Managing sustainability in the fashion business: Challenges in product development for clothing longevity in the UK

The production, distribution and disposal phases of the clothing life cycle all create environmental impacts, but life cycle assessment has found that extending garments' active life via design, maintenance and re-use of clothing is an effective method of reducing the environmental sustainability impacts of the clothing industry. The research in this article adopts a qualitative methodology focused on interviews with stakeholders from companies in the clothing sector. With regard to actions to support sustainability through clothing longevity, a range of responses were analysed thematically, alongside other key issues in clothing longevity, one of the most consistent themes being improvement in knowledge and skills. This study found that challenges to enhancing clothing longevity could be addressed via improved knowledge, skills, process and infrastructure, if managerial decisions were taken to reduce barriers to longevity and to enhance the agency of NPD teams in this respect.