Green Gown Awards 2020 - University of Glasgow - Finalist

Digitalising sustainable consumption

We wear clothing every day, but how do we understand and manage the impact our clothing choices? Would a digital tool work within a clothing context to influence more sustainable behaviours? This project with start-up app “Save Your Wardrobe” (SYW) examines the role of digitalisation in changing how consumers respond to, manage, and maintain more sustainable approaches to clothing.  

The project brings together the vision of SYW, with expert consumer researchers from University of Glasgow. SYW is a digital wardrobe management platform and ecosystem of services that guides users to make the most of their wardrobe, reduce waste, and engage users with their purchases and existing clothing. Using a qualitative depth approach, we explored existing clothing behaviours and how the app could be used as a digital sustainable solution.  

The findings evidenced the market for the app and investment, and were disseminated widely with academic, practitioner and policy audiences. 

Top 3 learnings:

1. Knowledge exchange: let the project flourish and develop over time. 
2. Understanding consumer approaches to sustainability is complex and requires an active time investment. 
3. Collaboration is key in approaching real world sustainability problems with impact. 

Videos

• Video #1 (click to hide)