This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. SUSTAINABILITY TEACHING ISSUE METHODOLOGY HANDBOOK II INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR SUSTAINABILITY IN EDUCATION ERASMUS+KA2 Strategic Partnership CASE STUDIES This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. AUTHORS: Jesús BOYANO (INFODEF – Institute for the promotion of Development and Training) Federico CAMPOS (INFODEF – Institute for the promotion of Development and Training) Alena CHISTIAKOVA (Lappeenranta University of Technology) Silvia DAMME (CBS International Business School) Zsuzsanna GYŐRI (Budapest Business School) Yahya KHAN (University of Miskolc) Daria PODMETINA (Lappeenranta University of Technology) Rok RAMŠAK (IEDC - Bled School of Management) Albana RASHA (Leeds Beckett University) Marina SCHMITZ (CBS International Business School) Krisztina SZEGEDI (Budapest Business School) REVIEWER: Brian JONES (Leeds Beckett University) EDITOR: Rok RAMŠAK (IEDC - Bled School of Management) DESIGN: László VARGA (Budapest Business School) Ottó VARGA (Budapest Business School) © Copyright by ISSUE Project Partners, 2021. This work, as whole or as excerpts, may not be reproduced or distributed with the use of any electronic, mechanical, copying, recording or other devices. It cannot be reproduced or distributed on the Internet without the written permission of the copyright holder. ISBN 978-615-5607-94-3 Project number 2018-1-HU01-KA202-047730 ISSUE - Innovative Solutions for SUstainability in Education CONTENTS 03 CONTENTS 16 CASE 2: We All Need to Dress – But at WHAT Cost? An Introduction to Current Practices and Developments in the Fashion Industry 04 INTRODUCTION 07 CASE 1: RESQ CLUB CASE STUDY 41 CASE 3: MagNet Hungarian Community Bank 67 CASE 4: Future of Mobility 74 CASE 5: Lana Serena, a luxury knitting firm that protects sheep 81 CASE 6: Integrated Sustainability: Unilever’s Sustainable Plan INTRODUCTION It has been one of the main aims of the ISSUE project to encourage and promote development of high-quality case teaching materials, especially cases that are relevant within local and regional contexts. Especially important we see the need for development of case-writing capabilities of faculty within European countries which have now adopted the case teaching method more widely, but are still lacking locally produced and truly locally relevant cases. There is a need to increase the use and quality of case studies as a teaching methodology, to increase the output of high quality cases with local context and relevance, as well as to boost case writing and case teaching capabilities within higher education institutions. To support development of new case studies within the ISSUE project partners organized a dedicated two-day Case Writing and Teaching Workshop drawing on experience from previous projects. The workshop covered topics of origin and theory of the case teaching method, overview of the case preparation process, strengths and weaknesses of the case method, what makes a good case, how to develop gathered primary and secondary research material into a teaching case, how to prepare effective teaching notes based on specific learning objectives, how to manage an effective class discussion and how to evaluate learning outcomes. All project participants were asked to prepare short case study drafts, on which they worked on in support of a mentor even after the workshop to further develop them into formats suitable for teaching. Expert reviews, as well as peer to peer feedback, were used to further support participants’ work. An important point was made that a case can and should regularly be modified and updated. After historical overview, the session moved to the mechanics of producing a case study. Case writers follow a simple, but important structure. • First meet with the company to establish trust and scan the territory. • Identify key issues, players, road blocks, etc. • Conceptualize the case - visualize how the case is going to be taught and use deduction method to reverse engineer it. • Write a working outline which shows the building blocks. • Find a sponsor who can publish the case. • Get written authorization to prepare and publish the case. • It is important to know that a case is not just to illustrate the “ten key steps” to good management, or to tell an interesting story, but it is a means to help students develop independent judgment. We have outlined several guide points which could help case writers write good cases: • Make sure to write a case and not just a story; • The case should tackle relevant and important issues; • The case is a journey of discovery and can always have surprises; • Controversy helps; • Comparison and contrasts are important ingredients; • The case or parts of it have to be generalizable; • The case needs a right amount of data; • The case should have a nice flow for the reader; • Keep it short; • Add a personal touch. INTRODUCTION 5 INTRODUCTION SUSTAINABILITY TEACHING CASE STUDIES ISSUE METHODOLOGY HANDBOOK II To help case writers develop and tell a good story, we have developed a simple case worksheet and it can be freely used. For a good story line, a case writer should outline the (1) Setting; (2) When; (3) Where; (3) Context; (4) Characters; (5) The Story; (6) Urgency; (7) Importance; (8) Consequences. A good case is not just a well-written document, a teaching tool, or even an engaging story about a compelling management issue. A good case should be considered as an opportunity to embark on a personal journey of discovery for the case writer, the case teacher, and the student. It should open horizons instead of closing them, raise new questions instead of merely answering them, and provide a forum for personal development and growth. When approaching teaching with case method, educators should keep in mind that case studies are about (1) developing a subject through planned assignment, study and discussion of cases; that (2) placement of cases is a function of learning criteria: and that (3) generalizations should come in later stages of the educational process. The case method may fail when we use old, long, irrelevant, and too descriptive cases. Or, on the other hand, the method may also fail if the teacher is poorly prepared, does not listen to students, or is afraid to lose control and is overly dogmatic. We would recommend a simple set of questions which may help educators with their first steps or when trying to improve their practice of case study methodology. • Open – what do you think of this company? • Diagnostic – what are these numbers telling you or why is this company losing money? • Challenging – what is the basis for your decision? • Action oriented – how do we do this or who do you talk to? • Predictive – how will competition react if we follow your advice? • Priority – which is the most important problem/issue here? • Hypothetical – what would have happened if we had lowered the price? To help students make progress with questions, make sure to: • Avoid questions about case facts; • Return questions asked by the students; • Use short summaries; • Reformulate what has just been said; • Play the devil’s advocate only after a solid relationship has been established; • Lead students to uncharted territories. Case teaching method has a potential to be very rewarding and may be very enjoyable to the students as well as the educator. However, it takes time to learn how to use the methodology appropriately with best recipe for success being a lot of practice. Educators can always start by using simple and short cases and progress to more complex ones as they get more comfortable, and the same goes for writing cases. To support business schools in their effort to give responsibility and sustainability greater prominence and bring it to a higher level at their own institutions, ISSUE project partners have made a selection of Teaching Case Studies connected with various aspects of sustainability, together with accompanying teaching notes. All cases are free to use in classrooms. 6 INTRODUCTION SUSTAINABILITY TEACHING CASE STUDIES ISSUE METHODOLOGY HANDBOOK II CASE 1 : RESQ CLUB CASE STUDY 8 CASE 1: RESQ CLUB CASE STUDY CASE 1 : RESQ CLUB CASE STUDY Lappeenranta University of Technology, Finland Authors Daria Podmetina and Alena Chistiakova (Lappeenranta University of Technology) Background information ResQ Club is a Finnish company, which connects sustainability-oriented food businesses, such as restaurants, cafes, bakeries and supermarkets, and customers who appreciate a fast and affordable way of getting high-quality food. The company was founded in 2015 in Helsinki as a response to the inherent problem existing in the food industry: unpredictable demand from the customers is difficult to match with sufficient supply, which results in plenty of food waste at the end of the day. ResQ Club set an ambitious goal of reducing food waste to zero in restaurants, cafes, and supermarkets, which accords to 10-15% of world food waste. ResQ Club developed an app, which shows users an available surplus food with prices, location and pick-up time. The app is designed to be easy to use for both businesses and customers. It has only three steps: the restaurants and cafes list their surplus meals, customers pay for it directly in the app, and then pick it up during the defined time window. The offerings usually have a 50% discount on regular price, which creates a win-win situation: customers get a high-quality food for half price, while restaurants profit from the meals, which otherwise would have been thrown in a bin. Also, there is a minimum waiting time for the customers because the meal is getting packed for take-away soon after the order is placed. During 4 years of operation, ResQ Club has grown from five to 17 people, 30% of which are engaged in sales. ResQ Club team is united by a common mission for eliminating food waste in Europe by 2030 in the food and hospitality sector, which falls perfectly in line with three SDGs, namely 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), 12 (Responsible Production and Consumption) and 13 (Climate Action). Raising awareness about the environmental impact of food waste is an important part of their sustainability agenda. So, from the onset, the team had been devising a plan on how to do it more effectively. Picture Source www.resq-club.com/sell SUSTAINABILITY TEACHING CASE STUDIES ISSUE METHODOLOGY HANDBOOK II https://doi.org/10.29180/ISSUEII.21.1 9 CASE 1: RESQ CLUB CASE STUDY CASE 1 : RESQ CLUB CASE STUDY THE CHALLENGES Case Study – Part One How big is a big problem? The role of food waste in climate change has been vastly overlooked. Sometimes we throw away a packet of expired milk or leave some food on a plate while dining out, and it does not seem to be a big deal. In 2015, ResQ Club founders have been thinking over and over again how to make people SEE the full scale of a problem. Apart from their devotion to sustainability and desire to save the planet, they understood that the success of their business largely depended on how convincing their sustainability message will be. Founders knew that there were several attempts to establish businesses in reducing food waste from restaurants, neither of which was particularly successful. Spending some time on research, the founders unearthed many impressive facts, such as: • According to FAO 1 , approximately 30% of all produced food goes to waste annually; • UN Environment reports that about 2/3 of household waste is due to food spoilage from not being used in time, whereas the other 1/3 is caused by people cooking or serving too much 2 ; • The food that currently goes to garbage in Europe could feed 200 million people (FAO, 2013). ResQ Club is a Finnish company, which connects sustainability-oriented food businesses, such as restaurants, cafes, bakeries and supermarkets, and customers who appreciate a fast and affordable way of getting high-quality food. The company was founded in 2015 in Helsinki as a response to the inherent problem existing in the food industry: unpredictable demand from the customers is difficult to match with sufficient supply, which results in plenty of food waste at the end of the day. ResQ Club set an ambitious goal of reducing food waste to zero in restaurants, cafes, and supermarkets, which accords to 10-15% of world food waste. The founders have been thinking hard on how to make this statistical information relatable to people on the street. They all agreed that the message should be more vivid and emotionally charged then scientifically dry, and also make people reflect on their everyday choices and behaviors contributing to their personal food waste. 1 Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations, www.fao.org 2 UN Environment research in a frame of the Think.Eat.Save Initiative, a partnership between UNEP and FAO, www.unenvironment.org Picture Source www.sustainability-times.com SUSTAINABILITY TEACHING CASE STUDIES ISSUE METHODOLOGY HANDBOOK II 10 CASE 1: RESQ CLUB CASE STUDY CASE 1 : RESQ CLUB CASE STUDY However, while some founders suggested that it is better to appeal to people’s environmental consciousness and responsibility for the planet, the others argued that economical aspect should also be mentioned as not all people are driven by purely environmental motives. During an increasingly heated debate, one of the founders exclaimed that some people are more concerned about their family and own wellbeing than the food decaying in some remote landfill. The other in turn reminded about the societal impact of food waste and that while we forget about vegetables in a fridge until they get mold, people in some disadvantaged countries are starved and malnourished. After calming down a bit, they decided to find more information describing the detrimental impact of food waste on (1) ecology, (2) economy, (3) personal wellbeing and (4) society. They also entertained the idea that people would be better motivated towards sustainable behavior if they are shown how much they can save (resources, time, money, etc.) by doing so. Activity A (5 minutes) Think of your own contribution to the problem of food waste and your behaviors that lead to it. Discuss within the group. Activity B (30 minutes) With your group, step into the ResQ Club founders’ shoes and explore the impacts of food waste using reliable sources . Based on the information you have to date, make a short presentation (2-3 slides) explaining to the target audience the detrimental effects of food waste. • Group 1. We should focus on the impact of food waste problem on ecology. • Group 2. We should focus on the impact of food waste problem on the economy. • Group 3. We should focus on the impact of food waste problem on personal wellbeing. • Group 4. We should focus on the impact of food waste problem on society. Activity C (40 minutes) Present your ideas and information you found to the class (5 min per group). Discuss with other groups what should be a priority focus area for the message ResQ Club will convey to prospective customers. SUSTAINABILITY TEACHING CASE STUDIES ISSUE METHODOLOGY HANDBOOK II 11 CASE 1 : RESQ CLUB CASE STUDY Case Study – Part Two Addressing problem on all fronts After studying all the presented information, ResQ Club founders decided to put the main focus on the environmental aspect of sustainability with monetary benefits for all involved also being mentioned. It formed its mission, which was proudly stated on the ResQ Club website. Alongside a smartphone application, the website provided a platform where local food distributors (restaurants, cafes, bakeries, and supermarket) and potential food consumers meet each other. However, the founders believed that their business idea could help to address food waste problem not only on the level of food distribution and consumption but across all value chain. This is a daring yet challenging enterprise for a small startup. Can ResQ Club actually make this difference in the food industry? Activity D (20 minutes) Examine Exhibit 1, which depicts the food loss and waste occurring across the value chain. Do you know the difference between food loss and food waste? Familiarize yourself with information on the FAO website (http://www.fao.org/food-loss-and-food-waste/en/). Based on the knowledge gained, discuss with the class how ResQ Club business idea can influence each level of the value chain. CASE 1: RESQ CLUB CASE STUDY SUSTAINABILITY TEACHING CASE STUDIES ISSUE METHODOLOGY HANDBOOK II 12 CASE 1: RESQ CLUB CASE STUDY CASE 1 : RESQ CLUB CASE STUDY Case Study – Part Three It starts with you ResQ Club started to spread across Finland. More and more partners were joining the ResQ network, mainly those who shared the sustainability values of the company. More and more people were ordering delicious and affordable food from sustainability-oriented providers. Restaurants and cafes that were showing a great and responsible example in their ResQ usage received a certificate, which was a good recommendation for prospective customers. The founders say that initially, they relied more on the word of mouth to bring their message forward. Later, they involved Instagram and Facebook. Their advertising strategy aimed to show thankful food rescuers, make company announcements, and, finally yet importantly, provide tips for developing sustainable behavior among their customers. The company believes that everyone can contribute to reducing food waste, and food rescuing is only one of the possible ways to do so. Activity E (20 minutes) Check the Instagram account of ResQ Club (resqclub) and familiarize yourself with the sustainability tips they offer. Surf the Internet for a while and enlist five things, which you could start doing today to reduce your food waste a.k.a carbon footprint. Discuss the best ideas with the class. SUSTAINABILITY TEACHING CASE STUDIES ISSUE METHODOLOGY HANDBOOK II 13 CASE 1 : RESQ CLUB CASE STUDY Case Study – Part Four Conquering the world Soon after its inception, ResQ Club successfully expanded to 39 cities in Finland and then proceeded to international market acquisition in Sweden, Germany, and Poland. It was quite a challenge as other countries differ in many aspects starting from currency and legislation down to attitude towards sustainability. The market entry strategy for Sweden would be very different from the strategy for China. According to the current ResQ Club CEO Samuli Böhm, the attitude of locals towards food waste problem is by far the most important thing to consider when developing a foreign market entry strategy. Activity F (20 minutes) Think of the obstacles in people’s attitude ResQ Club could face in your country. What can help to overcome those obstacles? Discuss it in the class. Picture Source www.thehub.fi Conclusion ResQ Club started as a venture of five individuals. However, moderate size did not prevent the company from showing impressive growth rates. For now, it has a well-developed network of 2 700 business partners in Finland, Sweden, Germany, and Poland who sell approximately 108 000 meals through the application monthly (65% of a total offer). ResQ Club team has proved that tackling one of the biggest sustainability challenges is possible for small startups and individuals, and it can be beneficial for all involved. In 2019, ResQ has been selected as one of the top 10 hottest start-ups in Finland by the Finnish Financial journal, Talouselämä. ResQ Club feels sure that they can achieve their goal and eliminate food waste in Europe by 2030. “Every meal purchased via ResQ is one less meal thrown away, helping our urban communities to waste less and be more sustainable”. ResQ Club SUSTAINABILITY TEACHING CASE STUDIES ISSUE METHODOLOGY HANDBOOK II CASE 1: RESQ CLUB CASE STUDY 14 CASE 1: RESQ CLUB CASE STUDY CASE 1 : RESQ CLUB CASE STUDY TEACHING NOTE 1: RESQ CLUB CASE STUDY Purpose of the case study This case study is developed to broaden understanding of sustainability issues related to the food waste among students and university staff. The case is based on a real organization operating in the Finnish food and hospitality industry. The presented material allows learners to participate in the development of the company’s business idea as well as have an insight into one of the most pressing environmental problems of today. The case study can be integrated into any subject where sustainability, business model innovation, business development, and customer-oriented approach are discussed. Also, as the case study does not require a deep background knowledge of any particular discipline, it can be used in any course as a tool for training learners' soft skills as well as raising their awareness about food waste impact on the environment and how this problem can be tackled. The case involves individual activities, group work, presentations, and additional learning, which can enhance both independent thinking and teamwork skills as well as communication, decision-making, and presentation skills. Learning outcomes By the end of the case, learners will: Understand the causes and consequences of the global food waste problem. Realize how businesses can participate in solving global issues in a sustainable way. Gain knowledge on how they can personally contribute to a better and sustainable world. Target audience This case study can be used by both Bachelor and Master students from any field but will be of particular value to students from Business and Management majors. Also, this case study can be included into training program for the university staff. Recommended time schedule Approximate timeframes for every activity are suggested in the case study. The teacher/instructor may allow additional time if it is requested by the learners and is in line with the class timetable. In total, case study should not take longer than 3 hours. It is advised to take a break after Part 1 of the case study is accomplished. SUSTAINABILITY TEACHING CASE STUDIES ISSUE METHODOLOGY HANDBOOK II 15 CASE 1 : RESQ CLUB CASE STUDY TEACHING PLAN Preparation For the teacher/instructor, preparation includes familiarizing themselves with the case study and the topic of sustainability (if necessary). Additional reading can be recommended (e.g. The Global Sustainable Development Report 3 or any other reliable source of information). Learners should have stable access to internet, any device for information search, and a laptop/PC with MS PowerPoint or similar software for presentation preparation installed (at least one per group). Each group should be allocated a place in a classroom where the members of the group can comfortably discuss the case and work together. Introduction (10-15 min) The teacher/instructor can start by introducing the subject of sustainability and sustainable development challenges in a way that is the most suitable in terms of the course/educational event at hand. Then the teacher/instructor can narrow down the topic to the global and local food systems and related challenges in order to immerse learners into the topic. As this case study implies research, the teacher/instructor can provide the basics of information search (what are reliable resources, how information can be retrieved, etc.) and analysis if necessary. Learners should be divided into four groups for accomplishing case study tasks. It is recommended that groups consist of a maximum of five people. Then the case study is presented and distributed among groups (1 copy per learner). Working on the case (135 - 150 min, break is not included) Learners should be explained that the content quality of the presentation prevails over the design of the presentation, so they should devote more time to finding and presenting relevant information, rather to beautiful fonts and pictures. The teacher/instructor is encouraged to give constructive feedback on learners' presentations and ask open-ended questions in order to stir their thinking process. It is important to remember that controversial questions generate more discussion but also require additional attention from the teacher/instructor in order to prevent learners from heated and off-topic discussions. In this case, it is worth mentioning that the diversity of opinions and approaches is welcomed and beneficial for the learning process when it is constructive and respectful. The teacher/instructor should encourage learners to provide their own views, opinions, and conclusions and be critical about the information they collect from the sources. It is recommended to involve every learner in discussions. Closing (10-15 min) The teacher/instructor can congratulate learners with successful completion of the case and ask what new information they learned, how they are going to apply it in their studies/work/life, and what ideas this case study sparked in them. 3 GSDR-2019: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/24797GSDR_report_2019.pdf SUSTAINABILITY TEACHING CASE STUDIES ISSUE METHODOLOGY HANDBOOK II CASE 1: RESQ CLUB CASE STUDY CASE 2 : WE ALL NEED TO DRESS – BUT AT WHAT COST? AN INTRODUCTION TO CURRENT PRACTICES AND DEVELOPMENTS IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY 17 CASE 2 : WE ALL NEED TO DRESS – BUT WHAT COST? CASE 2 : WE ALL NEED TO DRESS – BUT AT WHAT COST ? CBS International Business School, Germany Authors Silvia Damme and Marina Schmitz (CBS International Business School) THE SITUATION A Double - Edged Sword During 2020 Fashion Revolution Week – on April 23 rd 2020 – fashion retailer, H&M published an Instagram post stating: “H&M is the world’s most transparent brand.” A day later the corporation had silently removed the post from its feed. Not even a trace of a claim that was taken out of context by the brand. Not even a trace of the critical comments, calling out the brand on greenwashing and on why this claim is highly problematic. So far, the fashion giant has not put out a statement on why they have removed the post so shortly after its publication (Sustainable Fashion Matterz, 2020). Linda, a 32-year-old sustainability manager from Cologne, was one of the critical voices under that post of the fashion powerhouse. Having been working in the industry for the last 5 years herself, it is news like this that frustrate her most. It makes her sad and angry, seeing big fashion brands claim sustainability for themselves when she also knows about all the issues that are still going wrong in the industry. Issues that many smaller brands are trying to solve as their core mission, not just to appease stakeholders while ultimately aiming to increase consumption and profits. On the other hand, she thinks to herself: ‘Things are moving forward. Don’t all the steps count? Aren’t the big ones still the ones who hold the biggest leverage for change on a broader scale?’ https://doi.org/10.29180/ISSUEII.21.2 SUSTAINABILITY TEACHING CASE STUDIES ISSUE METHODOLOGY HANDBOOK II 18 CASE 2 : WE ALL NEED TO DRESS – BUT WHAT COST? Fashion Revolution Week and the Fashion Transparency Index In April 2013, the Rana Plaza Building in Bangladesh collapsed due to construction failures and left over 1130 garment workers dead and over 2500 more injured. It is since described as the “deadliest incident in the history of the garment industry” (Bauman-Pauly et al., 2018, p.41). Even though the incident helped to raise awareness and an outcry of protest against current practices of the fashion industry followed in the weeks after it occurred, many of the issues still prevail. In order to remember Rana Plaza and to call upon fashion brands to take the sustainability challenges of their supply-chains serious, the organization “Fashion Revolution” formed in 2013 and has since grown into a global movement (Somers & de Castro, 2018). Every year, Fashion Revolution Week is organized coinciding with the week of the Rana Plaza anniversary on April 24th, having thousands of people ask big brands #whomademyclothes via social media. For five years now, the organization has been publishing its annual “Fashion Transparency Index”. The report ranks the world’s biggest fashion brands and retailers based on “how much they disclose about their social and environmental policies, practices and impacts” (Fashion Revolution, 2020, p. 4). As pointed out in their methodology, brands with an annual turnover exceeding 400 million $US are included in the index. Moreover, the organization sees transparency only as a first step towards more accountability and points out that “transparency isn’t about which brand is doing best, but about who discloses the most information. Transparency does not equal sustainability“ (Fashion Revolution, 2020). In 2020, H&M scored the highest among all evaluated 250 brands, reaching a score of 73%. Fair fashion platform Sustainable Fashion Matterz points out on their Instagram: “In school grades that would be a C” (Sustainable Fashion Matterz, 23.04.2020). CASE 2 : WE ALL NEED TO DRESS – BUT AT WHAT COST ? SUSTAINABILITY TEACHING CASE STUDIES ISSUE METHODOLOGY HANDBOOK II 19 CASE 2 : WE ALL NEED TO DRESS – BUT AT WHAT COST ? The Fast Fashion Industry To the modern consumer, a time in which fashion houses produced two seasonal collection per year – summer and winter – must sound almost unimaginable (Franken, 2017). Gone are the days where a full production cycle from a first design to a sold piece of clothing took around half a year. Today, the fashion industry is worth approximately USD 1.3 billion and employs over 300 million people globally (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017, p. 18). Fast-fashion, “a retail style that consists of the expedited production and distribution of short runs of trend-based fashion” (Hoskins, 2014, p.70) has massively transformed the industry in recent decades. Fast fashion is able to make the consumers feel as if they are wearing the same clothes that are walked-down the runways of high-end designers (Barnes & Lea-Greenwood, 2006). Fashion leaders saw the swift response of the consumers to fast fashion and hence shifted their forecast of future trends to real time and have them ready in weeks in order to serve to the wants of the consumers (Jackson, 2001). The fast fashion business strategy has led to massive competition within the industry as well as a shift from product-driven to buyer-driven behavior among brands. With the developed infrastructure, fast fashion brands are able to perform successfully through quick response method where the main components consist of reduced lead times, extensive product range and low maintenance costs. Furthermore, outsourcing became standard practice among the fast fashion brands, especially in terms of labor and production. Estimates in 2017 showed that the fashion industry grew by approximately 5.46% compared to the previous year. Further growth has been forecasted for the following years, with a peak growth rate of around 6.2% expected in 2020 (Singh, 2017). With a huge global market size, the fashion industry was estimated to be worth $1.65 trillion, which accounts for 2% of the world’s GDP by 2020. A BOF & McKinsey report (2019) traced the majority of growth to the fast fashion segment. To keep up with the fast fashion model, fashion retailers have to release new designs and styles almost every week. In 2013, fashion powerhouse and one of fast-fashion’s pioneers Inditex (eight brands, e.g. Zara, Massimo Dutti, Bershka) operated “6,058 stores in 82 countries and employed 120,000 people” (Hoskins, 2014, p.23). A case study by Siegle (2011) showed that Zara is able to create a design, have it produced within days and shipped to all of its over 2000 stores around the world within a matter of two to three weeks. Fast fashion shifted the traditional two to four season cycles to nowadays up-to 52 micro-seasons (Singh, 2017). Fast fashion however comes at a price. The true cost of fast fashion today manifests through its social and ecological impacts, which cannot be overlooked (Thiruchelvam, 2018). Fashion supply chain has been under an enormous amount of pressure for the growing complexity of the industry. Resulting from the up to 50 mini seasons put in stores each year at low costs to achieve the cheapest possible prices for customers, the whole production chain rests on exploitation (Hoskins, 2014). These issues have been persistent for years with e.g. waste and water management, unacceptable working conditions along the supply chain and low wages just being a few of them (Schneider & Jastram, 2018). (The Textile Chain; based on: Fair Fashion Guide, 2019) CASE 2 : WE ALL NEED TO DRESS – BUT WHAT COST? SUSTAINABILITY TEACHING CASE STUDIES ISSUE METHODOLOGY HANDBOOK II 20 ( 1 ) Working Conditions and Human Rights Concerns In a bid to gain a large share of the market coupled with globalized production, making of clothes is outsourced to low-cost economies like in China, Vietnam or Bangladesh. The high degree of competition among the brands puts pressure on the garment producers to produce at very low cost and unreasonable delivery times. This in turn reflects in the lower working wages and conditions of the workers as recounted by Arif Jebtik, a garment factory owner in Bangladesh (The True Cost, 2014). These factory owners operate factories often referred to as sweatshops. Workers in these sweatshops are in many cases subjected to forced labor working conditions such as working under the minimum living wage, working overtime and abuse at the workplace, unsafe workplace environments, child labor and no option of union representation. A lot of countries are either lacking the legal rights to union representation, or even if such legislation is in place it is in many cases hard to reach, not enforced in practice and organizing workers have to face threads from managers and governments siding with corporate interests (Hoskins, 2014). With the brands being on top of the value chain, they have the power to choose where to produce the clothes and they do not shy away from switching suppliers if the garment producers are not able to produce at the cheapest possible price. The seamstress sewing between 8 to often up to 12 hours a day, 6.5 days a week (Aulakh, 2013), ends up getting only around 0.6 % of the retail price, with around 71% ending up with the brands and Western retailers (FEMNET, 2019). In many of the countries that produce the majority of our clothes, the minimum wage is “less than half of what can be considered a living wage” (GFA & BCG, 2017, p. 16). Moreover, in many cases factories fail to comply with the minimum wage laws in their countries. For women, who make up by far the largest share of the ready-made garment (RMG) workforce, this minimum wage gap is very often much wider than for men (ibid.). (2) Overconsumption and Waste Globally, in the last 15 years the number of clothes bought has doubled. Consumers buy about 100 billion pieces of clothing every year (Fashion Lovers, 2020, p.19). Allowing the feeling of being able to afford the newest piece of fashion in one's wardrobe, fast fashion has changed the purchasing behavior of consumers and their reaction to trends (Bardwaj & Fairhurst, 2010). Thanks to fast fashion, consumers from every level of income are able to have access to the latest styles. The fast paced throw away culture of consumers could be linked to the fact that consumers lack the information or knowledge towards sustainability (Birtwistle & Moore, 2007) and with prices low, consumers have come to accept the lower quality clothes over higher priced pieces. The consumers are comfortable with the idea of a short life span of their clothes, which they dispose of already in search for the next must-have item. Over 50% of “all clothing produced is disposed of within a year of production” (Julie’s Bicycle & CSF, 2019, p. 10). This results in uncontrolled and excessive generation of textile waste which contributes to the build-up of mountains of disposed, unwanted clothing (Dissanayake & Sinha, 2012). The fashion industry generates 4% of the world’s waste each year – A total of 92 million tons of waste, which is even more than the annually generated e-waste (Bird, 2018). According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, one truckload of clothing is landfilled or burned each second and in current industry practices “less than 1% of material used to produce clothing is recycled into new clothing” (2017, p. 37). Based on current trends, the fashion industries contribution to global waste is projected to more than double until 2030 (GFA & BCG, 2017). CASE 2 : WE ALL NEED TO DRESS – BUT AT WHAT COST ? CASE 2 : WE ALL NEED TO DRESS – BUT WHAT COST? SUSTAINABILITY TEACHING CASE STUDIES ISSUE METHODOLOGY HANDBOOK II