Chiam Sheng Yeow (FoE), Huang Shaoqi Kenneth (FoS), Leong Ze Xi (FASS), Lim Yi Qian (FoE), Shane Ee Wei Lee (FASS)
Academic Advisor: Mr. Lim Cheng Puay
Industry Advisor: Mr. Aloysius Sng (Refash)
Textile waste poses a significant environmental problem in affluent countries. In Singapore, more than 150, 000 tonnes of textile waste was discarded with only 8 percent recycled. This project explores the growing unsustainability of the textile industry due to increasing textile waste and the reasons behind this, such as growing consumption and poor disposal habits. We chose NUS students as our target group because NUS students fit the profile of the largest consumer group (young adults) and hence contribute the most towards clothes wastage. Also, the reason why we’re holding this in NUS is because many students participate in existing initiatives like the Green Wardrobe and Green Bazaar. A preliminary survey on 230 NUS students during the Chinese New Year break concluded that our solution to target disposal habits should include monetary incentives and promote convenience in order to be effective. Hence, our proposed solution to reduce textile wastage is to bring the concept of thrift shops to NUS, which involves a combination of convenience and incentive to recycle. We hope that through this experience, more young adults will be more open purchasing used clothing and hence lessening the environmental impact of textile waste.
Keywords: Waste Management, Culture and Lifestyle Trends, Responsible Consumption, Fast Fashion, Incentives