Case Study: A Product Line Analysis for Eco-Designed Fashion Products
Since fashion is one of the most polluting industries on the planet, every stage of the fashion and textile supply chain threatens our planet's well-being. Read this article to learn how eco-design is an important part of sustainable supply chains. The researchers conduct a product line analysis of the outdoor sportswear brand, Patagonia, and its use of organic, recycled, and traceable materials in its eco-product-line development.
What is the impact of eco-design on product line development? How do sustainable fashion firms manage eco-design in the supply chain? How will consumers evaluate eco-design?
3. Research Method
3.1. Case Company Selection
In this paper, we examine the outdoor sportswear brand Patagonia. The case company is a leading global outdoor sportswear retailer that aims to provide consumers with high-quality, fashionable, and sustainable outdoor sportswear. There are several reasons that we have selected Patagonia as the investigated company. First, Patagonia emphasizes sustainability and social responsibility as its competitive advantage. The majority of Patagonia's products are made by at least one eco-material. For the other responsible retailers such as H&M, the North Face, etc., a part of their product line is produced by eco-materials. We admit that only analyzing Patagonia's product line has limitations. However, Patagonia is representative of the impacts of eco-design in sustainable fashion companies. Second, to the best of our knowledge, it is rare for fashion retailers to share product line information online with consumers, except in the case of Patagonia. We collected Patagonia's product line data from its official website (www.patagonia.com). This product line analysis is an instrument that enables us to assess all impacts and identify insights on Patagonia's production processes.