Homo Sustentabilis: circular economy and new business models in fashion industry

Abstract

The overconsumption of fashion clothes and accessories is a dramatic reality in the last decades, linked with the world economic growth. Also the life cycle of the fashion items become shorter, ruled by “fast fashion” industry and moved by consumers’ desires (but not needs). The programed obsolesce is critical for this business strategy, reducing the Product Life Cycle to few weeks. But this short time of cloths usage before disposal is an enormous environmental problem. A behaviour of fashion overconsumption leads to an excessive use of natural resources (mainly fibres and water) and energy, generating millions of tons of textiles wastes every year and requires a transition model for sustainability and circular economy. End-of-life textiles are very complex to treat after disposal by the range of different fibers included, by the different industrial processes done (including dying processes) and by the different clothing accessories (buttons, zips, metallic items, plastics and labels). It is needed new business models, focused in circular economy approaches, where the Homo Sustentabilis has the main role. Corporate Social Responsibility inside the companies can be integrated with the new challenges and opportunities assessed by Industry 4.0 framed by the Forth Industrial Revolution, responding at the environmental and social demanding of the millennial and Z generations.