Circular economy minimising paper and fabric waste in selected fashion institutions in Accra

Abstract

The goal of the study was to assess the level of knowledge of Circular Economy by some fashion students and staffs of fashion institutions within the Ga East Municipality in Accra, how they manage fabric and paper scrap waste and practical ways of making use of the scrap waste. The mixed method approach was used as the methodology with a total population of 120 students and staff members from three selected fashion institutions in Accra. Data was collected from 70 students and 20 staff members using the purposive sampling method. The result indicated that the female gender dominated the fashion institutions used. Majority of student’s respondents indicated they had no knowledge on circular economy, while most staff members showed knowledge on circular economy. There were various solutions suggested for the management of paper and fabric waste. For the waste to be managed well there were suggestions to make use of the scrap wastes produced and not just dispose them off. It was recommended that fashion projects on sustainability should be added to the curriculum by fashion institution to help reduce paper and fabric waste produced by students as well as to research and read on circular economy in the fashion industry. This study aimed to prove that garment production scraps could be transformed into timely artifacts like wall hangings to beautify walls. Scraps from different fabrics and paper were turned into creative wall hangings. Rather than just disposing the scraps into dustbins or burning them, this procedure will in turn be economically beneficial to the manufacturer, since these artefacts can also be sold. Choosing to add value to the scrap waste to come out with products and create an awareness of social responsibility is also shown with examples in this study.