide with instructions on how to care for swimwear, jeans, and garments made of wool, silk, and viscose (Lindex, n.d.-f). Lindex states that if customers were to be more mindful when purchasing clothes and took proper care of them to extend their lifetime, they would thus be contributing to minimizing their environmental footprint (Lindex, 2020).
Like the other businesses, Gina Tricot is encouraging its customers to only purchase garments they know will be used several times. They underline the fact that garments that are
consciously bought and well taken care of have a longer life span compared to clothing that are bought impulsively (Gina Tricot, n.d.-b). Focusing on how to increase customer knowledge on textile qualities as well as product care, the brand launched its sustainability webpage in 2020 (Gina Tricot, 2020). Doing laundry the correct way is a focal point for the brand, whose care labels for many years have recommended less frequent washing of clothes as well as washing at cooler temperatures. Gina Tricot urges its customers to air garments instead of washing them, to both minimize environmental effects and prolong the product life span (Gina Tricot, n.d.-b; Gina Tricot, n.d.-g).
5.5 The Perspectives of a Circular Sustainability Expert
Following the previous section which included a presentation of the results obtained from the content analysis, is the results from the semi-structured interview performed with circular sustainability expert Maria Lagerman. Her thoughts and reasoning regarding the circular post-retail strategies that were identified through the content analysis, offers a critical perspective on their strengths, challenges, as well as solutions in terms of making the fashion industry sustainable.
5.5.1 Reuse
According to Lagerman (May 13th, 2021), the Reuse strategy is an important aspect of the
fashion industry. She states that it is a matter of changing behaviors regarding our consumption and use of fashion, and that more stakeholders should promote this attitude adjustment. The promotion of an economy based on sharing or advertising for a longer life span for clothing, can be related to both secondhand shopping, renting, and sharing, which companies can put more effort into by increasing the accessibility to customers of these services. The fact that companies should have a responsibility over products that are already on the market is crucial, as they play an active role in providing the services to the consumers.
Even though reusage of clothing occurs a lot in Sweden today, Lagerman (Ibid.) presents some challenges with this strategy. In smaller cities or districts, it might be more difficult to find second hand shops to visit or public clothing swaps to attend, compared to bigger cities. If so, it is important that different stakeholders come together to promote these new behaviors regarding clothing, so that everyone has an opportunity to participate regardless of location.
