Data for product longevity: Data-driven strategies for effective clothing longevity

Design for Longevity (DFL) is one of the strategies emphasised to counteract and reduce the current overproduction and overconsumption of clothes and thus contribute to CO2 reduction [1]. However, there is a lack of data to measure the actual effect of employing a DFL strategy, which leaves companies to base their longevity strategies on assumptions and hypotheses.
The PROLONG project aims to identify the data collection points and pertaining data types needed for measuring and qualifying DFL strategies and product LCAs with a focus on CO2 impact beyond production. The area of research thus focuses on the assumptions and practices of companies and users
aiming at clothing longevity, including users’ interaction with clothing products from the point of sale and the subsequent use, maintenance, and disposal. Based on the identified collection points, the project executes pilot studies to qualify data collection strategies and the relevance of data sets. Finally, the project
exemplifies how this kind of data can influence companies' communication about the effects of their longevity strategies. The project addresses two communication levels in relation to DFL strategies. First, the potential to influence user behaviour through transparent communication, and second the communication with authorities to ensure compliance with future legislation.
The project will identify a minimum of six relevant data-collection points and develop data-collection concepts for each of the six collection points. These will be identified through a gap analysis of the partner
companies and users’ longevity strategies and expectations compared with their actual behavior and the associated environmental effect. Further, the project will analyse and evaluate insights for scalability of the data collection as well as develop recommendations for the partner companies to implement the design
and business strategies for data-driven product longevity.

Prolong - Design for Longevity

Design for Longevity er en af de strategier, der lægges vægt på for at imødegå og reducere den nuværende overproduktion og overforbrug af tøj og dermed bidrage til CO2-reduktion.
Imidlertid er der mangel på data til at måle den faktiske effekt af at anvende en levetids-strategi, hvilket betyder, at virksomhederne må basere deres levetidsstrategier på antagelser og hypoteser.
Formålet med PROLONG-projektet er at identificere de dataindsamlingspunkter og tilhørende datatyper, der er nødvendige for at måle og kvalificere lang levetids-strategier og produkters livstidscykler (LCA'er) med fokus på CO2-påvirkning ud over produktionen.
Baseret på de identificerede indsamlingspunkter gennemfører projektet pilotstudier for at kvalificere dataindsamlingsstrategier og relevansen af datasæt. Projektet adresserer to kommunikationsniveauer i forhold til DFL-strategier:
1.potentialet for at påvirke brugeradfærd gennem gennemsigtig kommunikation
2.kommunikationen med myndighederne for at sikre overholdelse af kommende lovgivning.
Desuden vil projektet analysere og evaluere indsigter for skalering af dataindsamlingen samt udvikle anbefalinger til partnervirksomhederne for at implementere design- og forretningsstrategier for datastyret produktlevetid.
Partnere: Aalborg Universitet, VIA, DTU, Designskolen Kolding, Tekstilrevolutionen ApS, Andersen & Andersen, Jan Machenhauer, By Malene Birger A/S, NN07, Mark Kenly Domino Tan ApS, Aiayu ApS, Week of Wonder, H. H. S. & Co. ApS og MICollect Aps

● Establish the predominant DFL strategies within the partner companies and identify potential gaps between assumed and actual company and user behaviour.
● Identify six relevant data collection points based on participating companies stated DFL strategies and identified user behaviour.
● Develop data-collection concepts, and analyse and evaluate insights for scalability
● Assess environmental benefits of DFL via LCA
● Develop recommendations for partner companies to implement the design and business strategies for data-driven product longevity.