Resul s
The longe i y scheme es ablishes a di e en ia ed model linking p oduc - ela ed
du abili y, ecyclabili y, and emo ional a achmen as co e dimensions o ci cula
ex ile design. P oduc - ela ed du abili y in eg a es physical obus ness,
unc ionali y, and main ainabili y as p e equisi es o ex ending echnical and
unc ional li e ime [1; 2].
Recyclabili y is de ined h ough so abili y, sepa abili y, and ma e ial pu i y,
ensu ing e icien eco e y and minimizing con amina ion isks [3]. Emo ional
du abili y emphasizes he use –p oduc ela ionship and i s ole in p olonging use
in ensi y and se ice li e [4].
The scheme illus a es ha s a egies o longe i y and ecyclabili y a e
complemen a y bu in e dependen : inc easing physical du abili y may hinde
ma e ial eco e y, while highe ecyclabili y can comp omise p oduc li espan.
E ec i e ci cula design he e o e equi es balanced ade-o s, suppo ed by clea
design c i e ia and anspa en in o ma ion equi emen s [2; 5; 6]
- A holis ic app oach o a p oduc
ela ed longe i y scheme and mul i s age
clus e ing in ci cula de elopmen
Simone Syh e
Elisabe h Eppinge
Julia Schwa zkop
Kim Hech
Juliane Albe s
In oduc ion
The ex ile and clo hing indus y is among he mos esou ce-in ensi e and en i onmen ally bu densome sec o s globally. Inc easing p oduc ion olumes combined wi h
sho ened p oduc li espans ha e ampli ied ma e ial was e and en i onmen al pollu ion. T ansi ioning owa d a sus ainable sys em he e o e equi es he adop ion o
ci cula design p inciples ha emphasize du abili y, epai abili y, euse, and ecyclabili y. Ye , he implemen a ion o hese p inciples emains cons ained by agmen ed
e minology and he absence o s anda dized, p oduc -speci ic amewo ks.
HoliTexCycle add esses his gap by de eloping a concep ual amewo k o guide ci cula ex ile design on a p oduc le el. The p ojec ocuses on es ablishing a consis en
unde s anding o longe i y and ci cula i y ac oss di e en clo hing and ex ile ca ego ies. I aims o in eg a e echnical, unc ional, and emo ional aspec s o du abili y,
enabling a mo e comp ehensi e assessmen o p oduc pe o mance o e ime. This pos e in oduces wo co e componen s om he ini ial phase o he esea ch: a
longe i y scheme ha maps he di e se de e minan s in luencing p oduc li espan, and a mul i-s age clus e ing model ha ca ego izes ex ile p oduc s acco ding o use
in ensi y, unc ion, and ma e ial composi ion. Toge he , hese concep ual ools con ibu e o ope a ionalizing ci cula i y in ex ile de elopmen and p o ide a s uc u ed basis
o aligning design s a egies wi h u u e sus ainabili y s anda ds and egula o y amewo ks.
Me hodology
The me hodological app oach ollowed a s uc u ed sequence o li e a u e syn hesis, policy e iew, and p ac ice-based model de elopmen . A sys ema ic li e a u e e iew
o scien i ic and g ey sou ces on ci cula ex ile design, p oduc longe i y, and ma e ial du abili y p o ided he concep ual basis o iden i ying key de e minan s o li espan
and ecyclabili y. Pa allel analyses o Eu opean and na ional policy amewo ks ensu ed e minological and me hodological consis ency wi h cu en egula o y
de elopmen s. Based on his ounda ion, ele an p oduc g oups we e de i ed om exis ing ypologies and classi ica ion sys ems documen ed in esea ch and policy
epo s. Fo he u he subdi ision in o p oduc clus e s, p ac ice-o ien ed examples and indus y e e ences we e examined o cap u e cha ac e is ic ma e ial
con igu a ions, unc ional equi emen s, and use con ex s. This i e a i e p ocess esul ed in a mul i-le el model ha links empi ical p oduc knowledge wi h concep ual
cla i y, se ing as a ans e able amewo k o p oduc -speci ic ci cula i y s a egies.
HTW Be lin, School o Cul u e and Design
P o . D . Elisabe h Eppinge (Elisabe h.Eppinge @HTW-Be lin.de)
P o . D . Julia Schwa zkop (Julia.Schwa zkop @HTW-Be lin.de)
M.Sc. Simone Syh e (Simone.Syh e@HTW-Be lin.de)
Figu e 1: p oduc ela ed longe i y scheme
Figu e 2: 11 iden i ied p oduc ypes o clus e le el 1
Figu e 3: mul i s age app oach o p oduc clus e s
Discussion
The amewo k p o ides a concep ual and me hodological ounda ion o ansla ing ci cula design p inciples in o
p oduc -speci ic applica ions. By linking echnical, unc ional, and emo ional dimensions o longe i y wi h a
di e en ia ed p oduc clus e ing, i enables a sys ema ic unde s anding o how design decisions a ec he du abili y
and ecyclabili y o ex iles.
The in eg a ion o mo e han wen y ca ego ical pa ame e s ac oss p oduc ypes, seasonal and gen e con ex s,
and echnical speci ica ions demons a es he complexi y equi ed o ope a ionalize ci cula i y a he p oduc le el.
This di e en ia ion allows o he de elopmen o ailo ed es p o ocols, design guidelines, and pe o mance c i e ia
ha e lec eal p oduc di e si y a he han gene ic assump ions.
A he hi d le el, he model ope a ionalizes p oduc di e en ia ion h ough six
speci ica ion ields ha encompass ma e ial composi ion, su ace s uc u e,
inishing, unc ionali y, closu es and inse s, and deco a i e elemen s. These
pa ame e s co e a wide ange o echnical and design cha ac e is ics, such as he
use o co on, wool, o syn he ic ibe s; wo en, kni ed, o lamina ed cons uc ions;
easy-ca e and non-i on inishes; o design ea u es such as emb oide y, p in s, and
immings. Each clus e combines hese speci ica ions wi h a ge ed design and
es ing ecommenda ions ha ansla e ci cula design p inciples in o conc e e
applica ion con ex s
du abili y and ecyclabili y. A he i s
clus e le el, a se o ele en p oduc ypes de ines he ounda ional
s uc u e o he model as shown in igu e 2. This di e en ia ion cap u es he di e si y
o clo hing and ex ile p oduc s ele an o ci cula design conside a ions and
p o ides a obus basis o p oduc -speci ic assessmen and compa ison.
The clus e ing model es ablishes a
s uc u ed, mul i-le el amewo k o
di e en ia ing ex ile and clo hing
p oduc s acco ding o hei use
con ex , unc ional demands,
and ma e ial composi ion.
This sys ema ic app oach enables
a consis en e alua ion o p oduc -
g oup-speci ic design s a egies o
Summa y
In summa y, he model con ibu es o b idging concep ual ci cula i y wi h p ac ical implemen a ion in ex ile design
and assessmen . I suppo s u u e wo k on s anda diza ion, egula o y alignmen , and he de ini ion o measu able
indica o s o p oduc longe i y and ci cula pe o mance, by p o iding bo h concep ual cla i y and s uc u ed
applicabili y.
Acknowledgmen s
This wo k was suppo ed by he Fede al Minis y o Resea ch, Technology and
Space in coope a ion wi h ci cula . ashion GmbH
Re e ences
[1] ISO 59040 - 2025 - 02 (2025). Ci cula economy - p oduc ci cula i y
da a shee . DIN Media. Be lin: Beu h Ve lag GmbH.
[2] Fa aca e al. (JRC) (2024). Ecodesign o sus ainable p oduc s
egula ion: S udy on new p oduc p io i ies. Publica ions o ice o he
eu opean union, Luxembou g.
[3] DIN EN 45555:2020-04 (2019). Gene al me hods o assessing he
ecyclabili y and eco e abili y o ene gy- ela ed p oduc s.
h ps://dx.doi.o g/10.31030/3090888. Deu sches Ins i u ü No mung (DIN),
Be lin: Beu h Ve lag GmbH.
[4] Gimkiewicz e al. (2022). Die Rolle de Langlebigkei und de
Nu zungsdaue ü einen nachhal igen Umgang mi Bekleidung.
Dessau-Roßlau, Umwel bundesam .
[5] an de Bu g e al. (TAUW). (2023). Pe o mance equi emen s o ex iles.
Inpu on EU sus ainable design c i e ia o ex iles. U ech .
[6] Jepsen e al. (2025). Die Umse zung de EU-
Tex ils a egie: Beg i sbes immungen und De ini ionen als G undlage
ü die Ablei ung mögliche Ökodesign-An o de ungen. Dessau-
Roßlau: Umwel bundesam .
The second le el si ua es hese p oduc ypes
wi hin hei empo al and unc ional con ex
h ough wo seasonal classi ica ions, sp ing/
summe and au umn/win e , and i e gen e
ca ego ies comp ising e e yday clo hing,
ou doo clo hing, spo swea , businesswea ,
and e ening wea . These dis inc ions e lec
di e ences in clima ic equi emen s, aes he ic
o ien a ion, and expec ed li espan, he eby
linking p oduc unc ion, usage in ensi y, and
en i onmen al exposu e in a cohe en
analy ical s uc u e.
Hohens ein Inno a ions gGmbH
D . Kim Hech ([email p o ec ed])
M.Sc. Juliane Albe s ([email p o ec ed])
Ci cula .Fashion GmbH
P ojec pa ne and con ac :
© Simone Syh e 2025
