Session: 09-04-01: Sustainability, Efficiency, Competencies for Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0, Learning Factories, Ethical Dimensions, Safety and Complexity Issues

Paper Number: 145535

145535 - Sustainable Solutions for Fast Fashion Waste: A Project-Based Learning Approach 

The fast-fashion industry poses a significant environmental threat, contributing to global production waste and the accumulation of end-of-life garments in landfills, particularly in African countries. In response to this pressing issue, first-year Industrial Engineering and Management (IEM) students were challenged to devise sustainable solutions by recycling, reusing, or upcycling discarded clothing into new products. This paper presents the outcomes of an interdisciplinary project undertaken during the first semester of the academic year 2022-23, focusing on sustainability concerns related to fast fashion.

The project was integrated into a Project-Based Learning (PBL) active learning methodology, incorporating courses such as Calculus, Linear Algebra, Programming of Computers, Introduction to Economics Engineering, and Industrial Engineering. By working in teams, students were tasked with designing production systems capable of processing end-of-life clothes and transforming them into sustainable products. The objective was to address environmental challenges and develop students' competencies, technical skills, and system-thinking approaches towards sustainability and ethical consciousness.

Feedback was collected through various channels, including content analysis of project reports, oral presentations, product prototypes, and a questionnaire. The results indicate a high level of student engagement and awareness of the environmental impacts of fast fashion. By recycling end-of-life clothes, students recognized the dual benefits of reducing natural resource consumption and mitigating pollution caused by textile waste. Moreover, they demonstrated a profound understanding of sustainability principles and ethical considerations in product design and production.

The project's culmination was a workshop held at the end of the semester, where students and instructors exchanged ideas for further improvement. This collaborative approach to education fosters continuous learning and innovation, enabling students to transcend traditional course boundaries and expand their knowledge beyond the confines of the classroom.

In conclusion, this study underscores the efficacy of PBL in addressing real-world challenges and promoting sustainability in engineering education. Educators can cultivate a generation of socially responsible engineers equipped to tackle complex global issues by engaging students in hands-on, interdisciplinary projects. The findings of this research contribute valuable insights to the ongoing discourse on sustainable development and ethical practices in the fast-fashion industry.

Presenting Author: Anabela Alves University of Minho

Presenting Author Biography: Anabela C. Alves is Assistant Professor at the Department of Production and Systems/School of Engineering/University of Minho (UMinho). She holds a PhD in Production and Systems Engineering. She is an Integrated Member of Centre ALGORITMI/LASI. Her main research interests are in the areas of Production Systems Design and Operation; Lean Thinking applied to different fields, namely, Healthcare, Services, Product Development, Project Management; Production Planning and Control and Engineering Education, with particular interest in active learning methodologies (e.g. PLE and PBL) and Lean Education. She is the author/coauthor of more than 250 publications in international journals, books, editions of conference proceedings, and book chapters. She supervised 5 PhDs and more than 100 Master dissertations in the areas of IEM. She is a "Top Peer Reviewer", having done more than 170 reviews for international journals. She is a founder member of the PAEE association (http://paee.dps.uminho.pt) and a permanent member of the Scientific and Organizing Committee of PAEE/ALE conference. She has been co-organizing the track of Engineering Education in ASME-IMECE. She was involved in 3 funded projects and 1 in progress with industry. She has been organizing workshops about Lean Education and PBL. She was a visiting scholar at Oakland University, US and a mobility teacher at 3 universities under Erasmus+. She is also a member of the following societies and networks: SOCOLNET; SPEE; ASME; LEAN; EPIEM. She won the pedagogical award of UMinho School of Engineering in 2021. She was distinguished in the “World’s Top 2% Scientists 2022”, study of Stanford University (EUA) and the Elsevier Group. She is collaborating with General Inspectorate of Education and Science as expert external examiner of public Portuguese Schools.

Authors:

Anabela Alves University of Minho
M. Florentina Abreu University of Minho
Celina P. Leao University of Minho