A third theme of our research is in the area of sustainability and the environmental impact of textiles. We have focused on the sustainability of textiles during consumer use and laundering. There is a connection here to research on odour and textiles. Odour build-up in clothing is one reason people launder their clothing more frequently than they may otherwise. They may also discard clothing before it has otherwise worn out (e.g., degradation through abrasion and/or loss of colour) due to an accumulation of body odours in clothing fabrics. This intensifies the amount of post-consumer waste, increases energy and water use and takes a further toll on the environment.
Related Publications
Degenstein, L., McQueen, R. H., Krogman, N. T., & McNeill, L. S. (2023). Integrating product stewardship into the clothing and textile industry: Perspectives of New Zealand stakeholders. Sustainability, 15(5), 4250. DOI: doi.org/10.3390/su15054250
McQueen, R. H., McNeill, L., Huang, Q., & Potdar, B. (2022). Unpicking the gender gap: Examining socio-demographic factors and repair resources in clothing repair practice. Recycling, 7(4), 53. DOI: doi.org/10.3390/recycling7040053
McQueen, R. H., Jain, A., McNeill, L. S., & Kozlowski, A. (2022). The role of resources in repair practice: Engagement with self, paid and unpaid clothing repair by young consumers. Textile Research Journal, 93(3-4), 576-591 126516. DOI: 10.1177/00405175221123067
McQueen, R. H., Moran, L. J., Cunningham, C., & Hooper, P. M. (2021). Exploring the connection between odour and clothing disposal. The Journal of the Textile Institute, 112(11), 1859-1866. doi.org/10.1080/00405000.2020.1848114
Degenstein, L., McQueen, R. H., & Krogman, N. T. (2021). ‘What goes where’? Characterizing Edmonton’s municipal clothing waste stream and consumer clothing disposal. Journal of Cleaner Production, 260. 126516. DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126516
Degenstein, L., McQueen, R. H., McNeill, L., Hamlin, R., Wakes, S., and Dunn, L. (2020). Impact of physical condition on disposal and end-of-life extension of clothing. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 44(6), 586-596. DOI: 10.1111/ijcs.12590.
McNeill, L. S., Hamlin, R. P., McQueen, R. H., Degenstein, L., Wakes, S., Garrett, T. C., & Dunn, L. (2020). Waste not want not: Behavioural intentions toward garment life extension practices, the role of damage, brand and cost on textile disposal. Journal of Cleaner Production, 260. 121026. DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.121026
McQueen, R., Kowton, J., & Degenstein, L. Smell and sustainability: Can odour shorten the life span of clothing? In L. McNeill (Ed)., Transitioning to Sustainability: Transitioning to Responsible Consumption and Production. (pp. 130-152). MDPI: Basel, Switzerland.
McNeill, L., Hamlin, R., McQueen, R. H., Degenstein, L., Garrett, T., Dunn, L., and Wakes, S. Fashion sensitive young consumers and fashion garment repair: Emotional connections to garments as a sustainability strategy. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 44(4), 361-368. doi: doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.12572
McQueen, R. H., Moran, L. J., Cunningham, C., Hooper, P. M. & Wakefield, K. A-M. (2020). The impact of odour on laundering behaviour: An exploratory study. International Journal of Fashion Design Technology and Education, 13(1): 20-30. doi: 10.1080/17543266.2019.1682687.
McQueen, R. H., Batcheller, J. C., Moran, L. J., Zhang, H., & Hooper, P. M. (2017). Reducing laundering frequency to prolong the life of denim jeans. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 41(1), 36-45.