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  • ESD Module Part 1: Overview

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    The ESD Module Part 1 "Didactic and Methodological Implementation" consists of the following 14 lectures:

    1. From Sustainability Triple-Bottom Line to Advanced Aspects in the Context of Textiles and Fashion

    2. Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) as a Guiding Principle in the Context of Fashion and Textiles

    3. Research-Based Learning in the Context of Textile Education

    4. Design Thinking - a Suitable Method for Implementing Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in Textile Education

    5. Sustainability Oriented Consumer Education in Fashion and Textiles

    6. Empathy, Mindfulness and Ethical Values in Fashion Consumption

    7. Overcoming the Growth Dilemma - Rational Collective Economy

    8. Lifecycle Assessment

    9. Sustainable Accountability in the EU Textile Market

    10. Societal Health Impact of Textile and Clothing Consumption

    11. Microplastic Fibres and Particles in the Textile Chain – Environmental Impact and Health Effects

    12. Vestimentary Communication: Clothing as a Medium of Communication

    13. Cultural and Intercultural Learning in the Context of Fashion and Textiles

    14. Summary, Reflection and Outlook - Part 1


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  • Topic 1: From Sustainability Triple-Bottom Line to Advanced Aspects in the Context of Textiles and Fashion


    The textile and clothing industry accounts for approximately $3 trillion in global revenue and employs 300 million people along the value chain. Besides its economic power, the industry unfortunately generates detrimental impact on the environment due to its natural resource consumption, the generation of greenhouse gases and environmental pollution. Additionally, human rights issues within the production of clothing and textiles generate serious social and economic sustainability problems. Fortunately, current industry activity responding to the sustainability challenges suggests a growing commitment to sustainable practices. So, while the environmental, social and economic consequences associated with the clothing and textiles supply chain are serious, there are promising signs that a significant paradigm shift towards sustainability is gaining momentum. In order to reach this conversion, the sustainable clothing and textile industry needs to focus on the triple bottom line (TBL) concept, which describes a sustainable development that takes all stakeholders into account. The concept was defined by the Brundtland Commission of the UN in 1987 and comprises an accounting framework with the three dimensions: social, environmental and financial. The TBL concept in the clothing and textiles supply chain turned out to be a universal method for building economic, social and environmental resources while fostering sustainable livelihoods by balancing these three factors.

    This lecture aims to assess the extent to which the TBL concept is implemented in the clothing and textile industry of today. Since the apparel life cycle is complicated – from fibre and fabric production as well as garment manufacturing and finishing, to usage and disposal of the apparel products after use – the lecture starts with a detailed profiling of the clothing and textile industry, including its levels of sustainability, its highly stretched, complex and fragmented supply chain, the top retailers, up to the relationship of brands with their customers. The latter includes a deeper insight into today’s consumer characteristics and the role of fashion designers. Considering all these influencing factors, it becomes clear that the transformation of the industry towards sustainability needs nothing less than a multi-faceted approach: From the production of eco-friendly raw materials to the disposal of clothing and textile goods, responding to sustainability challenges throughout the supply chain requires a global collaboration of all parties including producers and consumers.

    As about 80 percent of the environmental impact and costs are the outcome of the decisions made in the design phase, increasing the sustainability of garments lies in the designers’ hands. Moreover, designers decide on how emotionally attached consumers will be with apparel, what material to use and how long the product lasts in terms of its appeal. Hence, designers need knowledge to choose between sustainable materials. By means of life cycle assessments one has found that extending the active life of garments via the design, maintenance and re-use of clothing is the most effective method to reduce the impact of the clothing industry on the environment. Furthermore, it is the consumer who is highly influential in advancing sustainability within the industry. Efforts should therefore be made to increase consumer demand for sustainable apparel products. Although a growing number of companies have added marketing claims focused on their environmentally responsible practices within product advertisements, sustainable practices related to apparel products are still perplexing to identify for general consumers due to the many life cycle aspects of textiles and clothing  that need to be considered.

    The future of the textile and clothing industry will likely see a transformation to sustainable apparel retail models such as circular fashion, cradle2cradle or closed-loop business models. This conversion will not only include a mandatory supply chain transparency and more creativity of fashion designers and sustainable fashion brands, but also educated, reflected and collaborative consumers with a slow fashion mindset.

    Dirk Höfer


    Content

  • Topic 2: Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) as a Guiding Principle in the Context of Fashion and Textiles

    ESD as a Guiding Principle in the Context of Fashion and Textiles

    In the UNESCO Roadmap for the Implementation of the World Programme of Action 'Education for Sustainable Development' ESD is defined as follows: ESD empowers learners to make informed choices and act responsibly to protect the environment, sustain economies and ensure a just society for current and future generations, while respecting cultural diversity. This definition comprises the complexity and multidimensionality of sustainability. The central guiding theme of sustainable development – intergenerational and intragenerational justice – is taken up and the original idea of sustainability – the conservation of natural resources – is clarified in the definition of the term “sustainability” as well. Since ESD is a lifelong learning process, it also is an essential part of high-quality education. As a holistic and transformative education ESD considers learning content and outcomes, pedagogy and the learning environment. The goal is a change in society towards more sustainability. Hence, ESD denotes a holistic concept, which is geared towards lifelong learning. Learners should be informed about aspects of sustainability and motivated to work towards sustainable development.

    With the future vision of shaping a sustainable and peaceful society, the United Nations adopted the global sustainability agenda known as Agenda 2030 in 2015. A total of 17 sustainability goals specify the areas in which sustainable development must be anchored and strengthened by 2030. Education is indispensable for achieving these 17 goals. High-quality education goes beyond mere factual knowledge and should enable all participants to develop skills such as autonomous action, participation in social decision-making processes, forward thinking as well as interdisciplinary knowledge. As stated in the UNESCO’s definition, ESD aims to empower learners in order to make people capable or to give them the necessary skills. Ultimately, it is about the acquisition of competences as informed decision-making, responsible behaviour and respect for cultural diversity. But what does this require? On the one hand, learners need to acquire appropriate knowledge as only when people have the necessary information they can make informed decisions, behave responsibly and understand the importance of cultural diversity. On the other hand, they must be able to act on the basis of this knowledge, acquire competences and apply them. What knowledge this includes is indicated by relating responsible action to the three pillars of sustainable development: environmental protection, sustainable economy and a just society.

    The distinction between the two levels of ESD – knowledge and skills – is also made by the National Action Plan on ESD, which aims at imparting basic knowledge, tackling key societal problems and acquiring so-called design competence with its sub-competences. The focus on competences is in line with the shift from an input to an output orientation that has taken place in education in recent years. The question of what has to be understood particularly by competences in ESD arises. There are various competence models for ESD, including the concept of design competence by Gerhard de Haan. His twelve popular sub-competences of design competence are phrased in more general terms. They focus on generic competences and are of fundamental importance for education. In comparison, the eleven core competences of the Framework for Global Development Education can directly be connected to competence-oriented subject teaching and are intended to enable students to shape their lives in a way that fits the future, to participate in society and to assume global co-responsibility. In addition to acquiring the ability to create and act, the ESD-related competences are about becoming aware of one’s own responsibility and the effects of one’s actions.

    Many years of experience and empirical research show that sustainability topics should be included in education starting at an early age, as attitudes are formed and solidified in the course of time. Only if ESD is offered as a guiding principle in lifelong learning and progressive curricula, systematically building a step-by-step understanding of the underlying concept with the subsequent addition of more advanced information and competences, key problems are recognised by learners, critically reflected and evaluated. As a consequence sustainable action can be taken.

    Anne-Marie Grundmeier


    Content

  • Topic 3: Research-Based Learning in the Context of Textile Education

    Research based learning in the context of Textile Education

    Research-Based Learning is a key element of the didactic concept of study programmes. This didactic concept supports the development of the students’ critical-research and science-oriented basic attitude. Therefore, it fosters the development of professional strategies for professional practice. This is shown, for example, in a reflexive-analytical attitude towards the teaching-learning process, which is designed in accordance with the current state of science.

    Accordingly, the courses’ contents, didactics and methodologies are oriented towards the current state of research and provide both an overview as well as insights into current research in the respective scientific discipline. Additionally, competencies for the reception as well as the evaluation of results from compilatory and empirical research are developed and deepened. The acquisition of competences in the field of research methods aims to the reception of research and to conducting own research. Competencies for the reception and evaluation of the results of compilatory and empirical research are specifically developed and deepened. In this way the critical handling of current research literature, the analysis of empirical data as well as the guided conception and execution of empirical research tasks are practiced in relation to the professional field. Different methodological approaches are tested and evaluated. These are then applied in the reception of compilatory and empirical research as a starting point for own research by finding application in own small research projects. Thereby, students are being introduced to research projects that they then undertake independently as part of their master's thesis.

    The lecturers’ own projects and research focus as well as research projects in cooperation with external partners can be incorporated into the course of study. Among other things it could be incorporated as a teaching cooperation with institutes and companies that conduct research along the textile value chain. This not only enables students to transfer knowledge of current research into the teaching session but might also integrate them into current research projects. For example as part of a course, when carrying out their own small research project, but also when master's theses are written in the lecturer’s research areas possibly directly connected to a current project. The approach of Research-Based Learning additionally offers the possibility to take up the students’ heterogeneity and to professionalise them regarding their later occupation. In this way students' self-efficacy beliefs are taken into account.

    Research-Based Learning puts the scientific examination of "real-life" problems from professional fields into the focus of university teaching. The Service Learning approach, on the other hand, focuses on the students' social engagement and a critical-reflexive dealing with practical problems. These concepts are variants of Problem-Based Learning; accordingly, both are based on the principles of the Problem-Based Learning approach. This approach is characterised by the processing of complex problems taken from the research discipline and professional practice, which form the starting and reference point of teaching and learning. They function as both a cognitive and a motivational stimulus for the learning process and as a connecting element between scientific theory and the students' future professional activities. The aim is for students to develop and practically implement concrete suggestions for solving problems by applying their acquired knowledge, skills and abilities. For example, practical problems that form the starting and reference point of the teaching and study process are presented. These might be problems that are selected by the lecturers together with partners from companies and research institutions, or problem areas that are identified as such by students and their lecturers.

     Anne-Marie Grundmeier


    Content

  • Topic 4: Design Thinking - a Suitable Method for Implementing Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in Textile Education

    Design thinking - a suitable method for implementing ESD in textile education

    Design Thinking is a systematic approach to complex problems from all areas of life –including Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). This is based on the work of IDEO and HPI School of Design Thinking, which further developed IDEO’s method of Design Thinking at the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI) of the University of Potsdam in Germany. IDEO is a US design agency, which pushed for innovation at the beginning of the millennium, especially in technology-related areas by means of Design Thinking. The approach goes far beyond the classic design disciplines such as shape, layout and industrial design. In contrast to many approaches in science and engineering, Design Thinking addresses a task through technical feasibility and economic viability. User requirements and needs as well as user-oriented inventions are at the centre of the process. Designers look at challenges through the user’s glasses and thus put themselves into the user’s role. Design Thinking involves an iterative process with the six phases: understand, observe, point of view, ideate, prototype, and test.

    In Germany the promotion of design competence is part of the overarching educational goal of the Orientation Framework for Global Development Learning, which was commissioned by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Conference of Ministers of Education. According to the educational scientist Gerhard de Haan, design competence is the core competence of ESD. It refers to the ability to apply knowledge about sustainable development and to recognise problems of non-sustainable development. This means being able to draw conclusions about ecological, economic and social developments in their interdependence from analyses of the present and studies of the future. Furthermore, it includes being able to make, understand and individually, collectively and politically implement decisions based on conclusions with which sustainable processes and products can be realised. De Haan’s target dimension of sustainability is in accordance with IDEO’s definition of innovation. Accordingly, this method brings together what is desirable from a human point of view with what is technologically feasible and economically viable in order to create user-centred innovation, as thinking like a designer can transform the way people and organisations develop products, services, processes and strategies.

    In order to implement Design Thinking in textile and fashion companies as well as in textile education, with the aim to foster ESD as a guiding principle, it is important to internalise its 12 underlying principles as a mindset. Creative confidence is a key factor in order to realise design competence. When teachers have confidence in their own creative competence, they are able to foster creativity and design skills in their students. In this context it is promising to see that de Haan describes 12 sub-competences of design competence which he considers necessary for implementing ESD. They have a high similarity to the principles of Design Thinking. Accordingly, the design process can be understood as a problem-solving method that is potentially transferable and applicable to all living conditions. Areas such as education, economy, politics and challenges of social coexistence also move into the field of consideration. This view thus also implies solutions for a sustainable development. In summary, it can be stated that ESD offers and at the same time demands design competence.

    Furthermore, Design Thinking can also be a useful method for the following didactic concepts: Research-Based Learning, which puts the scientific examination of "real-life" problems from professional fields into the focus of university teaching, and the Service Learning approach, which focuses on the students' social engagement and a critical-reflexive dealing with practical problems. These concepts are variants of Problem-Based Learning; accordingly, both are based on the principles of the Problem-Based Learning approach. This approach is characterised by the processing of complex problems taken from the research discipline and professional practice, which form the starting and reference point of teaching and learning.

    Anne-Marie Grundmeier


    Content

  • Topic 5: Sustainability Oriented Consumer Education in Fashion and Textiles

    Sustainability oriented consumer education in fashion and textiles

    Consumption is considered a key driver of environmental change as consumer goods cause global pressure through their production, use and disposal. The overarching goal of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is to enable people to participate in shaping and contributing to a sustainable development. In order to realise this participation, it is necessary to make reflected decisions according to the requirements arising from a sustainable development. Against the background of widespread concepts, decisions in the context of sustainable development are characterised by several criteria. On the one hand, there are ecological, economic and social criteria, on the other hand, global and local contexts and the temporal perspective play an important role. These aspects influence each other and can also contradict each other. Accordingly, such decisions have a high degree of complexity and require individuals to weigh up, make informed choices and reflect on their decision-making processes in the context of a sustainable development. In the sense of this normative orientation of ESD, the promotion of decision-making competence within the framework of formal education pursues the goal of enabling learners to reflect on decision-making processes. This excludes purely intuitive decisions, which are of secondary importance with regard to the ability to shape sustainable development or to promote responsible participation.

    The focus is on the investigation of the course of reflective decision-making processes. In the consumption segment of fashion and textiles, the reflected participation of the individual is of considerable importance, since local actions of consumers influence the globally organised textile and fashion industry. The younger generation in particular is aware of social and ecological grievances in the textile value chain and criticises them, however, sustainability criteria play a subordinate role when buying clothing as different studies show. This consumer behaviour is referred to as the attitude-behaviour gap.

    In contrast to ethical dilemma situations in natural science topics, several options for action can be developed for evaluation situations in the context of consumer education, which can be considered as a solution under the guiding principle of ESD. The Göttingen model for bioethical decision-making processes by Eggert and Bögeholz provides an orientation framework for the diagnosis and cognitive promotion of “assessment competence”. Before the actual evaluation can be carried out, facts must first be clarified and the possible problem must be grasped. To do this, learners need to adopt a variety of perspectives and relate them to values when systematically evaluating possible courses of action. Previous research has shown that students have difficulties in dealing with a systematic approach to decision-making and have almost no meta-strategy or evaluation structure knowledge. A systematic approach to decision-making situations is not possible without such knowledge. Furthermore, without a systematic approach, they tend to decide intuitively or justifiably. However, from a didactic and educational policy point of view, the demand on “assessment competence” is to be able to make systematic and justified decisions in complex situations. Moreover, it is important for the measurement of evaluation skills to map the use of certain strategies as well as the decision-making process in connection with the decision and not only to assess the final result.

    In this lecture, the three dimensions of sustainable development, ecology, economy and social issues, are extended by the dimensions of aesthetics, utility value and functionality for fashion and textiles and presented in a quality circle. In order to be able to competently make qualitative assessments and decisions, different quality dimensions must be considered in a differentiated manner. With the help of the quality circle, learners should ask questions about the consumer segment of fashion and textiles, they should analyse and judge from several perspectives with the aim of being able to select fashion and textiles in a more reflective and quality-conscious way.

    Anne-Marie Grundmeier


    Content

  • Topic 6: Empathy, Mindfulness and Ethical Values in Fashion Consumption

    Empathy, Mindfulness and Ethical Values in Fashion Consumption

    The increase of fashion consumption can be attributed to the rising prevalence of fast fashion, releasing an increasing number of collections each year with highly competitive pricing and ever-shorter usage periods. With the extreme acceleration of the fashion market, the quantity of old clothes and the variety of materials are constantly on the rise. As a result of the quantities of clothing, which on average have also lost material and processing quality, appropriate reuse via second-hand, swapping and borrowing or upcycling are becoming less and less possible. Instead, textiles and clothes have to be incinerated more and more frequently in order to at least use the heating energy. One strategy to escape this development on the consumer side is to avoid fashionable new acquisitions – a kind of fashion diet. Avoiding new purchases is mainly about consciously selecting needed clothing and avoiding impulse or reward purchases. Second-hand clothing, for example, can be purchased instead. Participation in clothing swap is also an option, both to get “new” and to pass on one’s own clothes. In addition, clothes can be borrowed for a certain period of time and then returned.

    Following the purchase, proper textile care significantly contributes to the extension of the clothing’s life cycle. Furthermore, developing textile skills such as repairing clothing (sewing on a button, replacing zippers, closing open seams, repairing minor holes) is another relevant point, as minor damage can be repaired at home or at a tailor's if necessary. However, if the garment is further unusable, there is the option of upcycling, in which the initial product is typically upgraded. However, the possibilities of deceleration in the consumption phase are countered by planned obsolescence, especially in fast fashion: These clothes are manufactured in such a way that after a short period of use they lose their colour and shape, show material damage and are probably beyond repair to cause new clothing to be purchased. The constantly changing trends lead to a psychological obsolescence even of clothes that are still wearable because they are out of fashion.

    The question is how to deal with these developments in terms of a systemic change since slow fashion is much more than simply slowing down. Slow fashion is not a trend, but a movement that focuses on the longevity of clothing. The ideal of higher quality garments produced in smaller quantities under fair and sustainable conditions is the cornerstone of this philosophy. As long as we continue to buy enormous amounts of fashion – albeit sustainable and fair – the problem cannot be fundamentally solved. For systemic change, it is not enough to design production methods and products sustainably. It is the mindset of consumers that has to be changed. They need to fundamentally rethink their relationship with the garments they purchase, own and wear in terms of sustainable use. If consumers redefine the way they interact with clothing as a whole – the acquisition, use, alteration and care of garments – there is a chance that perspectives and action competencies will change. They are then no longer just passive consumers of the trends and styles dictated by brands and designers – their interaction with clothing will be transformed into an active and personal experience. Individual clothing items will be valued the longer one owns and wears them. The focus is on selecting, keeping, wearing and caring of clothes.

    This lecture also raises the question of the teacher’s role, who should show their students the way of decision-making and try to awaken their empathy without becoming moralizing or prescribing a certain way of dealing with clothes. Rather, the goal is to encourage people to rethink their own role as consumers: what are we already doing, what could and should we be doing to increase the lifespan of clothing if we put the preservation of our planet first in terms of an inter- and intragenerational justice? According to Kate Fletcher of the Centre for Sustainable Fashion in London, rethinking fashion consumption is the first step towards true slow fashion.

    Anne-Marie Grundmeier

    Content

  • Topic 7: Overcoming the Growth Dilemma - Rational Collective Economy

    In this lecture, basic principles for an economic model in which the conflict of goals between economic growth and sustainability in a market economy can be overcome are developed. The following questions will be addressed: What does a sustainable economy need to entail for being applicable as well as being to meet sustainability goals? Is this not a contradiction in terms? Or: Can sustainable action be possible in an individualistic society? As a possible solution, the construct of the Rational Collective Economy is developed. An economic model based on a rational view of human beings, according to the idea of the homo economicus, but aims at sustainability.  To develop this construct, basic knowledge about economics, business administration and sustainability is needed, which is elaborated in the first chapter. If prior knowledge already exists, the first chapter can be skipped. The second chapter examines sustainable economic models and classifies them in terms of business administration based on economic theory and business administration based on behavioral sciences. (If there is not enough time to work through the entire course material, Chapter 2 can be skipped.) The classification reveals that sustainable economic models are generally based on an emotional view of human beings and are rarely applied in reality. This insight is the basis for the sustainable economic model developed in this lecture, which can endure in a market-based society. Sustainability can only be achieved if we recognize that individual benefit cannot be achieved without ensuring (environmental) sustainability first. Therefore, sustainability is not an additional benefit but a means to an end and must be included in every economic decision. To make the concept of sustainability and the deeper problem more tangible, chapter 3 explains the growth dilemma. Here, a hierarchical structure is revealed within the dilemma, in which environmental protection is the basic condition for sustainability. Rationally acting individuals can therefore only achieve their goals if the basic condition of environmental protection is guaranteed. With the help of this basic assumption, the concept of a Rational Collective Economy can be derived. Chapter 4 shows that individual and collective interests coincide when we assume that individuals always want to maximize their own benefit and that profit maximization only is possible if the condition of protecting the environment as a collective good is met. Thus, this model is a collective economy in which, in contrast to economic models classically oriented to the collective, action is not emotional but rational. In short, it is a Rational Collective Economy. It is based on the following guiding principle:

    Individuals, in pursuit of their own benefit, do not consciously promote the common good. However, since they are compelled by external circumstances to pursue environmental protection, they promote the common good in this sense. They contribute to increasing the common good in the pursuit of their own interests.

    Chapter 4.2 explains the basic assumptions of a rational collective economy. These consist of the integration of sustainability into a market economy, a new conceptualization of sustainability and an adaptation of the homo economicus. Chapter 4.3 describes challenges in a rational collective economy and how they could be dealt with. Finally, a possible experimental setup for testing the theory is presented.

    Each chapter is organized as follows: First, the theoretical basis is explained, followed by tasks to understand and advance the theory. These tasks are also suitable as topics for essays. This is followed by the recap of the chapter, in which all relevant contents are summarized. All contents of the recap should be covered for meeting the learning objectives. With appropriate preparation by the presenter, only the recap slides can be used. The recap slides are focused on graphically showing the content rather than explaining it. For presenting only the recap slides the presenting person must explain all the information provided in the Basic Knowledge part of a chapter. Each chapter concludes with its underlying sources.

    In this lecture, the theoretical basis for a sustainable economic model is developed. Students will be nudged to venture in new directions in economic theory to deal with current problems. The considerations of a rational collective economy show that it is not only possible but also necessary to rethink and reinterpret theoretical principles in order to be able to face the climate crisis.

    Lisa Fritsch


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  • Topic 8: Lifecycle Assessment

    The global textile supply chain is complex, involving many different stages and people. It is extremely resource-intensive and causes significant environmental. High input of water, energy and harmful chemicals is used along the entire value chain. As early as in the 1970s researchers and decision makers were interested in the resource use and environmental damage implications of particular products and packaging options. This has been the starting point for the development of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. For LCA analyses, environmental data and process inputs and outputs have to be collected. This comprises data on the use of toxic chemicals, the consumption of water, the consumption of energy, the generation of waste, air emissions, transportation, and packing materials.

    LCA must be separated from carbon footprinting. Carbon footprinting is the central method for assessing the impact of textiles on climate change, however, only one impact category (climate change) is considered. LCA consider other resource, environmental and human health categories, like energy consumption, impacts on habitat and the emission of carcinogens. LCA is a technique to assess environmental impacts associated with all the stages in the life cycle of a product, from raw material extraction, through materials processing, manufacture, distribution, use, repair and maintenance, and disposal or recycling. It is comprehensive, involves a systematic scientific approach to examine the environmental impacts of the entire life cycle, is not simply the quality of the product, nor the amount of waste ending up in a landfill or an incinerator, but the life cycle of the product determines its environmental impact, and, it is also a way of measuring whether green improvements have been made or not.

    LCA results answer the question “how much does a product system potentially impact the environment?” The quantitative nature of LCA means that it can be used to compare environmental impacts of different processes and product systems. This can, for example, be used to judge which products or systems are better for the environment or to point to the processes that contribute the most to the overall impact and therefore should receive attention. LCA is recognized in the ISO14040 which describes LCA as a four-step process that involves goal and scope definition, inventory analysis, impact assessment, and interpretation.

    LCA has specific limitations. First of all, a LCA study is resource consuming, mainly due to the large amount of data needed. Secondly, f data collection is poor, or if not enough data are available, the study will not lead to solid conclusions. Thirdly, LCA studies depend on assumptions and scenarios, as LCA assesses the real world in a simplified model. Finally, it is not easy to communicate the results of an LCA study.

    Marcus Adam


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  • Topic 9: Sustainable Accountability in the EU Textile Market


    Accountability can be referred to as „acknowledging responsibility for my actions“. This implicitly requires transparency, observation, and evaluation of corporate actions. The EU legislation supports the demand for accountability of legal entities by regulation. The International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) is issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), the standard setting body of the IFRS Foundation and required by approx. 170 jurisdictions worldwide. Its objective is to provide users of financial statements information that is useful for decision-making. Companies should present a true and fair view of their financial position, its performance and the cash flows. Future reporting will need to include non-financial information more comprehensively to reflect these developments. The current requirements can be view critically and there is a necessity of sustainability reporting requirements. Until now, companies have been able to use different frameworks for their reporting, such as the German Sustainability Code or the standards of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). In order to improve the comparability and quality of sustainability reporting, companies are now required to use uniform reporting standards which, among other things, specify the information to be reported and the type of reporting (e.g. structure of the report). It should be noted that the standards should also cover corporate governance aspects. The standards will be issued by the EU Commission by way of delegated acts; for SMEs, standards are envisaged which take into account the special features of these companies. A staggered timetable is envisaged for the adoption of the standards.The EU Commission is required to take into account the technical advice of the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) when developing the standards.

    The Commission's has recently revised its CSR Directive and extended the scope. The group of companies that will have to report on non-financial aspects in the future is growing strongly. In principle, all companies listed on a regulated market in the EU (with the exception of micro-entities), as well as large non-capital-market-oriented companies and most banks and insurance companies, will be required to report on non-financial indicators in the future, thus contributing to greater transparency on sustainable aspects. It is not only the EU Commission that has taken up the issue of sustainability reporting: The IFRS Foundation - responsible for the internationally recognized accounting standards IFRS - has founded a new entity, the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), which is to develop global basic standards (Global Baseline) in the area of sustainability reporting in the future. The ISSB was already joined by a number of voluntary initiatives when it was founded. With the founding of the ISSB, two prototypes were published on the topics: Climate reporting and general requirements for the disclosure of sustainability-related financial information.

    Malte Wessels


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  • Topic 10: Societal Health Impact of Textile and Clothing Consumption

    Various chemicals, which modify or improve vital qualities and the performance of textiles, are used to produce textile products and garments. As a result, these chemicals are intentionally or unintentionally present in finished consumer products. Even though there are many benefits of the use and presence of these chemicals in textiles for wearers, they may have detrimental effects on consumer health and the environment upon exposure. Different modes of legislation which regulate the use of specific chemicals in the textile manufacturing process and different stages of the life cycle of a textile product have been established. For instance, REACH and CLP are the two fundamental community acts established for governing the use of chemical substances in the EU. In addition, companies have become aware of the need for eco-labels and eco-friendly products. Despite these initiatives, information about exposure of consumers and potential human health risks during consumption are still limited. The lecture therefore focuses on the topic of human ecology – the interrelation of consumers with its inanimate fabric environment - and gives a brief overview of understanding the chemical health risks of textile and clothing consumption.

    In principle, chemicals used in the textile value chain can be categorised into functional/effect chemical substances, auxiliary chemicals and substances not intentionally added such as contaminants or degradations. The human health risks are causes by the exposure of clothes is mainly due to a variety of inorganic and organic harmful chemicals from textiles like brominated flame retardants, carcinogenic formaldehyde, allergenic and carcinogenic aromatic amines/azo dyes from skin contact clothes, endocrine disruptors phthalates, benzothiazole/benzotriazole and the human carcinogens, quinolones and bisphenols. In addition, a variety of metals, which are known to have multiple effects on organs, can be found in branded textiles. The ingredient chemicals in textiles are released by various mechanisms such as migration, leaching, evaporation and particulate releases and may finally end up in human organs or ecosystems.

    Risks and negative side effects related to textile chemicals occur due to human exposure. Although the dermal exposure to textile chemicals predominates, as it exists almost 24 hours per day and skin is the largest organ of the human body, there are also other modes of exposure such as inhalation, oral and environmental exposure. After the exposure of textile chemicals, the impact of textile chemicals to humans is diverse, encompassing complex toxicity pathways such as interferences with the immune system or fetal/child development, endocrine disruption, carcinogenicity or contact dermatitis. The subject areas of human toxicity and chemical risk assessment of textile chemicals will be addressed in this lecture in detail.

    Presently, control over different health and environmental hazards on account of the exposure of chemicals is very difficult to achieve by the textile and fashion industry due to the chemical diversity used. Moreover, information about the chemicals is not always transparent and does not always move smoothly along the complex and multitiered textile supply chain. However, the increasing research findings and public awareness about health risks of textile and clothing consumption induces textile manufacturers to change their processes as well as use eco- and health-compatible chemicals in order to offer more sustainable products.

    However, there is the necessity of developing robust policies to force the elimination of harmful chemicals from manufacturing processes of textiles, and consequently, in the finished products as consumers have little knowledge on the impact of textile chemicals on human health. Hence, the goal of Education for Sustainable Development is for consumers to become educated, conscious and collaborative. The impact of textile chemicals and its exposure to the body cannot be overlooked but can largely be reduced by changes in the shopping behaviour of consumers and in the use and care phase of clothing. At the point of sale, labelling is the primary tool for marketing textiles and clothing to well-informed and ‘green’ customers. Some eco-labels stimulate consumers to buy health-compatible fabrics. Moreover, the underlying certification process, in turn, stimulates producers to produce with substances that are harmless to health. Until the rise of a federally regulated transparency in the supply chain, voluntary labels allow consumers to make first comparisons among products regarding healthy and environmentally preferable products.

    Dirk Höfer


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  • Topic 11: Microplastic Fibres and Particles in the Textile Chain – Environmental Impact and Health Effects

    Module1_Topic11_FashionDIET

    Nowadays, approximately two-thirds of all textile items are synthetic, dominated by petroleum-based organic polymers such as polyester, polyamide and acrylic. However, beside manifold advantages, synthetic and cellulosic textiles release fibres into the environment during their production, use and at the end-of-life disposal. Predominately, by the weathering and breakdown of synthetic textiles and clothing, also other plastic objects, plastic particles and fibres smaller than 5 mm are created. This results in an anthropogenic debris named as microplastics. Today, the presence of microplastics is confirmed in freshwater ecosystems, marine habitats, air as well as in soil in all regions of the globe including rivers, seas and coastal shorelines. In all ecosystems microplastic fibres and particles persist for decades, for example when soils are treated with sludge from waste water treatment plants. A future sustainable textile value chain thus has to cope with this issue.

    The ubiquity of microplastics constitute a serious risk to the environment and a potential risk to human health, a source of exponential pollution that is currently and undeniably out of control and in contradiction to sustainable development goals e.g. 14 and 13 “Life on land” and “Life below water”. The environmental and health costs involved in textile manufacturing and consumption of synthetic fibres are widespread.  Increased consumption patterns have created millions of tons of textile waste in landfills and unregulated settings. When cut during the production or laundered, many synthetic fibres shed microfibres and microparticles. These account for up to 35% of microplastic pollution in the world's oceans thus emphasizing that the production and consumption of fast fashion is a main driver behind the microplastic issue.

    Concerning the implications for human health, there is a growing body of evidence suggesting widespread exposure of humans with microplastics via food, drinking water and air.  Presently the inevitable human external exposure is most probably underestimated as the fraction of smaller-sized particles (10 µm) is not included, particles which are likely more relevant to toxicity. Once in contact with the epithelial linings in the lung or intestine, microplastics may cause physical, chemical and microbiological toxicity. In all biological systems microplastic exposure may cause particle toxicity with oxidative stress, inflammatory lesions and increased uptake or translocation into cells. The inability of the immune system to remove synthetic particles may lead to chronic inflammation and an increased risk of abnormal growth of cells (neoplasia). Furthermore, microplastics may not only release harmful additives like unreacted monomers or unbound chemicals but also contaminants and pathogenic organisms absorbed from the environment. Nonetheless, knowledge on microplastic toxicity is still limited and largely influenced by exposure concentration, particle properties, adsorbed contaminants, tissues involved and individual susceptibility, requiring further research.

    Even in indoor air microfibres have been found, shed by abrasion of fibres and particles from carpets and furnishing. Epidemiological studies on occupational diseases in the clothing and textile industry revealed that the hazard due to inhaled microplastics and fibres is even more distinct: Studies reported on lung injuries including byssinosis – a non-specific chronic respiratory disease of textile workers exposed to dusts of cellulosic microfibres -, inflammation and fibrosis as well as cancer suspicion and a pronounced risk of miscarriages.

    In sum, the environmental and health risks assigned to microplastics likewise affect both consumers and producers of textile and fashion articles. Its entry into biospheres can largely be reduced by a sustainable washing behaviour and consumption, especially by a reduced consumption of clothes made of synthetic fibres. In recent years, the European Union has launched various governmental regulations to mitigate the microplastic issue, such as the EU Microplastic Positioning Paper, the ban on throwaway plastics and the EU Green Deal. The lack of crucial data on exposure and hazard represents key knowledge gaps that need to be addressed in order to move towards a more sustainable future textile and clothing industry.

    Dirk Höfer


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  • Topic 12: Vestimentary Communication: Clothing as a Medium of Communication

    Clothing is primarily a medium of non-verbal communication. Therefore, the concept of vestimentary communication is built on the central assumption of its symbolic nature. As an object, clothing has an effect on the wearer in its materialization and objectivity. In their objectification, clothes are carriers of invisible properties and unfold their symbolic nature. Symbols are carriers of meaning that denote an idea of something. Thus, judgments about the wearers can be made through clothing. One of the consequences of vestimentary communication is that the reception, deciphering and interpretation of clothing typically takes place before verbal communication. Usually this process happens completely uncontrolled. Whether the wearer uses his or her clothing consciously or unconsciously in the sense of impression management, the fashioned body is interpreted and thus vestimentary communication always takes place. In other words, we cannot escape communication because of the clothing we wear. It is an indicator of status, social affiliation, gender, personal taste or (fashion) competence, but also for our temporary emotional state. It is obvious that, given the relevance and influence of a person's appearance that can be explained in this way, clothing is consciously used to control impressions. It is therefore important to question the truth content of clothing messages in order not to make the mistake of an oversimplified analysis.

    Like other sign systems, vestimentary communication also has a considerable inherent complexity. Firstly, communication with clothing is always accompanied by a multitude of other, non-vestimentary information that a person conveys and which then influences the decoding of information. The complexity of vestimentary communication is further increased by the possibility of multiple assignments of different meanings to one and the same symbol. Another contribution to the fact that the interpretation of vestimentary codes strongly depends on the recipients is made by the great freedom in dealing with clothing after the renunciation of strict dress and class codes in the feudal system by the strongly spreading bourgeoisie in the nineteenth century. Due to the further democratization of fashion that has taken place since the twentieth century and the accompanying lack of collective understanding of dress codes, the encoding of vestimentary messages has lost its unambiguity. Dress messages are now ambiguous, which means that the situational process of meaning construction and the experiential world of the recipients have become more important. Clothing refers to known codes and clothing codes move in a free space of possible sign relations, which are again subjected to their own structuring and meaning construction in every situation. This treatment of clothing as a code is particularly evident in fluid gender constructions and in youth scenes.

    According to cultural studies research, there is an almost ambivalent picture of vestimentary encoding, as there is a situational interpretation of clothing by the recipients on the one hand, and on the other hand clothing is received in its symbolic nature in relation to groups and cultures. In this way the encoding can be traced back not only to individual but above all to cultural attribution processes. The decoding of vestimentary messages can neither be detached from the recipients nor from their cultural imprinting and is always multifactorial conditioned. In addition, vestimentary communication is often based on implicit knowledge, which directs our behaviour. As a result, the wearer is not aware of his or her own vestimentary message. However, the unconsciousness of vestimentary communication is not only on the side of the wearer but also on the side of the recipient. Thus, clothing can be understood as a very personal language, whose individually used signs require a multitude of further not only personal information in order to become comprehensible.

    This lecture deals with the historical development of clothing and fashion as a predominantly non-verbal means of communication and fashion theories as well as the scientific discourse on clothing and fashion. A current facet of this is that a sustainable lifestyle can also be expressed through appropriate clothing. An interpretation of clothing in terms of a self-statement – either sustainable or not – is to be understood in terms of the identity, the social distinction and cultural background of the wearer. The meaning of clothing messages is thus constituted in what shall be stated and what is not. Finally, vestimentary communication cannot be interpreted as the transmission of purely objective facts since its message is received not only cognitively but also emotionally.

    Anne-Marie Grundmeier


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  • Topic 13: Cultural and Intercultural Learning in the Context of Fashion and Textiles

    The term “cultural education” is a container term. This means that there is no one definition of this term. Rather, it encompasses an intersection of the fields of culture and education and refers to scientific and practical fields as well as educational processes. Cultural education always refers to a field of practice, but also to a biographically individual educational process. A variety of formats, types of facilities and institutions contribute with their cultural offerings to a productive networking of theory and practice in order to be conducive to art and cultural education. The engagement with the arts and cultures aims at a specific attitude and is based on potentials and effects that underlie cultural education. The focus is on a creative-aesthetic confrontation of the self with the world.

    Although cultural exchange between ethnic groups has existed since time immemorial, today it is omnipresent due to mobility, globalisation and digitalisation. We live in a multicultural immigration society, experience cultural exchange as enrichment and integrate different objects, actions and traditions into our everyday life; at the same time, there is potential for conflict in encounters with foreign cultures. A variety of concepts and structural models for the development of intercultural competence have been presented, but no model has yet been able to establish itself in view of the multidisciplinary approaches. This is also reflected in the coexistence of different terms such as interculturality, multiculturality and transculturality and corresponding competences.

    Representatives of intercultural education intend a successful interaction through which interculturally competent people can understand participating cultures in such a way that a mutually satisfying and appreciative cooperation can develop. The existing diversity can be used to achieve common goals. This orientation is also criticised as an instrumentalisation of cultural competences aimed at avoiding misunderstandings, disruptions and friction losses. In intercultural education the focus is on personal development which shifts the concept to the subject level and enables a connection to subject-oriented educational concepts, but also reduces the intercultural concept to one perspective. In connection with intercultural concepts, the narrowing of the perspective to homogeneous national cultures is also criticised. More recent approaches define culture in terms of groupings without national boundaries. It is assumed that culture can be identified in every type of grouping, e.g., as a corporate company culture, fan culture, food culture, housing culture. A person can be part of different groupings or cultures at the same time, even if there may be differences between the individual members. Despite individual diversity, there is a culture that unites the grouping.

    The approach of multiplicity and simultaneity of cultural groupings raises the question of what is supposed to be special about intercultural competence when it is one culture out of many in which a person interacts. There is no definitive answer to this critical discourse yet. Coping with cultural diversity and the challenges it brings requires competences in intercultural and multicultural interactions. So far, the concepts of interculturality and transculturality do not offer an all-encompassing approach. This lecture therefore opens the discourse, refers to various concepts and offers examples within the context of fashion and textiles. Furthermore, a connection between cultural and intercultural education and the implementation of sustainability aspects and ESD is explained.

    The textile-cultural dialogue, an important concept developed by the Institute for Aesthetic-Cultural Education at the European University of Flensburg, is understood as a subject-specific focus on cultural dialogues with textile media as material representatives of culture. In this concept, culture is understood as a unifying quality in all kinds of internally differentiated groupings, in which the approach is taken from the subject. Thus, the textile-culturally active person with his or her activities such as practising textile techniques, with his or her knowledge about and dealing with clothing and fashion is the focus of interest. Accordingly, textile culture is the conscious and unconscious activity visible in textile objects, clothing and fashion and in textile-related ways of acting. Textile cultural activities encompass all textile-related modes of action and focus on the subject. The cultural activity is accompanied by textile-cultural communication as a dialogue between object and subject and between interaction partners.

    Anne-Marie Grundmeier



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  • Topic 14: Summary, Reflections and Outlook - Part 1

    Today, university lecturers as well as trainers in companies and teachers at secondary schools are not yet sufficiently sensitised and didactically and methodically trained to teach ESD in the textile and fashion sector and thus act as multipliers for the younger generation, i.e., students and pupils. Therefore, the didactic and methodological concepts presented within the first part of the ESD module provide useful information, insights and ideas for improvement. It aims at strengthening attitudes and beliefs for ESD and sustainability in general. For that, it addresses a complex and integrating approach in the curricula in all areas and at several levels of education. It starts with vocational schools by offering participatory teaching and learning methods that motivate and empower learners to change their behaviour and take action for sustainable development.

    The first lecture starts off with a detailed profiling of the clothing and textile industry, including its levels of sustainability, its stretched, complex and fragmented supply chain, the top retailers, up to the relationship of brands with their customers. Within this overview lecture, the audience is also familiarised with the triple bottom line concept, which describes a sustainable development that takes all stakeholders into account. However, the devastating impact of the textile and fashion industry cannot be prevented by an industrial transformation alone unless consumption patterns change at the same time. This requires a habit change in the way that consumer think (knowledge) and act (skills), such as the handling of textiles and clothes. Training vocational and university students to adopt sustainable behaviour is therefore crucial. Hence, ESD education is not only necessary to transmit knowledge, but also to provide future graduates with competency-based training and skills such as autonomous action, participation in social decision-making processes, forward thinking as well as interdisciplinary knowledge. This holistic and transformative view on ESD as a guiding principle in the context of fashion and textiles is also part of the UNESCO Roadmap 2030 for ESD, the National Action Plan on ESD and topic of the second lecture of the module entitled “Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) as a Guiding Principle in the Context of Fashion and Textiles”.

    Lecture three of this module addresses the didactic concept of research-based learning, an active teaching and learning strategy, that aims to support the development of the students’ critical-research and science-oriented basic attitude. Based on the current state of science, a reflexive-analytical attitude towards the teaching-learning process might be a target-oriented approach to implement ESD. As simple predictions based on linear causal relationships are very rare to solve sustainability issues, lecture four focuses on Design Thinking, a systematic approach to complex problems from all areas of life – including ESD. On the one hand, Design Thinking can be a useful method to support didactic concepts such as research-based learning and, on the other hand, the approach has the potential to foster ESD as a guiding principle in textile education as well as in textile and fashion companies.

    Sustainability oriented consumer education in fashion and textiles is the subject of the fifth lecture of this module, which acquaints participants with a consumer behaviour known as the attitude-behaviour gap. This term explains why consumers are aware of social and ecological grievances in the textile value chain, although sustainability criteria play a subordinate role when buying clothing. To overcome the attitude-behaviour gap, consumers need reflective decision-making processes and effective tools, such as the quality-circle, to analyse and judge from several perspectives with the aim of being able to select fashion and textiles in a more reflective and quality-conscious way. Lecture six on fashion consumption, mindfulness and ethical values offers certain strategies that can help minimise the gap between consumers’ willingness to purchase items and their moral standards in respect to fair-trade clothes. It also raises the question of the teacher’s role, who should show his/her students the way of decision-making and try to awaken their empathy without becoming moralising or prescribing a certain way of dealing with clothes. Rather, the goal is to encourage people to rethink fashion consumption as the first step towards true slow fashion. After this, lecture seven deals with overcoming the growth dilemma and explains various sustainable economic models.

    Lecture eight looks at the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the textile value chain, a technique developed in the 1970s which, apart from the carbon footprint method, evaluates the environmental impacts associated with all stages in the life cycle of a product, from raw material extraction, through material processing, manufacturing, distribution, use, repair and maintenance, as well as disposal or recycling. Following that, the nineth lecture deals with the topic of sustainable accountability in the EU market. Unfair and unfettered global trade has made it possible to outsource and hide the exploitation of people and nature. This economic strategy means that companies can avoid responsibility and that blame for supply chain abuses can be shifted onto actors outside the EU. Therefore, global accountability and responsibility should be at the heart of the EU’s relationship with textiles and clothes in the future.

    Lecture ten focuses on the topic of human ecology – the interrelation of consumers with its inanimate fabric environment – by giving a brief overview of understanding the chemical health risks of textile and clothing consumption. The impact of textile chemicals and its exposure to the body are disclosed in this lecture and the effectiveness of regulations and eco-labels are discussed. Another relevant health topic affecting both consumers and producers is microplastic, a topic treated in lecture eleven. Microplastics are plastic particles smaller than 5 mm, which are created by the weathering and breakdown of many plastic objects including textiles. Their ubiquity in the environment raises serious concerns about their effects on wildlife and ecosystems including environmental and health risks. Effective regulations and a sustainable approach to clothing are needed to prevent these risks from increasing further. Lectures ten and eleven are therefore both educational packages that provide knowledge about the health of ecosystems, as a prosperous society depends on a healthy environment. The twelfth lecture deals with vestimentary communication, in which fashion is understood as a medium for communication. The historical development of clothing and fashion as a predominantly non-verbal means of communication and fashion theories as well as the scientific discourse on clothing and fashion are specifically explained. Lecture thirteen on cultural and intercultural learning for sustainability-oriented textiles and fashion aims to build up competences in intercultural and multicultural interactions and to demonstrate the benefits of cultural and intercultural education for the implementation of sustainability aspects and ESD.

    The ESD module’s first part mainly targets at lecturers, teachers and trainers in vocational education and their students as further employees in the textile and fashion industry – being consumers at the same time. In the outlook, beliefs, knowledge as well as their impact on teaching, learning and meaning for ESD are discussed.

    Anne-Marie Grundmeier and Dirk Höfer


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