Problem
Background
Research has estimated that an incredible amount of over two million kilogrammes of textile and clothing waste is dumped in Malaysian landfills every day (Jay, 2022).
The waste includes synthetic fibers made of polyester (a kind of plastic). On a global scale, it is estimated that 92 million tonnes of textile waste is produced annually (Igini, 2022).
Some of the alarming environmental impact resulting from textile and clothing manufacturing and disposal globally can be seen from the infographic on the right.
The negative impacts on marine and land pollution are staggering. Microplastics can kill small marine life and threaten the balance of the marine ecosystem.
In the landfills it can take a polyester shirt 20 to 200 years to decompose. This will result in soil pollution. This in turn threatens plant life, agricultural crops and will have a devasting impact on the food chain of land animals and humans.
This presents an urgent problem that must be resolved as quickly as possible to ensure that food sources for both current and future generations are protected and sustained to provide a better quality of live for all living things!
The crisis and problems stated above also presents and opportunity for social entrepreneurs to provide solutions to minimise and stop such problems from getting worse.
Among the many possible initiatives that can be considered is to recycle, repurpose and reuse old clothing through creative and innovative methods.
Problem Statement
Textile & clothing manufacturing process waste has reached a crisis level of 92 million tonnes annually in Malaysia. It has caused a severe environmental landfill and marine water pollution.
Compile a business recommendation plan report to present suggestions for entrepreneurships to address the textile and clothing waste pollution problem. This can be done with ideas to creatively and innovatively recycle, repurpose and reuse old clothing to prevent further environmental damage.
Question: Identify the products and/or services offered by this business.
a) State how can a business add value for the customers to meet customers' expectations and demands.
b) State whether this business starts with the new product being manufactured in-house or outsourced in small quantities so as to avoid any wastage of resources in case the product proves unsuccessful or fails to meet the production targets and standards.