Date & Time: 10:00-11:30 Friday, 24 November 2023
Venue: SMBC Academia Hall, 4th, International Academic Research Bldg. Hongo Campus, UTokyo
Language: English
Host: Science, Technology and Innovation Governance (STIG) Program
Registration: Previous registration required.Please register from here.
Lecture [1] Wasting away – what are potential solutions for end-of-life in the fashion and textile industry?
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Speaker: Claudia E Henninger Reader in Fashion Marketing Management———————————- The University of Manchester |
Abstract:
The fashion and textile industry has long been criticised for its wastefulness, which is linked to currently dominating linear economy. The linear economy has allowed for the fast fashion phenomenon to emerge, which originally was designed to make clothing accessible to wider society, but since has spiralled into being associated with throw-away fashion. To explain, new collections are produced on an almost weekly basis, with garments often being of low quality and discarded after only a few wears.
Currently most garments end up either in landfill or are shipped from developed to developing countries, with only 1-13% (depending on the statistics) of garments being recycled into new textiles. This clearly is an issue, as neither landfilling nor moving the problem to a different country are end solutions.
The question however is – what are potential solutions? Within this presentation some of these solutions (e.g., recycling, upcycling, circular practices) are outlined, by further discussing their opportunities and drawbacks, before posing a future research agenda.
Speaker’s short bio:
Dr Claudia E Henninger is a Reader in Fashion Marketing Management, with a research interest in sustainability, the circular economy, and more specifically collaborative consumption, in the context of the fashion industry. Her work has been published in the European Journal of Marketing, the Journal of Fashion Marketing & Management, and the International Journal of Management Review, and she has edited a variety of books on sustainable fashion, including “Sustainability in Fashion – A Cradle to Upcycle Approach”. Claudia is a founding member of the Academy of Marketing’s SIG Sustainability and an Executive Board Member of the Sustainable Fashion Consumption Network.
Lecture [2] Take-away food containers: Does more circular mean always more environmental sustainability?
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Speaker: Alejandro Gallego Schmid Senior Lecturer at the Department of Engineering for Sustainability The University of Manchester |
Abstract:
The emergence of the circular economy as a novel economic paradigm advocates for the judicious use of resources through the regeneration of natural capital, the closure of resource loops, and the elimination of waste and pollution. The overarching objective of the circular economy is to attain economic, environmental, and social sustainability. However, a crucial question arises: Does a heightened emphasis on circularity invariably result in enhanced environmental sustainability?
This presentation endeavours to introduce the concept of life cycle assessment (LCA) as a pivotal tool in addressing this question. It employs a case study approach, focusing on three frequently utilized take-away food containers, and compares their environmental impact with that of a reusable alternative. The primary conclusions drawn from this analysis underscore the imperative to:
i) Gain a more profound comprehension of the intersection between “circular” practices and “sustainability” by employing LCA methodologies,
ii) Conduct further research on the environmental repercussions, such as plastics in marine ecosystems, resulting from current practices, and
iii) Cultivate success stories that serve as exemplars, fostering the widespread adoption of circular economy principles.
Speaker’s short bio:
Dr Alejandro Gallego Schmid works as a Senior Lecturer (in Circular Economy and Life Cycle Sustainability at the University of Manchester. He is part of Tyndall Manchester – an interdisciplinary team working on relevant research on climate change sustainability, where he works identifying sustainable solutions for industrial, agricultural, textile, construction, water and energy systems on a life cycle and circular economy basis, taking into account economic, environmental and social aspects.
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