Creating a New Strategy: How to communicate and brand “recycled clothes”

Creating a New Strategy: How to communicate and brand “recycled clothes”

Farias Garza, V.E.

Hultink, H.J. (mentor)
Vogtlander, J.G. (mentor)
Stroomer, E. (mentor)

Industrial Design Engineering

Product Innovation Management

Master of Science Strategic Product Design

2011-03-30

Textiles for Textiles project (T4T) was established to develop a new technology that will reduce the ecological impact of the post consumer textiles. The creation of this new technology lowers the recycling time, giving the T4T partners an opportunity to do new businesses with series of products made with recycled textiles. The T4T partners have decided to introduce these products in different markets starting with the workwear industry, since it is one of the T4T partner’s expertise. Groenendijk Bedrijfsschoenen en -Kleding B.V. has ten years of experience in the workwear industry, they have establish its own factory and have a personal concern in sustainable issues. Dealing with sustainable products offers a series of challenges that have been studied and documented in literature research. The lack of motivation, the mistrust in the sustainable claims, the green brand-wash and lack of sustainable knowledge are some of the judgments that the recycled workwear will need to overcome. It is indispensable to understand Groenendijk customer’s motivations, since it is this motivation what allows them to comply with their client’s requirements. Workwear customers have the priorities like pricing, integrated services, supplier trustworthiness and sustainability, when is affordable and have confirmation of claims. The sustainable intentions vary according to the company’s public image and their manager’s personal commitment with the environmental causes. In general, the sustainable textile market is saturated with different variations of products that have no tangible manifestation of its sustainable origin. To distinguish the product advantages in the eco-products it is necessary to have an extensive knowledge of the ecological impact of the textile processes. Hence, to provide the general customers a precise purchase incentive, it is required to communicate tangible advantages of the recycled workwear. With a new brand, the T4T project and Groenendijk would give their potential customers all the information necessary to understand, adopt, commercialize and buy recycled products. Furthermore, it also provides businesses and users with incentives that will generate brand awareness and loyalty, hoping that in the future everybody will develop a sustainable textile consciousness.

branding strategy
sustainability
recycling
textiles
B2B
market strategy

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:b2e3b3dc-e7d1-4dc0-96fd-f4ce4b5aeac0

Campus only

Student theses

master thesis

(c) 2011 Farias Garza, V.E.