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The Textile Magazine
FEBRUARY 2012
Consumer use of a pair
of jeans accounts for 45
per cent of the water and
58 per cent of the ener-
gy used throughout the
whole lifecycle of the
garment. Levi Strauss
has recommended that
consumers wash their
jeans less often and line
dry them whenever pos-
sible.
Looking good,
feeling good
There is an ongoing
change in the relation-
ship between the retail-
ers and manufacturers
of the footwear and
apparel industries and
their consumers, par-
ticularly in the West. Consumers
are questioning the product more
relentlessly and more thoroughly
than ever before, mainly because
what the consumer wears conveys
to friends and contemporaries who
the consumer actually is. Because
clothes and footwear say so much
about how we want to be perceived,
manufacturers and retailers now
have to listen carefully to the ques-
tions that are being asked.
Consumers now wish to be secure
in the knowledge that what they are
wearing is durable and produces as
little waste as possible in its crea-
tion. Big brands are being asked if
recycled materials have been used
in their products and if the product
is still recyclable at the end of its
lifecycle. Consumers don’t want to
spend their lives ironing, so there is
still room for new fabrics, new ma-
terials. But at the same time, no one
wants to waste precious eco creden-
tials on tumble drying – more and
more apparel needs to be line dry-
able.
The traditional questions asked
of a footwear or apparel prod-
uct haven’t just gone away, how-
ever. Consumers still want value
for money, and they still want to
sport a credible brand. It’s just that
now consumers want their favorite
brands to be trustworthy, to be so-
cially and environmentally respon-
sible, and still make them look as
good as before, if not more so now
that the product can be worn with a
clean conscience.
In conclusion, before consumers
ask, be prepared to speak up about
the manufacture and production of
your product. Consumers have made
the link between product produc-
tion, product care and the planet. In
today’s eco-friendly world, they not
only want to look good, they want to
feel good too.
SGS, the global leader in third-par-
ty testing, provides a wide range of
services to the textiles and clothing
industry. Acting on behalf of buyers
worldwide, SGS helps reduce sourc-
ing risks by verifying the capability
of manufacturers to meet contract
requirements for quality, quantity
and delivery terms. Furthermore, its
regulatory advisory service provides
information on legal requirements,
standards and quality specifications
for defined clothing products and
markets.
The world’s leading inspection,
verification, testing and certification
company. SGS is recognized as the
global benchmark for quality and
integrity. With more than 70,000
employees, it operates a network of
over 1,350 offices and laboratories
around the world.
w
industry update