Spinning Ahead: The UCRF Research Tapestry
Weaving Tapestry, Photo by Joel Heard via Unsplash
On May 21st, the UCRF Research Tapestry project held its second workshop to further explore how research on sustainability in the context of fashion and textile can sharpen its focus and create a bigger impact. This session brought together a diverse set of participants to identify key research questions, develop inclusive research methodologies and find ways for effective translation of findings into practice. The goal was to expand on the initial discussions in our inaugural workshop in March, informing a roadmap for future action.
During the workshop we delved deeper into specific research questions and foci that we believe should be at the forefront of fashion and textile research. We categorised research across four key themes: Policy, Operations Management, Design and Marketing, looking at system-, organisation-, product- and user-levels as units of analysis. We also discussed ways of disseminating research findings to a broader set of stakeholders, which is what our next article explores in more detail.
Asking the Right Research Questions
In this article we reveal insights from the first part of the workshop, which aimed to identify future facing research questions in the fields of Policy, Operations Management, Design, and Marketing. A variety of research questions were proposed which sought to address issues at the system-, organisational-, product/process- and consumer/wearer- levels.
Policy
Discussions around the questions we should be asking regarding policy-making centred on plurality of perspectives, ensuring living wages, strengthening intersectoral governance relationships and the effectiveness of emerging policies.
Consumer Involvement: Policies should involve citisens and wearers to ensure they reflect a diverse range of perspectives, ensuring policies are democratic and representative. Policies should also include inputs from local communities and indigenous peoples, which ensures cultural sensitivity and effectiveness in addressing ground realities.
Engagement with Policy Processes: Researchers and stakeholders should actively participate in policy-making, especially in regions with transparent public consultation processes. This active involvement helps ensure that policies are informed by the latest research and best practices as well as democratic access to the process.
“How can we strengthen transnational solidarities between Civil Society Organisations and Unions across borders to enhance corporate and state accountability?”
“How is lobbying influencing the European textile policy-making process?”
“How should the European policy consultation process be governed to ensure evidence-based positions and avoid industry capture?”
“How effective are state import caps and tariffs on stemming overconsumption? Lessons from France’s “Fast Fashion Bill”.”
"How are textile waste policies formed and what is their effectiveness?"
“What considerations should Extended Producer Responsibility legislation include to incentivise business model innovation in the textile industry?”
Operations Management
Discussions on operations management focused on creating sustainable and inclusive supply chains through radical changes and innovative practices. Key points included:
Systems-Focus: Emphasizing systemic changes and radical innovations over incremental ones to achieve sustainability. Exploring innovative systems that challenge traditional supply chain management models, foster creativity and challenge profit-driven business logic.
Integration of Local and Global Insights: Promoting academic collaborations across multiple continents and regions helps translate complex research findings into practical, locally relevant actions and strategies.
“How to create a fashion system to transform the business logic from growth to post-growth? What post-growth supply chains should look like in the context of fashion?
“How can institutions enable the implementation of circular business models to include servicing, take-back, reverse logistics?”
Design
The design discussions focused on integrating sustainability into the design process and making design-led improvements more accessible.
Incentivising design for sustainability: Popularizing design-led improvements and incentivizing product disassembly involves understanding systemic challenges and developing incentives for sustainable design practices.
Business model transformation: Transforming business models to make servicing and maintenance of garments profitable involves identifying leadership styles and operational methods that drive business model innovations towards circularity.
“To what extent do material purchasing decisions impact design-led improvements to product circularity?”
“What organisational requirements can embed disassembly into the design process?”
“How can designers integrate emotional durability into products to extend the product use phase?”
“What are the leadership styles and ways of working that have best enabled business model innovation for circularity?”
Marketing
Marketing discussions explored innovative ways to engage consumers, workers and communities in sustainability efforts by bypassing traditional channels, fostering worker-led sustainability initiatives and improving governance frameworks for disseminating sustainability information.
Limiting Greenwashing: Creating governance frameworks for accurate sustainability communications ensures transparency and accountability in sustainability claims, balancing the need for clear information without overwhelming stakeholders.
Authentic Messages: Crafting messages that resonate with consumers promotes responsible choices and emotional durability. Marketing strategies should connect consumption decisions to well-being and positive incentives to change consumer behavior towards sustainability.
“How to platform wearers' perspectives and empower consumers through peer-to-peer inspiration?”
“How does the value-action gap get narrowed by leveraging positive aspects of social media by using positive messaging?”
Stay tuned for updates and insights from the UCRF Research Tapestry project as we continue this journey together.
Join us in reshaping the future of fashion research—one thread at a time. 🧵
For more information on the UCRF Research Tapestry project and upcoming events, visit our website or contact us directly.