Miriam Seifert: Time for Disruption in the Fashion Industry

Selwyn Community Education is based at Selwyn College, Kohimarama, Auckland.

Increases in purchasing and consumption habits have led to increases in waste and pollution around the world. Companies adopted a 'take, make and dispose' approach, which led to unimaginable repercussions for society and environment.

Some of these effects are visible within the fashion industry. 2,700 litres of water (one person's drinking water for almost three years) is needed to produce one cotton T-shirt, and about 10,000 litres of water for a pair of jeans (Duncan, 2018; WWF, 2013) Textiles account for 4 per cent of all waste sent to New Zealand landfills according to Ministry for the Environment figures (Meij, 2017).

The concept of a circular economy or the regenerative economy seems to provide a solution to some societal and environmental problems. The circular economy and businesses adopting a circular business model focus on maximising the lifespans of good. Goods and materials are reused, recycled and upcycled to avoid goods ending up in landfills. Companies adopting a circular business model have demonstrated innovative strategies of reducing the environmental impact of goods.

About Miriam Seifert
Miriam Seifert holds a Master of International Business with first class honours from the University of Auckland where she is currently undertaking doctoral studies within the field of Marketing and Strategic Management. Miriam's research focuses on understanding dynamic environments and strategies arising from continuously changing environments, particularly fashion, and explores how constant change challenges a business's ability to achieve competitive advantage.

Prior to life in New Zealand, Miriam worked as a marketer in Europe. Miriam has won the 3-Minutes Thesis at the University of Auckland, was a finalist at the Asia-Pacific 3 Minute Thesis last year and spoke about her research at Raising the Bar this year. Through her research, she hopes to raise awareness of consumption and its negative effects on society.

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