Open Access Journals at Aalborg University
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How Policies are Shaping Longer-Lasting Textiles in Europe
No full textEuropean policies are evolving to extend the lifespan of textiles and reduce waste, but challenges remain in implementation. This study examines how policies have shifted from voluntary measures before 2020 to stricter regulations, such as the Eco-design for Sustainable Products Regulation and Extended Producer Responsibility schemes. While these policies aim to make textiles more durable, most still focus on managing waste rather than preventing it. A key challenge is the lack of repair infrastructure and inconsistent enforcement across countries. Additionally, current policies sometimes prioritize recyclability over longevity, which can lead to unintended consequences like shorter product lifespans. Policies must better support durability through financial incentives, clearer design standards, and better enforcement to make a real impact. Investing in repair and reuse infrastructure alongside recycling efforts will be essential for creating a genuinely circular textile economy
The Care and Repair Guide: Reducing Environmental Impact and Addressing Skills Gaps in Responsible Wardrobe Management
Full text linkThis research explores the critical relationship between consumers, brands and the charity retail sector regarding garment care, repair and second-life ownership to encourage responsible wardrobe management. It acknowledges the importance of considered and active garment maintenance practices to ensure the longevity of a garment and retain value to prevent the purchasing of new, replacement garments. A qualitative methodology was informed by an extensive literature review, highlighting the identified problem space and creating a focus on critical gaps in knowledge. The core concepts of care and repair were explored through participatory workshops with charity retail sector volunteers and consumers to gain vital knowledge and skills in sustainable use behaviors. Collaborating with North-East based St. Oswald’s Hospice within the charity retail sector, the project empowers stakeholders to facilitate sustainable clothing behaviors intended to extend the lifetime of clothing. Key insights generated include the critical requirements of resource, skills and knowledge, and motivation to ensure holistic engagement with garment maintenance and care. Moreover, these factors need to be underpinned by an individual’s attachment of value to a garment, to rationalize the investment of time and effort in care and repair practices.  
Sufficiency in European Product Policies: Status Quo and Future Potentials
Full text linkTechnological innovations and efficiency measures have been the primary focus of many policies aimed at meeting global sustainability and resource security goals. However, it has been established in literature that these measures alone are unlikely to drive long-term sustainability or reduce absolute resource demands. Sufficiency-oriented approaches, which focus on slowing down and minimising resource use, are often overlooked in current policy frameworks and business strategies, especially in resource-intensive sectors like the electronics industry. Given the pressing need to address resource overconsumption and its environmental impacts, it is essential to explore how sufficiency can be incorporated into product policies. This paper analyses the current state of sufficiency-oriented measures in European product policies, taking consumer electronics and electrical devices as a case study, and proposes supplementary instruments that can advance sustainability targets. We also develop a categorization framework for sufficiency policies to lay the groundwork for future empirical research, which can help guide policy developments and encourage broader adoption of sufficiency strategies
Repairing the upbringing: Socialization and product repair behavior
Full text linkWith growing concerns over sustainability and waste generation both globally and in Denmark, understanding consumer behavior in product repair is crucial. This study investigates in-house product repair behavior in Danish households, focusing on the motivations, and barriers of repairs related to social upbringing. Data was collected as a mixed-methods approach, using 9 qualitative semi-structured interviews as primary data based on secondary picture data collection of self-repaired products from 30 Danes. The study confirms prior studies that show: lack of emotional value, economic feasibility, tools and knowledge as barriers for consumer repairs. Moreover, it contributes by adding multi-socialization during upbringing and types of knowledge, particularly informal repair knowledge from family members, as a crucial determinant in shaping repair behavior specifically related to the knowledge barrier and motivation. This research sheds light on the nuances of Danish household repair behavior, suggesting the integration of repair education in schools and the utilization of repair cafés to foster a sustainable repair culture. 
Compatible blending for circular textiles with next-gen materials
Full text linkEmerging next-gen materials such as recycled, renewable, or regenerative fibres promise lower impacts in resource extraction and transformation processes than their conventional fibre counterparts. These materials can be instrumental in a shift to a more sustainable fashion and textiles industry. A key contribution to this transition relies on reducing impacts and waste through circular design measures such as increasing lifespans and recycling at end of life. However, as these next-gen materials tend to have properties and costs that deviate from optimised industry norms, they are often used in incompatible blends, thus negating their circularity potential. This paper puts forward a framework to understand material flows and lifecycles as a relation between fibre type and recycling route for designers to operate within the principles of circularity. The research results in a guidebook to support designer’s choices of material combinations in line with recycling trajectories, and in a series of samples produced by industry project partners and students demonstrating the application of the framework. The samples use a selection of five example next-gen materials, which are integrated to each practitioners’ applications and aesthetics. The underlying aim of the research is to foster a systemic approach to textile design with an increased understanding of material properties and their relation to current and emerging recycling technologies
Repairing and regenerating the community: A study in activating garment repair initiatives with stakeholders at local level
Full text linkDesign-ability in the Circular Economy of Textiles
Full text linkRecent research underscores the importance of longevity, defined as the combination of high and long-term usage frequency and durability, in the textile and fashion industry’s shift toward circularity and sustainability. This paper explores and discusses the designer’s ability to design for longevity of textiles. Thus, focus is on the potential role of textile designers, examining the extent to which the skills and competencies of the designer may potentially have an actual influence on longevity. Additionally, the paper discusses the systemic context that creates opportunities for design to contribute to the longevity of textiles and garments. Theoretically, the paper draws on Young’s framework of levels of context—specifically design in context and designing context—as well as Pineda et al.’s emphasis on the relationship between contexts and the designed object. Empirically, the study is based on data collected from an ongoing research project, [Project X], in which a consortium of academic institutions and industry partners explores opportunities for textile recovery through material-led experiments with recycled textile fibres, further processed in a local R&D factory setup. This paper demonstrates that the challenges of recycling extend beyond design strategies and material experiments, encompassing cultural perceptions and the opportunities available to designers. Furthermore, by highlighting the competencies required to facilitate relationships and collective knowledge building through textile prototypes, the paper supports previous research suggesting that designers play a central role in the transition toward sustainability
Towards Building Circularity in Queensland: Policy Gaps in the Built Environment
Full text linkThis study evaluates Queensland's policies supporting circular economy practices in the building and construction industry. Through systematic review, it reveals that while current initiatives have improved construction waste recovery rates, policies focus primarily on recycling rather than higher-order circular practices like deconstruction and material reuse. The research identifies opportunities for policy reform and incentives to advance Queensland's transition to a circular economy in the built environment.