Source: University of Otago
Associate Professor Lisa McNeill
Associate Professor Lisa McNeill has been making her mark on the sustainable fashion industry through her work with the International Research Network on International Fashion Consumption.
The network is made up of international scholars who are interested in sustainable fashion consumption practices and acknowledge the importance of fashion in the lives of consumers.
They aim to increase research efforts so consumers can enjoy fashion while also consuming it sustainably.
“The purpose of the group is to exchange ideas and news, collaborate on articles, grants and other projects, organize events and sessions at international scientific conferences, share our knowledge and findings with the public and, ultimately, contribute to the efforts of different stakeholders to advance sustainable forms of fashion consumption,” Associate Professor McNeill, who is based in the Department of Marketing, says.
She explains much of the existing research and action on sustainable fashion has come from the industry in the form of optimising supply chains, developing new material designs and improving production processes to reduce environmental impacts.
However, research on fashion consumption has received much less attention despite consumer textile waste being one of the largest environmental problems in the modern world.
“Bringing together international researchers with an interest in this problem allows for collaborative work towards sustainable consumption solutions,” Associate Professor McNeill says.
“After all, everyone wears clothing and disposes of clothing, often far more often and in greater volume than we’d admit and that the garments’ lifecycles would suggest is necessary.”
She explains that sales are not slowing down in the industry even with consumers becoming increasingly aware of these concerns.
“Consumers are putting increased pressure on manufacturers to employ more social and environmentally considerate processes, but the scale of the problem has become so large that global textile production is estimated to generate about 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2e per year and the world clothing industry has doubled its output in just 15 years; that growth is faster than global GDP growth,” Associate Professor McNeill says.
She encourages consumers to take up one of the research network’s core themes; “buy less, choose well and make it last”.
Written by Otago Business School Communications Adviser, Kelsey Schutte.
International Research Network on International Fashion Consumption: Sustainable Fashion Consumption Network
Ellen MacArthur Foundation: Rethinking business models for a thriving fashion industry
