Table of Contents

1 Research and problem definition.............................................................................................................2

1.1 Consumer behavior impact................................................................................................................2
1.2 Production impact.............................................................................................................................3
2 Preparation and creative brainstorming...................................................................................................5
2.1 Clothing Rental Module.....................................................................................................................8
2.2 Own virtual closet module...............................................................................................................11
2.3 Digital clothing.................................................................................................................................12
3 Final Outcome, Platform, Supply and Value Chain Analysis....................................................................14
3.1 Business Model................................................................................................................................14
3.2 Supply chain.....................................................................................................................................16
3.3 Value chain management................................................................................................................17
4 References..............................................................................................................................................19
1 Research and problem definition

Fashion plays very important role to society, culture as well as each of us personally. It gives different
meaning in the life each individual. For some it is symbol of prestige, for some it is an expression of their
personality while for some others it is just piece of cloth for protecting body.

Source- https://www.godfatherstyle.com

1.1 Consumer behavior impact

According to Fashion United, the fashion industry is the fourth biggest sector in the world with a
value of around 3 trillion dollars and has a labor force of 3.3 million. (Fashinnovation, 2021).
Clothing production is also doubled during the last decade because of high-tech machines and
technology.
Nowadays, fast fashion has become a symbol of youth. Many brands use different tactics,
advertisements, influencers to push new trends within weeks. Due to cheap prices, many people
buy these new clothes though they are not in need.
Every one in three women thinks that cloth is old after wearing them 2 or 3 times according to
one survey.[CITATION The \l 1033 ].Every second, one garbage truck full of textile waste is
generated due to people’s fashion love.
Let’s take a case study of Ghana, where most of the U.K.’s second-hand clothes are transported
and resold in the local market. But due to fast fashion, most of the clothing is not biodegradable.
This Material is highly inflammable. Some artificial fibers & dyes are hazardous to the
environment. So, under the recycling idea actually, this system is creating “environmental
catastrophe” by dumping waste of developed countries in poor countries. [ CITATION Jul20 \l
1033 ]
Source- https://www.fashionroundtable.co.uk

1.2 Production impact

Few studies result shows that the fashion industry is having a dark side, and it is affecting planet
earth’s ecosystem.

After, the oil industry fashion industry is the

2nd largest polluter in the world. The fashion
industry contributed around 8-10% of total
carbon emissions.
(www.genevaenvironmentnetwork.org, 2021)

Source -sanvt.com

In many countries toxic chemicals from textile

industries are directly dumped into the water for
example Polyester is derived from oil, it is a
synthetic textile material, so releasing this directly
into local water along with dyes creates an adverse
impact on the health of animals who drink it directly.
[ CITATION Bic18 \l 1033 ]

Source- www.thomasnutrientsolutions.com
 60% of materials used for modern clothes are
made up of plastic. Synthetic microfibers from
polyester and nylon garments go into the
environment as we wash our clothes and pollute
them. Some non-recyclable clothes also end up in
the trash.

Source -www.financialexpress.com

Every stage of the production of the garment supply chain needs to think ecologically. Because
at every step, extra factors get added, which contribute to pollution. The modern process of
spinning and dying as compared to old methods results in generating microscopic plastic in the
deep ocean. Workers exposed to such an environment and inhale cotton dust particles breathing
diseases after some time.[ CITATION Mar18 \l 1033 ]

Source- www.immago.com

Nonbiodegradable packing also contributes to pollution. Currently, the whole supply chain
reliance is on plastic and paper. Plastic packaging used by E-commerce, carrier bags, thermocol ,
paper labels all contribute to non-recyclable junk after unpacking it once. Using this type of
material is popular because they are cheap for manufacturing. (Brown, 2020)
So from production, distribution till consumption, we can conclude that the fashion industry’s
new trend is affecting negatively on earth’s green ecosystem. It is also changing people’s habits
of buying, which So we need to think of alternative solutions to balance this negative impact.

2 Preparation and creative brainstorming

According to Edwin Keh ,Ceo of Hong

Kong textile research institute,10 years ago
iPhone was introduced, and it changed the
way we look into the phone from calling to
pretty much everything. What happened is it
brought technology revolution Similarly if
we see Digital platforms as a sustainability
model for the fashion industry, we can
reduce the environmental impact of it to a
greater extent.[ CITATION Muc17 \l 1033 ]

Source- medium.datadriveninvestor.com

People are also getting aware of

sustainable fashions because of social
media campaigns, news that highlight all
the negative impacts of new fast fashion.
Awareness about the production
process’s impact on the environment
makes many people cautious about
product origin, the material used,
whether it is recycled, made up of natural
sources.
Source-www.Freepic.com

Technology changed the way

how we shop. Worldwide e-
commerce statistics of 2020
show that online retail shopping
has been increased from 13% in
2019 to 18% in 2020 &
expected to be 21.8% by 2024.

Source-Google images

So we can use the technology-based digital platform to

bring a change. Compare to the size of the fashion
industry it may look small step but it will be a good start
for the sustainability of our planet. Such platforms make
awareness of such topics a healthy trend which as a result
attracts more sellers and buyers.

Source-fashionculturesparsons.wordpress.com
Such scaling of sustainability highly depends on business models which use technology with
creative thinking and bring something new into the market that attracts consumers.

So, at the first step, we will provide a platform

called ““GreenStitches”.com”. It will be a
StartUp with having mission statement –
“Making planet Greener with Reduce, Reuse
& Recycle.”
It will be a collection of multiple module
concepts. Each concept will be unique but all
will be ultimately contribute to sustainable
fashion industry motive.

Source-Facebook.com

2.1 Clothing Rental Module

This will be the key module of GreeenStitches where clothes will be available on rent, which
will be both designer-based and apparel. All clothes which will be rented from
““GreenStitches”.com” will comprise materials that are natural and easily recyclable.
The platform will encourage collections of designers who are innovative towards fashion
sustainability.
Qmilk clothes are made up of 100% natural and smooth silk. It was invented by German student
Anke Domaske by using milk, tea, and coffee bean in her project. With properties like
lightweight, thermo-bonding property, it can be combined with other fibers without the use of
plastic and resins. It also reduces bacterial growth & skin sensory properties, which can be
sustainable in any climate. (www.qmilkfiber.eu, 2015)
Source - www.qmilkfiber.EU

The use of AirDye-Platform also encourages such fashion collections which are more
environment-friendly. For example, use of “AirDye” company uses 85% less energy and 95%
less water than conventional methods.

Costello Tagliapietra once

presented one collection
which entirely used AirDye
methods.

Source- eluxemagazine.com

3- Use of 3 D printing clothes as an exclusive collection as

there is very less fabric is wasted in this process, which is
very predominant in this industry.
Source- parametric-architecture.com/
4- Use of vegan leather- Many companies are making vegan leather in laboratories from 100% of
natural material. This move will save many animal’s life.

Source- eluxemagazine.com

SO, “GreenStitches” will feature only such collections on its platform which support
sustainability. Tie-ups with such companies in the future for other fashion products will be
another module of this platform.
2.2 Own virtual closet module

Another interesting module will

be the Virtual closet Module.
For this concept, “GreenStitches”
will create a community and all
users will create their account on
this platform. Every user can
create their virtual closet and can
upload pics of their unused
second-hand clothes which they
want to sell. [ CITATION nic21 \l
1033 ]

Source-poshmark.com

One step forward, we can create virtual parties with the name ““GreenStitches” Fashion parties”
where theme-wise and brand wise we can plan for online selling. Engaging people in such parties
is an incredible way to attract customers and be in news. According to the type of product like
shirts, pants, kids’ dresses, handbags, people will have to join different party groups so everyone
can buy according to their choices.
Under this module, there will be a different section for luxury and vintage clothes and fashion
products. This will provide a second life to those expensive garments and will save money and
negative impact on the environment. Rewards and batches will be given to upload items that pass
certain eligibility criteria of a luxury item.
This model will make sustainability easier as items travel from one person to another person as
long as it lasts. It will also decrease fast fashion demand to some extent.

2.3 Digital clothing

Digital clothing is a new emerging concept which is becoming more popular because of its
unique idea and implementation. This is created by keeping in mind today’s social media trend.
Digital clothing is not made up of fabric but they are virtual dresses. We can say that it is made
of pixels. (Loomly Blog, 2021). They are created using virtual 3D software and augmented
reality and artificial intelligence is used in making such clothing. They are cheaper and you can
buy them online and charge per usage basis.
From the image, you can see that the left side image
is the real one, and the right one is created with
digital clothing.

The question is who will buy this?

Now in today’s Instagram and blogging world,
many influencers, bloggers want new dresses for
every new upload. Study shows that every 1 of 10
the clothing is bought for social media content
generation. So instead of buying physical clothes,
customers can opt for this technology.
Source-Wikipedia.com
Some extraordinary advantage of this technology is impractical material can be worn like the
wooden or liquid outfit, silver dragon skin, digital fur, semi-transparent metallic garments,
anything you can imagine.
For the people who constantly look for “Outfit of the day”, this technology is a boon. What they
have to do is to send a picture to a 3D designer and they will provide options that will suit you
most or according to your choice. This way different Avatars of the individual can be created and
we can use them on social media.
 According to one fashion industry news, The Digital dress shown in
the picture was sold for $9500 at an auction in New York.[ CITATION
Gün19 \l 1033 ]

So, we can conclude that this technology will be in very high

demand in near future.

Source - www.dazeddigital.com

Along with the above 3 modules, “GreenStitches” will work with some manufacturers which
manufacture apparel using natural resources or recycled material.

Tie up with companies like Evrnu ,its NuCycl technology is a pioneer in creating regenerative
fiber technology, which makes entirely new products from discarded clothing multiple times.
(Evrnu, 2017).”GreenStitches” will showcase such products on its E-commerce portal.

One more company, Renewcell, works to close the loop of textile production. Technology
developed by Renewcell dissolves used cotton and converts them into biodegradable viscose or
textile fibers material which can be used as raw material for further manufacturing. (Renewcell,
n.d.) So, supplying old clothing to this company in bulk is also “GreenStitches” one of the future
goals.
3 Final Outcome, Platform, Supply and Value Chain Analysis

3.1 Business Model

Source- www.fatbit.com

As shown in fig “GreenStitches” the business model will work on commission. With every sell,
the minimum amount of total sell will be taken as commission. Multiple vendors and
manufacturers will have subscription base module. A monthly and yearly subscription will be
available for sellers.

There will be some advertisements of sustainable products as well as featured or sponsored

products and expert recommendations. This will generate some extra revenue.

After selling a particular quantity Green badges will be given as a token of rewards that sellers
and consumers can redeem to get a discount.
Source-www.renttherunway.com

For the rental module, we will have subscription offers for customers. Like in a month,
customers can have 4 dresses at a time, with no return dates, and swapping will be easily
available. Adding to it free shipping will be provided for members.

Payments methods -All credit debit cards and wallets will be supported at checkout. To have
transparency, blockchain technology will also be available.

Platform-” GreenStitches” will have its website domain as an E-commerce website. Along with
that, applications based on Android and Ios platforms will also be available after the launch of
the website.
UI /Ux- user interface will be very simple where customers can select from different categories
whatever they want to buy.

www.vestiairecollective.com

3.2 Supply chain

For any E-commerce business supply, robust supply along with reverse mechanism is the key
part. The structure of the entire business depends on that. According to many case studies and
researches, customers prefer to shop from that business whose supply chain management is
functions very well.  (Indian Retailer, n.d.)
The following figure shows how the supply chain will execute. After successful payment of any
order, company's logistic system will pick up the product from the warehouse or any house and
will deliver it to the desired destination.
Sometimes it is very challenging as sellers take free shipment for granted and if the number of
returns increases more than a certain level. So tie-ups with third-party logistic partners and
charging fees from sellers or buyers in some cases will be the strategy of “GreenStitches”.

With the help of technology and GPS online tracking for each order will be possible and ERP
software’s are the best to manage all supply chains.

3.3 Value chain management

Source-www.slideshare.net
Inbound logistic- “GreenStitches” will procure some stock of popular items from different
manufacturers in bulk and store them in its warehouses for faster delivery.
“GreenStitches” will also showcase its in-house brand clothes in the near future.

Operations- Every item which is to be delivered will be checked for quality, then it will be
labeled with product code and unique Id. Photographs of new products will be taken for website
listing and dimensions.
When an order is placed, billing and packaging take place and it is handed over to inbound or
outbound logistics.

Outbound logistic- If the delivery location is out of reach for inbound logistics, then it will be
handed over to outbound logistic as soon as the order is received. Tracking of such items till
delivery is the responsibility of the company and issues related to timely delivery can be reduced
by collaboration with the courier company.

Marketing and Sales- It is the core part of “GreenStitches”. Creating awareness through proper
marketing by using different social media platforms and using different digital marketing tactics
to reach desired customer base and convince them to buy sustainable products is the key target
for the company.

Services- Selling and Buying, Easy return, and exchange, Hassle-free refunds, Query solving
customer base, Giving offers like cashback, credit points, managing club membership are a few
major services that will be provided by the brand.

Office/firm infrastructure- Environment which reflects the ecological theme, freshness,

youthfulness, creativity-enhancing while sticking to the basic theme of sustainable fashion will
be the ideal infrastructure for “GreenStitches”.

Human Resource Management- Environment-friendly environment where there is work-life

balance and employees believe in sustainability will be the primary focus of Human resource
management.
Technology-Providing modern platforms where customers can easily access the catalog of
products, can place an order and make payment easily and can track it easily.
So these were the steps that will be followed in the value chain of “GreenStitches”.
There are many creative ways to make fashion sustainable, but the future is always determined
by the people who buy. So, the thinking paradigm of us needs to be changed to adapt to this
circular ecosystem of fashion. Being part of this ecosystem, which involves recycling,
restoration, regeneration combined with technology, we can move aside fast fashion trends and
can contribute to a sustainable environment.

4 References
 Bick, R., Halsey, E. and Ekenga, C.C. (2018). The global environmental injustice of fast
fashion. Environmental Health, [online] 17(1). Available at:
https://ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12940-018-0433-7.
 Brown, H. (2020). Unpacking fashion’s packaging problem. [online] Drapers. Available
at: https://www.drapersonline.com/topics/sustainable-fashion/unpacking-fashions-
packaging-problem.

 ‌ harpail, M. (2017). Fashion’s Environmental Impact. [online] SustainYourStyle.

C
Available at: https://www.sustainyourstyle.org/old-environmental-impacts.
 Environmental Sustainability in the Fashion Industry. [online] Available at:
https://www.genevaenvironmentnetwork.org/resources/updates/sustainable-fashion/.
 Evrnu. (2017). Evrnu. [online] Available at: https://www.evrnu.com/.
 Fashinnovation. (2021). Fashion Industry Statistics: The 4th Biggest Sector Is More
Than Clothing. [online] Available at: https://fashinnovation.nyc/fashion-industry-
statistics/.
 Fashion Roundtable. (n.d.). Why our second-hand clothes are causing an “environmental
catastrophe” on the other side of the world. [online] Available at:
https://www.fashionroundtable.co.uk/news/2020/4/14/6rr73axzj7qlgzvi811wwqu4myvex
3.
 How is technology changing the sustainable fashion industry? [online] Available at:
https://www.monterail.com/blog/how-is-technology-changing-sustainable-fashion.
 IMMAGO. (2018). How the textile supply chain is harming the environment. [online]
Available at: https://immago.com/textile-supply-chain-harming-environment/.
 Indian Retailer. (n.d.). Building up Deliveries in eCommerce. [online] Available at:
https://www.indianretailer.com/article/operations/logistics-and-supply-chain/Building-
up-Deliveries-in-eCommerce.a3628/ [Accessed 2 Nov. 2021].
 Loomly Blog. (2021). Digital Clothing: All You Need to Know About the Future of
Fashion Brands. [online] Available at: https://blog.loomly.com/digital-clothing/.
 Renewcell. (n.d.). Renewcell. [online] Available at: https://www.renewcell.com/en/.
 ‌Shubham Rathi (2018). Myntra Porter’s value chain. [online] Available at:
https://www.slideshare.net/ShubhamRathi32/myntra-porters-value-chain [Accessed 2
Nov. 2021].
 The Poshmark Seller Guide. (2020). Posh Party 101: Understanding Poshmark Parties
and Growing Sales. [online] Available at: https://superposher.com/blog/posh-party/
[Accessed 2 Nov. 2021].
 www.qmilkfiber.eu. [online] Available at: https://www.qmilkfiber.eu/?lang=en.
 Young Post. (n.d.). How technology contributes to sustainable fashion and what you can
do to help. [online] Available at: https://www.scmp.com/yp/report/latest-
reports/article/3066079/how-technology-contributes-sustainable-fashion-and-what
[Accessed 1 Nov. 2021].