Sustainable responsible outdoor clothing : what every designer should know

Abstract

Climate change and environmental problems also affect the outdoor clothing industry and sustainable, responsible design is becoming more important. The purpose of this thesis was to draw conclusions on what the outdoor clothing industry can do for sustainability and what aspects should be taken into consideration in the design and manufacture of environmentally friendly outdoor clothing. The aim of my study was to ascertain what designers should know about environmentally friendly design to be able to make sustainable responsible apparel. The study is qualitative in nature. There are several stakeholders on different levels, which affect sustainable development in the outdoor clothing industry. It is very important for designers to know these stakeholders and their actions to understand the challenges of green production. The information was collected using triangulation technique. I have used methods of ethnographic target group observation and group interviewing. The data was collected from textile manufacturers’ and outdoor companies’ commercial material such as brochures and internet pages. The study investigated what outdoor companies have done for sustainable responsible design and environmentally friendly manufacturing and how it shows in their public advertisements between 2007 and 2009. The atmosphere changed and actions increased enormously in these two years. According to my study the amount of materials advertised to be environmentally sound has increased, but it is very difficult for end-users and even designers to evaluate their environmental impact. Good design, quality materials and the possibility to repair outdoor clothing will increase the life cycle of outdoor apparel. End-users in the mountaineering and kite snowboarding target groups are becoming more environmentally aware, but the clothing features they appreciate most are functionality and safety. The outcome of this research was that lifestyle outdoor brands cannot survive in the business without acknowledging environmentally friendly practices, and end-users’ environmental awareness is increasing. It can be concluded that outdoor industry has awakened to take responsibility and started to work for sustainable development.