Manual for a Sustainable Approach
PRODUCT END-OF-LIFE
Strategy for Aritzia
CURRENTLY: As far as product end-of-life, Aritzia has taken some steps to ensure its pre-consumer clothing waste is diverted from the landfill: • Working with local Vancouver women’s charities that support underprivileged women by donating clothing (Good 360, The Shoebox Project and Dress for Success)31. • Working with a Vancouver based company, Debrand, in order to sustainably dispose of the products it can no longer sell, through mechanical shredding of textiles that are later used to create rags for the the automotive industry or car insulation32. OPPORTUNITIES: Aritzia’s charitable efforts and internal waste recycling systems work mostly on eliminating leftover product after each season. However, a significant amount of post-consumer waste, to which Aritzia contributes, is being accumulated in the landfills. Aritzia should take responsibility and mitigate the amount clothing waste that gets disposed of as well as find ways to help the consumer dispose of it adequately by: •
Extending product lifespan by offering services such as tailoring with purchase, as well as mending and waranties on zippers.
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Offering Aritzia product take-back services in order to re-use fabrics and minimize the amount of waste in landfill.
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Labeling ways in which consumers should dispose of items, to decrease the amount of textile waste in the landfills, that could easily be repurposed or recycled.
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