Master thesis in Sustainable Development 2020/23 Examensarbete i Hållbar utveckling Circular business models in the fashion industry: A consumer perspective on renting everyday clothes. Jana Sczyka DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES INSTITUTIONEN FÖR GEOVETENSKAPER Master thesis in Sustainable Development 2020/23 Examensarbete i Hållbar utveckling Circular business models in the fashion industry: A consumer perspective on renting everyday clothes. Jana Sczyka Supervisor: Cecilia Mark-Herbert Subject Reviewer: Thomas Zobel Copyright © Jana Sczyka and the Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University Published at Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University (www.geo.uu.se), Uppsala, 2020 Table of content 1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Problem background ....................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Problem ........................................................................................................................................... 2 1.3 Aim and delimitations .................................................................................................................... 3 1.4 Outline ............................................................................................................................................ 4 2 Theoretical frameworks ...................................................................................................................... 5 2.1 Business models ............................................................................................................................. 5 2.2 Sustainable business models ........................................................................................................... 5 2.3 A circular business model .............................................................................................................. 6 2.4 Product service systems .................................................................................................................. 9 2.4.1 Use-oriented product service systems in the fashion industry .............................................. 10 2.4.2 Use-oriented product service systems focused on consumers in the fashion industry .......... 11 2.5 Social practice theory ................................................................................................................... 12 2.6 Three-element social practice framework .................................................................................... 13 3 Method ................................................................................................................................................ 15 3.1 Research design ............................................................................................................................ 15 3.2 Literature review .......................................................................................................................... 15 3.3 Semi-structured interviews ........................................................................................................... 16 3.3.1 Choice of participants ............................................................................................................ 16 3.3.2 Data collection ....................................................................................................................... 17 3.4 Data analysis ................................................................................................................................. 17 3.5 Quality assurance and ethical considerations ............................................................................... 17 3.6 Delimitations ................................................................................................................................ 18 4 Presentation and analysis of the interview results .......................................................................... 20 4.1 Rental and sharing ........................................................................................................................ 20 4.2 Clothes consumption .................................................................................................................... 21 4.2.1 Description of the wardrobe .................................................................................................. 22 4.2.2 How to choose everyday clothes? ......................................................................................... 22 4.2.3 Sustainability and the trust in retailers .................................................................................. 25 4.3 Clothes rental ................................................................................................................................ 26 4.3.1 Interest in renting clothes ...................................................................................................... 26 4.3.2 Reasons for renting garments ................................................................................................ 27 4.3.3 Which garments to rent ......................................................................................................... 27 4.3.4 Renting at everyday clothes retailers ..................................................................................... 27 4.3.5 Obstacles for renting clothes ................................................................................................. 28 4.3.6 Is renting a more sustainable way of consuming clothes? .................................................... 29 5 Changing focus towards practices ................................................................................................... 30 5.1 Materials ....................................................................................................................................... 31 5.2 Competences ................................................................................................................................. 31 5.3 Meanings ...................................................................................................................................... 32 5.4 Reflections on theory and methodology ....................................................................................... 32 5.5 Suggestions for further research ................................................................................................... 33 6 Conclusions ........................................................................................................................................ 34 Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................... 36 Bibliography .......................................................................................................................................... 37 Appendix ............................................................................................................................................... 42 Interview Guide .................................................................................................................................. 42 i List of figures Figure 1: Overview of the thesis outline. ............................................................................................................... 4 Figure 2. Outline of a circular economy. ................................................................................................................ 7 Figure 3. Growth of clothing sales and decline in clothing utilization since 2000. ............................................. 11 Figure 4. The three-element social practice framework. ....................................................................................... 13 Figure 5: Criteria that are considered when choosing everyday clothes. .............................................................. 23 Figure 6. Questions from interview guide that can be classified into the three-element model. ......................... 30 List of tables Table 1. Overview of respondents for data collection ........................................................................................... 16 Table 2. Techniques for establishing validity in case studies ................................................................................. 18 Table 3. Identified criteria when respondents describe their clothes consumption ............................................... 21 Table 4. Criteria that are considered when choosing everyday clothes ................................................................. 23 ii Circular business models in the fashion industry: A consumer perspective on renting everyday clothes. JANA SCZYKA Sczyka, J., 2020: Circular business models in the fashion industry: A consumer perspective on renting everyday clothes. Master thesis in Sustainable Development at Uppsala University, No. 2020/23, 42 pp, 15 ECTS/hp. Abstract: This study identifies enabling factors for a circular business model that focuses on use-oriented services in the fashion industry. The objective is to provide an overview of the possibilities of use-oriented services for sustainability and to determine motives for renting everyday clothes from a consumer perspective. The clothing industry is one of the most polluting and unsustainable business industries