The fashion industry is the second largest polluter in the world after the oil industry. According to the UN, this industry alone is responsible for 20% of wastewater. In a year, 342 million barrels of oil are used to make textile fibers, and in an average wash, about 7,000 microfibers can come out of our man-made (e.g., polyester) garments, contaminating our waters. Further research reveals that the fashion industry is responsible for 10% of global CO2 emissions, which is more than emissions from international flights and maritime transport combined. The problem exists throughout the textile industry. Fast fashion has encouraged people to throw out clothes (due to both low prices and less good quality materials). The fashion industry also has a significant impact on the labor market: one in six people in the world work in the textile and clothing industry. Compared to the 2000s, the average consumer buys 60 percent more clothing. There were 3 billion consumers in the global middle class in 2015, and by 2030 that number is estimated at 5.4 billion. If consumption continues at the current rate, it will need three times as many resources by 2050 as it did at the turn of the millennium. Therefore, it is also essential to address the issue of sustainability in the context of the fashion industry.
Our goal is to shape the attitudes of students and in general the young people and their institutions through a variety of experience-based programs. Our aim is to raise awareness of the effects of excessive consumption of fashion goods, to raise awareness of the pollution of the textile industry and to initiate a dialogue on sustainability issues in the fashion industry. Fashion is a very good communication interface and a channel for introducing the concept of sustainability, because the issue of self-expression and belonging to a group is a central topic for young people of university age. Because fashion involvement, the ability to innovate, and impulsivity are important factors in self expression, we have developed a program to which young people of any style and dress can boldly join. We have put together the program so that everyone can find the interface through which they can relate to the topic of sustainable fashion according to their interests and our studies. It is important to talk about sustainable fashion as widely as possible.
With our application, we want to implement a complex program in the field of sustainable fashion, which includes scientific research in the V4 countries. We would like to publish the results of the research in the form of professional articles and to present them in an understandable way in the mainstream media. In addition, the aim of the student/youngsters idea competition (Hackathon) is to activate young people to spread sustainable fashion. The goal of the innovative idea-competition is to educate, in a fun way, because experience has shown that it is easier, yet deeper, for youngsters to embrace what they hear. The aim is for the designers to produce the product in a sustainable way, and for students studying economics, business and other fields to prepare their business, financial and marketing plans and product introduction campaigns according to the principles of sustainability.
Project outputs:
- 80 deep interviews based on the 30-min. long semistructured interviews of the comprehensive research. It will result 5 interviews per subgroup (sustainable fashion consumer group; ‘normal’ fashion consumer group; sustainable fashion designers; ‘normal’ fashion designers), and 20 interviews per country;
- 1 scientific publication completed by the partnership;
- online survey/questionnaire, 1 per partner available in their mother-tongue at the end of the project;
- 4 comprehensive articles for ordinary people issued by the partner institutions;
- Draft designer's products per partner institutions as a kind-of timing device produced in the hackathon. There will be min. 5 products per partner institution, resulting all 20 pcs;
- Hackathon and a pitch event as a final competition to compare the young participants’ creativity, and other soft-skills. These events organised in parallel in the partner countries’ universities to reach young talented and creative people by the partners.
- Business, financial and marketing plans produced by the teams organised by the partners during the Hackathon. They are connected with the designers' products which should be spread by a well-developed business and marketing plan/model.
- ‘Werk’ videos and mood photos created by the teams during the Hackathon. There will be 5-5 videos and photo-sequence per partner institutions, resulting all 20 pcs.
Project duration: 01/09/2022 – 31/08/2023
Grant: 16 255 EUR
Project partners:
- Fashion Revolution Czech Republic – https://www.fashionrevolution.org/europe/czech-republic/
- Slovak Eco Quality – https://seq.sk/
- Fashion Revolution Poland Association – https://fashionrevolution.org/europe/poland
ECOFASHION 4V4 HACKATON
The Eco Fashion Hackathon is an international design and business competition. The goal of the innovative idea-competition is to educate in a fun way.. Through our hackathon we rethink the industry towards a more ethical, responsible and sustainable direction.
More information: http://ecofashion.metropolitan.hu/
The project is co-financed by the Governments of Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia through Visegrad Grants from International Visegrad Fund. The mission of the fund is to advance ideas for sustainable regional cooperation in Central Europe.
- Coordinator of the project: Szilágyi-Csüllög Mónika
- Coordinator's e-mail address: project@metropolitan.hu
- Coordinator's phone: +36-30-599-6598