Sustainable supply chains: beyond the final product.

Bremner, Pauline

Abstract

Globally, the fashion industry produces around 92 million tonnes of textile waste annually. This contributes significantly to environmental pollution, with the industry responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions. We consume 62 million tonnes of textiles per year. By 2030, this is expected to reach 102 million tonnes. The fashion industry accounts for 8.1% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The average American throws away approximately 81 pounds of clothing annually, contributing to a total of 26 billion pounds of textile waste in the U.S. alone each year. Globally, 87% of the total fibre input used for clothing is either landfilled or incinerated, with less than 1% being recycled into new garments. The fashion industry is responsible for 20% of global water waste. Government leadership, producer responsibility, and consumer education and awareness will enable market mechanisms that drive higher resource productivity, innovation and economic growth. The phrase "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" is widely known but this can also be expanded to: Rethink- Be mindful of your consumption, Refuse- Don't consume what you don't need, Reduce- Reduce consumption of energy and materials, Re-use- share with others. Find new uses for old objects, Repair- Fix or upgrade your objects rather than throwing them away, Re-gift- Share, and be a part of the gift economy, Recovery- Energy and materials recovery, Recycle- Close the loop and remake.

Citation

BREMNER, P. 2025. Sustainable supply chains: beyond the final product. Presented at the 2025 CQI/IRCA (Chartered Quality Institute/International Register of Certified Auditors) Quality live conference and awards ( Quality Live 2025): dreamers and disruptors: driving innovative, sustainable, competitive quality, 19 June 2025, London, UK.

• Presentation Conference Type: Presentation / Talk
• Conference Name: 2025 CQI/IRCA (Chartered Quality Institute/International Register of Certified Auditors) Quality live conference and awards ( Quality Live 2025): dreamers and disruptors: driving innovative, sustainable, competitive quality
• Start Date: Jun 19, 2025
• Deposit Date: Jun 24, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 26, 2025
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Keywords: Sustainable supply chain; Fashion industry; Waste; Environmental pollution
• Public URL: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/2892056