A. To elaborate on the specifics of the concept solutions that the research brought forward, there are two solutions, waste management collective and financial legislation. From our conclusions obtained from the information of the interview with Iron Roots and the input of several other anonymous stakeholders, the waste management solution has taken shape. The idea of a collaboration of several smaller sustainable companies and a third party recycling company has a few flaws. The first issue that came up was the conflict of materials. If several companies are to recycle their clothes collectively in one big batch, there would be a conflict on which materials would then be redistributed to each company. As not every company will hand in equal amounts of “waste”. A DNA spray, sprayed on each piece of clothing, which is unique, could then be used to eventually figure out which materials belong to who. The consequence of that however, is that the entire process of the recycling will become more expensive. This; as an addition of recycling simply being a more expensive production process calls for financial legislation to benefit those that do decide to recycle. A proposition is that in the form of tax cuts or subsidies the (local) government can help these smaller sustainable companies to stay financially stable. The solution of waste management is already in place; so the issue of infrastructure/technology not being prepared is non-existent. The only thing that is necessary is then the preparatory work that needs to be done in the form of businesses changing their business model to include waste management, as well as the government being willing to adapt and support these businesses financially.
The main solution to the fast fashion challenge that was extensively discussed is assisted by a concept that encompasses a complex idea of government regulations. This refers to strict rules conducted by local governments in terms of import, export, waste management, labor conditions, economic interests, etc. However, the solution to the challenge can be a challenge in itself due to the fact that such an element could be difficult to reach. There could be the possibility that governments would be against this idea due to the fact that the fast fashion industry boosts the economy, hence meaning that this affects the society at large. Not only this, but such a sudden shift to a more sustainable supply chain could imply the reduction of the amount of garments that get imported, leading to angry/confused/unsatisfied customers. The point of the solution is not to completely dispose of the idea of fast fashion, but to change and to regulate companies’ ways of conducting their business. Another issue is the fact that governments could always opt for other alternatives to make it seem and believe like such sustainable behaviors are conducted, therefore relying on greenwashing. The collaboration of governments, fast fashion enterprises and society is a quintessential one and for it to be a successful one, it requires full transparency and a sense of awareness. It should be noted that it is vital for all parties involved to have the best interests at heart and reach a compromise in order to reach such a goal. Sustainability in the fast fashion industry is a concept that seems almost impossible but in fact, it is one that just needs steering from higher authorities.
B. Overall, the design process of the solution went well, without many disagreements within the group. It starts with a clear identification of the problem - the need to make a company more sustainable. In order to compete with fast fashion, a company not only has to be able to provide good products, but also to be able to differentiate itself from the competition, which is another reason to be sustainable. This sets a solid foundation for the entire research process. Another positive side of the design process for our prototype is that the solution as well as the prototype were gathering input from various stakeholders, including the interview with Iron Roots and anonymous stakeholders. This ensures that multiple perspectives are considered, which can lead to more well-rounded and practical solutions. The research design doesn't just identify issues it also proposes specific solutions - waste management collective and financial legislation. We also considered the practicality and feasibility of the solution. The design acknowledges potential flaws in the waste management solution, particularly the conflict of materials. This shows a realistic understanding of the challenges that may arise during implementation.
There were definitely some stumbling blocks when we were discussing the research design. One of them is the complexity of implementation. Implementing a waste management collective involving multiple smaller companies and a third-party recycling company may be logistically complex. Coordinating logistics and establishing effective communication channels is a challenge, so we needed to address a lot of things before we settled on this design process. One of these things was the partial dependence of government support. The success of the financial legislation proposal to an extent depends on government willingness to provide tax cuts or subsidies. If political or economic factors impede this support, it could hinder the feasibility of the overall solution. Furthermore we have the DNA spray. While the DNA spray is an innovative solution, it's noted that it may increase recycling costs. This could potentially be a stumbling block if the added expense outweighs the benefits. Also, the use of a DNA spray raises potential ethical and privacy considerations, particularly in relation to individual ownership of materials. This may require careful legal and ethical frameworks.
C. The positive hypothesis for the waste management collective and financial legislation solutions is that they can collectively lead to a significant reduction in the environmental impact of the fast fashion industry. With businesses collaborating on recycling and reusing materials, a more sustainable approach to fashion production can be achieved. The implementation of financial legislation in the form of tax cuts or subsidies can incentivize smaller sustainable companies to adopt these practices. If both the private sector and the government are committed to this cause, it could result in a substantial decrease in textile waste, greenhouse gas emissions, and resource consumption, all while fostering a more circular economy.
Negative hypothesis:
The negative hypothesis for these solutions is that they may face considerable challenges and limitations. The idea of a waste management collective, could be hindered by the complexities of materials tracking and the added cost of implementing DNA spray technology. The financial legislation approach may also face opposition from governments that rely heavily on the fast fashion industry for economic growth. If local governments are not willing to provide tax cuts or subsidies, or if businesses are resistant to changing their business models, these solutions may not gain traction. Moreover, even if regulations are imposed, the risk of greenwashing by some companies could undermine the effectiveness of these measures. Achieving true transparency and cooperation between the government, fast fashion enterprises, and society may prove challenging.
To improve our design, we need to find ways to make the financial legislation solution more appealing to businesses, such as providing clear and accessible information about available subsidies. Ensuring that our proposals are easy to understand and implement will increase their chances of success in addressing the fast fashion challenge
D. After careful consideration of what the best course of action would be and deciding with the third party that collects the recycling material, proceeds to recycling it, and distributing the recycled materials back to the companies, we must now explain it in a 2D version. That being said, we need to print out the machinery that are to be included in the third party company and how the process would take place to ensure maximum efficiency. It is also essential to have a financial estimate of the required funds as well as time spans of how long it would take to have the company up and running as well as how long each batch of materials would take to be recycled. There must be a budget set by us to ensure that the idea is feasible to begin with. After this analysis of the solution, there must be in the inclusion of governmental regulations that would ease the operation of the company such as guidelines for materials used in production which would help the seperation of materials and textiles for recycling. A vital part of this third party is the DNA spray that was mentioned which needs to be researched as well. After that we must brainstorm marketing strategies that would make this known to relevant parties and would therefore increase the amount of companies that would be doing business with us. After thorough research in all the aspects of the solution, we must create a visual presentation that explains all the necessary components in a smooth manner that is easy to understand and ensure the sustainability goals in mind.
Blog #6: Designing and testing your solution