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A famous saying that outlines the impact of textile and clothing is,

“The most sustainable garment is the one that is never made!”

With textile and clothing manufacturing generally involving an alarming amount of pollution while the finished garments have few recovery options for post-consumption waste, that statement makes perfect sense.

To hammer home the point, here are a few facts about the impact of textiles on the environment. (Impact of the Textile Industry on the Environment, n.d.)

• 20 percent of all freshwater pollution is made by textile treatment and dyeing.
• The apparel industry accounts for 10% of global carbon emissions and is the second-largest industrial polluter.
• About 90 million items of clothing end up in landfills.

When we talk about extending the useful life of a product, including garments, one concept that strikes and ticks quite a few boxes on the reuse aspects is the idea of convertibles.

As consumers, whether we realize it or not, there is a cost of “wanting” a product to fulfill our needs and a cost of “owning” a product.

As an example, the time spent on searching for a product, filtering search options based on attributes that we want, and commuting to try it out (or paying to ship and return the product if it does not work out) are some of them.

Additionally, a product will occupy a space for storage, and require cleaning as well as maintenance (as an example a shoe may need polishing). In case of not providing the required utility that we want, it may need to be repaired (and with a lack of options available for that), finally discarded.

That is why having fewer things, and providing multiple utility options is not a bad idea.

Convertible clothes are becoming more of a household staple as more consumers are becoming aware of the environmental impact of the fashion industry. This trend is prevalent in developed nations and research suggests young consumers lean more toward sustainable clothing options (Koo & Ma, 2019).

Convertibles save us the trouble or consumer cost associated with many of the points below. Additionally, it saves the cost of switching.

One example is having a backpack that can carry a laptop used as a carry handbag which is used to carry daily utensils. Every time, the product that we use is switched, there is a need to transfer the essentials that we need (e.g. phone, purse, etc.) to the other. A product with multiple uses will simply save this trouble too.

A few types of convertibles are:

1. Products extended by design to have multiple uses

In this instance, the product can be used for a different purpose with a few alterations, and it contains extended features for the second purpose.

A trouser that is designed to be worn as a hiking trouser by zipping out the bottom part is an example of this type. Another could be a trolley that is designed to be carried in hand with covered wheels when empty and extended to drag along with wheels when it contains goods.

2.  Products extended by design to provide additional features of the same functional use.

This can be the answer for consumers seeking a new look with one product. The utility of the product does not change, however, the appearance and the experience of the product change with what it converts to.

A jumper that can be turned inside out to give a new look or a blouse that provides multiple designs are some examples.

3. Products built as modular products to provide extended utilities with modules

A core product is designed first in this instance and additional utility values are provided through optional extra modules. For example, a table designed to be stationary with extra wheels to be fitted in so that it can be used as a trolley.

Design is key

Convertibles provide the opportunity to be user-centric catering to multiple use cases at once and hence avoid the production of another.

A few things that we need to establish this model is to include increased consumer awareness about their own needs and demanding aggregated products from manufacturers. Consumer forums, product feedback, and reviews are excellent platforms to communicate those desires.

Manufacturers in the meantime need to identify that their products are attractive in markets with the ability to provide a precisely user-centric product and a unique selling proposition (USP) that goes with it. Demanding premiums out of these products is an opportunity to be profitable, gaining that edge of design excellence and user-centricity, while contributing to a regenerative economy.

The post Convertibles Are the New Black! appeared first on Dr Mayuri Wijayasundara.

The effort to minimize food waste along its value chain has become more important than ever in light of rising inflation. As the prices sore sky-high, it is important to make use of every bit and bite. Disruptions in the food supply chains and volatility of the global economy has resulted in the rapid rise of global food prices. The Agricultural Commodity Price Index rose by approximately 30% reporting the highest ever increase within a year since Jan 2020 (World Food Programme, 2021).  

And yet, 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted each year amounting to roughly US$ 680 billion in industrialized countries and US$ 310 billion in developing countries. (Worldwide Food Waste, n.d.). Let’s take a closer look.  

How much is wasted and where? 

What is alarming to know is that, despite the issues around the unfulfilled demand, food supply generates a significant amount of waste prior to and at consumption. Roughly one third of the food produced for human consumption goes as waste along the supply chain (Food Loss and Food Waste, n.d.).  the studies say, where, 

• Nearly 14% of total global food production is lost from production up to (and not including) the retail level.   (Global Food Losses, 2016) 

• While, 17% of total global food production ends up as waste from households, food services and retail. (Tom Quested et al., 2021). 

Food production as well as waste treatment costs to the environment 

Food waste does not just lead to more hunger, it costs to the environment.  

There is already a significant environmental footprint associated with food when it reaches the point of consumption, as nutrients and energy has already been consumed to grow, harvest, refine and process them. Reducing food waste therefore contributes to reduce these impacts. 

On the other hand, the way that the Australian bin system operates now, organic food waste and other mixed waste are collected together. This leads to food waste getting entombed in an anerobic landfill or when it degrades,  it produces a worse environmental impact than most of the inert material, due to the rapid release of methane (Levis & Barlaz, 2011). 

Role of commercial food preparers 

The contribution to total food waste by the hospitality sector globally is nearly 12% (Dhir et al., 2020). In the US alone 93% of the food waste generated (18.3 million tons) comes from restaurants and similar food services, where more than half (52%) of this waste ends up in landfills (Wasted Food Report, 2018). 

Looking at how to address avoiding and reducing food waste in preparation in the hospitality sector, is critical, as the food wasted has travelled so far  by then and is ready for consumption. 

Sustainable food preparation goes hand in hand with sustainable food choices and these two together change the way food is demanded, prepared and consumed along the value chain associated with it. 

What can food preparers do? 

As in most great cuisines, a few little changes to the recipe and ingredients will add a whole new flavour to the meal.  Here are a few changes we can make to make our food preparation and consumption more sustainable.  

1. Know your requirement – and manage the demand

Demand monitoring and tracking and using it forecasting patterns and trends will enable planning out purchases accordingly. Forecasts based on historic sales data and future considerations such as major events and festivals will not only improve utilization but will definitely save costs. 

2. Know the food’s footprint – and make correct choices 

The inconvenient but the ultimate truth about the environmental footprint of food products come from life cycle assessments (LCA). LCA studies show the difference in food products as well as the impact on where it can be sourced from. Addressing the dilemma whether locally sourced food make a difference at all, the facts say that the impact due to selecting food that have a higher footprint is much greater than shifting to local sourcing.   

As an example, red meats like beef produce 60kg of GHG equivalent (GHG-e) per 1 kg of product, whereas for poultry meat it is 6 kg GHG-e and for fruits/vegetables it is <1 kg GHG-e.

“Shifting your choice from red meat and dairy products to chicken, fish, eggs, or a vegetable-based diet achieves more GHG reduction than buying all locally, even if you do it one day a week.” (Weber & Matthews, 2008).

             3. Know you menu – and optimize the recipe 

There are creative ways to look at conserving food, at the menu design itself, without having to alter the verity of dishes on offer. Providing value to the food parts that are typically unused with a creative menu, have seasonal menus designed to absorb excess supply of a certain type of food, offering variety in the menu by providing half-half choices to discourage consumption of certain items are some of those. Seeking out new opportunities to cross-utilize the different parts of the same ingredient on multiple menu items or designing “food sink” dishes that can absorb leftovers of the last meal, are few of the other ways.  

4. Know how packaging matters – and avoid and reduce when possible 

Single-use packaging is to be avoided at all cost despite it being made of plastic or any other material. While plastic persists in the environment for some time and have received the biggest attention as a polluting material, other materials such as paper are not better as it has a significant environmental footprint associated with production Purchasing packaging with recycled material , if these are certified as safe for use, will encourage purposeful design of packaging to include recycled products. 

However, the best packaging for the environment is the one that is not used.  

If you can encourage customers to bring their own reusable packaging and offer benefits for those that follow through such as discounts or special offers, that not only does the best for the environment, but will also entice customers to return. 

5. Know what to do with what’s left – and have plans to divert for use, recover,  or recycle 

Even with all the steps taken to reduce the food waste, some amount of food will be left over or thrown away. But, that does not mean that it needs to end up in a landfill. The options below can be pre-identified while you make plans to minimize waste.  

Food donation 

Food that was prepared but not sold can be donated to food banks and soup kitchens, and partnering with charity organization will help distribute meals to those in need.   

Onsite or Centralized Composting  

Onsite composting can be a good option if you have the adequate area and means to perform it. This will lead to reduced or negligible hauling and disposal costs for the waste produced. With an initial investment and an appropriate area requiring for this, the next best would be to divert it to a commercial facility. 

Diverting to other places such as animal farms may be an option to explore if such is available in the locality. 

Continual Improvement 

The goal to achieve zero waste is not just a vision – It is a practical reality if the commitment for continuous improvement remains. The proposition for such improvements is not purely environmental, rather it creates value for businesses. A review of 1,200 business sites across 700 companies in 17 countries found that nearly every site evaluated achieved a positive return, with half seeing a 14-fold or greater return on investment(Craig Hanson & Peter Mitchell, 2017).  

At testing times such as this, however invisible it may seem, humanity directly or indirectly competes for resources, and food is one such basic need. Being the privileged to have access to food, there is never a better time to make the best use out of what has travelled in a global value chain to feed us, so that it conserves the produce for many others.  

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