​American G
How can one know if they are making a positive impact on the environment with their clothing purchases?
Challenge
When it comes to the planet’s polluters, the relationship between fast fashion and the environment is often overlooked.
Because people don't buy new clothes on daily basis, they don't consider their fast fashion consumption and effort to reduce it to cause a significant impact on the environment.
Insights
Consumers hold companies and brands responsible to make an impact on a larger scale.
Idea
​Redesign clothing tags to enhance transparency and foster informed decisions
​01. Research
research approach
The environmental issue is a very complex topic that involves different stakeholders of a global system. Therefore, we decided to take top down approach where we go from the macro picture to the micro breakdown of the problem as we try to understand what are the layers of barriers that prevent people from taking environment-protecting action. ​
​starting point
We start with carbon tracking to observe people's behaviors toward environmental issues, and whether or not self-exposure results in an increase in environmental awareness
carbon tracking
​#1. How much are people aware of their impact on the environment as an individual?
Method | ​autoethnography
We asked 8 participants to track every carbon-consuming activity throughout the day.
FINDINGS
The invisibles Constant usage of things that people don't see
Fridge
Public AC
Behavior change Sense of guilt change before and after tracking
Before
After
Levels of complexity Upstream and downstream carbon producing components of an activity
Shampoo
Dryer
Shower
​Water
Toothpaste
Lotion
Passive carbon emitter Carbon producing things that people don't control but use anyways
​Lights
Wifi
people have the tendency to underestimate their energy consumption
The list below contains consumption that people are most famillar with, let alone less obvious consumptions they are not aware off
What they thought
"I only charge once a day"
"Heat might be the most engery intensive, but I mostly just microwave very quick."
" That seems like a lot of water, but what am I supposed to do?"
" I never thought about it. I can't live without it."
" It cause air pollution."
" I heard lights doesn't consume much energy compared to other appliances."
what it actually is
70kg/year
8 tonnes/year
Not alarming
95kg/year
8 tonnes/year
152kg/ year
200kg/ year
​Alarming
Phone (continuious)
Cooking (1hour/day)
Shower (15 minutes/day)
Laptop (6-7hours/ day)
Car (1hour/day)
Lights (6-7hours/ day)
#2. What are common barriers to tracking one footprint?
Method | ​interview
​We conducted semi-structured interviews conducted through zoom and in person.
Participants
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AX | 25 years old | Environmental Policy graduate Student | Northeastern University
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VT | 36 years old | Senior Finance Manager | Amazon
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TX | 30 years old | Product Manager | Abt Assocications
Overarching themes
VISIBILITY
Awareness of product's impact
PURCHASE DECISION
​Weighing factors while making purchases
knowledge
Knowledge of environmental issues
LACK OF AGENCY
Things outside buyers control
MOTIVATORS
Emotional drivers for behaviors changes
COMMITMENT
Actionable long-term commitment
UNCERTAINTY
Limitations with tracking
RESPONSIBILITY
Accountability of stakeholders
UNRELIABLE SYSTEM
Lack of faith among governing systems
FINDINGS
tracking limitations
1
People don't like tracking because the tracking tools are time-consuming and not user friendly.
Interpretations
-
Carbon tracking has limitations
-
Does carbon tracking lead to any behavior changes, actions?
-
Maybe it's just a starting point to increase awareness
-
​What are other ways to quantify the impact rather than a carbon footprint number?
It was very frustrating with the calculation and conversion. It's just all over the place.
​"
​"
motivators
2
​There are emotional drivers for behavior changes beside tracking such as impactful images, self-motivation, inspiration, rewards.
Interpretations
-
​Targeting people's emotion to get people to take climate actions
-
Personalized messages based on past experience or things that people are familiar with or can relate.
I saw the video about a turtle with all the straws in his nose. Then, he died. That image forever stuck in my head.
​"
​"
visibility
3
The visibility of the product's impact on the environment is not obvious to the users.
Interpretations
-
​ It is uneasy for people to quantify and compare the impacts a product has on the environment.
-
​Environmental concerns doesn't always come across their mind unless they're reminded.
-
​Visuals are better them dry numbers.
I don't know if this is more sustainable than that and how much it matters.
​"
​"
responsibility,
​lack of agency
4
People take measures to reduce environmental impact, but think that many are insignicant.
Interpretations
-
Responsibility should be on coporations, companies making products, or third party trackers?
-
Consumers need to well-informed and detailed guidance on how to make better choice.
The impact that I'm making to the world by using reusable straw or shopping bags, I don't think is very big.
​"
​"
purchase decision
5
Tradeoff between price, convenience, and sustainability.
Interpretations
-
Although people know it's bad for the environment, they can't do it differently because of their tight budget and time limit.
-
​How do we design to tip the balance in favor of sustainability over price?
​But if it's available right there, and the price is not substaincially different, I would probably pick the sustainable option.
​"
​"
#3. Who should take responsibility?
" I don't think I'm making that much impact. I buy clothes a few times a year, mostly crop tops that are just tiny pieces of fabric."
" I think companies and brands should take more responsibility because they produce and market their clothes. They have more control and can make an impact on a larger scale."
" Fashion industry sets new trend every year. They can do the same with the environment, not just the style."
" How do I know if this shirt is more sustainable than that shirt?"
02. Define
goal
Enhance Transparency
Foster Informed Decisions
Provide transparent and easily understandable information about the environmental impact of the garment
Influence consumer purchase decisions and encourage the adoption of eco-friendly practices by equipping them with relevant information
Raise Awareness
Raise awareness not only among consumers but also within the fashion industry, stakeholders, and policymakers to catalyze discussions and actions towards a more sustainable future for fashion.
target audience
​20-30 years old
People who are environmentally conscious and somewhat aware of their impact. They are bound by price and generally are working within a budget.
Persona #1
Anna
​thrifter
“I start my lazy Sunday morning with a cup of Starbucks and drive to my local Goodwill. I love having a good chat with those staffs at the store. They are cool.”
Age: 22
Location: Boston, MA
Occupation: College student
Income: 32k
Status: Single with a dog
Aesthetics: Vintage high rise straight leg jeans, ankle boots, big hoops, sweater vest, cropped puffer jacket
Persona #2
Josh​minimalist
“I don’t go shopping often. Most of the clothes I have is my wife bought for me. I don’t have any particular style. I just wear what is comfortable.”
Age: 32
Location: Atlantic City, New Jersey
Occupation: Software Consultant
Income: 96k
Status: Married
Aesthetics: Black jeans, plaid blue flannel, black Converse sneakers, beanie on cold days, headphones always on
journey map
03. Ideate
​concept branstorming
After developing a journey map highlighting key touchpoints in the user's experience with clothing and the environment, I identified 3 critical "nudge" points where design interventions could effectively encourage more sustainable choices. With these touchpoints as focal points, I organized brainstorming sessions that brought together a diverse group of participants, including designers, sustainability experts, and potential users. From these collaborative sessions, three compelling concepts emerged.
In-store thrift section
Allow stores to accept and resell old clothes donated by shoppers
Standardize the label
Focus on promoting sustainability information alongside price details, fostering awareness and conscious decision-making
Badge of honor
Repurpose "useless" side tags into ironable tags, enabling users to add their purchase date as a decorative piece, fostering a deeper connection to their clothing
​Tags redesign
After thorough consideration and team discussions, I have reached a decision to move forward with the "Standardize the label" concept. However, in order to ensure a practical and achievable implementation, I narrowed down the scope by focusing on redesigning the clothing tag. It allows me to focus on a specific aspect of the concept, ensuring that I can implement meaningful changes effectively.
​hypothesis
Redesign price tag to promote
sustainability over price.
The idea
Presenting information (besides price) to customers at the point of purchase can change their purchase decisions.
Specifically, having sustainability tags precede price tags makes customers more likely to purchase a sustainable clothing option.
Why redesign the
sustainability tag?
Based on our initial survey and in-store observation, we find that when shopping, people look at tags for price, size, and brief product descriptions such as materials, limited editions, etc, but sustainability information.
Consumers
​Make purchase decision based on price
The product's environmental impact doesn't justify the price
Sustainability information is too general and not memorable and helpful
​Consumers don't think their effort is significant
​The sustainability tag is not visible
​Precedent research
​What are sustainability tags lacking?
To find out what to include on the sustainability tag, we look at how different businesses promote their sustainability practice and influence consumer behaviors through different touchpoints.
​
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Brand websites
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Physical clothing tags
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Thank you notes
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Certifications Labels
​brand websites
​clothing tags
A separate detailed sustainability page on the website is usually presented on the menu to ensure visibility. It is usually an extension of information found on the price tag or a great channel to promote the brand.
​
Common sustainability claims:
-
Carbon offset
-
Transparency
-
​Self-imposed tax
Sustainability information is usually everywhere from inner tags to outer tags. If sustainability tag is put next to price tag, it has higher exposure.
​
General information includes:
-
Materials
-
Care instruction
-
​Factory location
Room for improvement - Design opportunities
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A lot of texts, minimal visuals
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Don't provide proof for sustainability claim
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Use technical terms that require people extra research
​thank you notes
-
Texts and visuals do not differentiate in colors, making the tag hard to read
-
Sustainability information is too general and not memorable and helpful
-
​The sustainability tag is all over the place and not easy to spot
Room for improvement - Design opportunities
​certification labels
Thank you notes leave a lasting impression of the customer’s purchase and give them something to remember the brand by. It is another touchpoint that gives brands extra space to be creative compared to the limited space of the price tags.
​
Thank you notes are usually:
-
​Personalized with names
-
If printed, usually designed on high quality paper
-
​If email, usually sent out quickly at the time of purchased
Most of the formats of the certifications were binary.
There are some brands that have given their self-acclaimed badges of ‘clean’ or sustainable. They set their own standards of sustainability and hold themselves accountable to those. These might not be as stringent and in turn maybe not as impactful.
​
Certifications are usually:
-
very small in the back or at the corner of the labels (food)
-
​cuttable on size tags (clothes)
​
Room for improvement - Design opportunities
-
Over-promote
-
Try to upsell
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Ask people to do extras: review, rating, make more purchases
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Talk more about the brand than the consumers
Room for improvement - Design opportunities
-
Requires the consumer to be educated about the particular certification
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Brands with self-acclaimed badges are 100% credible
-
How do people choose among the products without certifications? They still want to at least know which one is “less bad”
04. Prototype
​Based on the precedent research, we prototype 8 different tags and ask people to rank:
1. Based on the contents
​2. Based on the visuals
Longevity
Price justification
Self-tax
Glossary
Transparent emission
Carbon offset
People behind the brand
Transparent pricing
​overall Feedback
visuals
1
Favored tags with “big, loud, bright” numbers
2
Some tags were too text heavy: information went overlooked
3
Suggestions for other touchpoints for info (at the rack, checkout counter, the store entrance)
4
​Tag size & material makes information more credible
5
Product's impact needs to be carefully phrased to not backfire the brand
contents
9
Nobody checked the QR code without prompting
6
Want tag information related to specific garment being sold
10
Green wash and big statement is less resonating
7
Suggestions on pairing tags together
11
Genuine and personal language is more memorable
8
Tags with technical vocabs are hard to quantify the impact
12
Most tags don't address consumer benefits
design implication
Double-sided tag with information pairing
Front
Specific to the product
Less but understandable text
​Include consumer's benefits
​Reasonable reason to scan for the QR code
Design #1
Promote sustainable product
Back
Front
More personal and humanized
Design #2
Promote sustainable company
Back
Provide explanation for technical term
​Big, bold number
05. Reflection
Limitations
​While the project aims to redesign clothing tags for transparency and sustainability education, it is essential to recognize and address potential limitations that could influence its implementation and impact. Some of the project limitations may include:
Industry Adoption
Encouraging fashion brands to adopt redesigned clothing tags might be challenging. Some brands may be resistant to change or hesitant to invest in new tag designs without clear evidence of the benefits.
Cost and Implementation
Implementing a large-scale redesign across the fashion industry may incur significant costs for brands. Convincing stakeholders of the long-term benefits might be necessary to overcome this limitation,
Data Accuracy
Gathering accurate and up-to-date sustainability information for each garment could be a limitation. Relying on brands to provide reliable data might be a challenge, especially if there are discrepancies in reporting practices.