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?
Abstract
With the increasing awareness of sustainability, eco-design has been an important trend in the fashion industry. Many fashion brands such as Nike, Adidas, and The North Face have developed sustainable fashion by incorporating eco-design elements. Eco-design is an important part of sustainable supply chains. In this paper, we conducted a product line analysis of eco-designed products from a famous outdoor sportswear brand, Patagonia. We collected Patagonia's 2017 Spring Season product line data and analyzed the data through descriptive analysis, factor analysis, and correlation analysis. We found that Patagonia mainly uses organic, recycled, and traceable materials in their eco-product line development. We identified that the usage of eco-materials may significantly affect the number of color choices and product weight as well as gender difference, pattern design, product fit, and online reviewers' opinions at Patagonia. We argued that Patagonia should focus on functionality more than aesthetics in eco-design. We discussed how sustainable fashion firms should manage eco-design in the supply chain.
Source: Luo Wang and Bin Shen, https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/9/7/1136/htm
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.