The Ecodesign Transformation of Smart Clothing: Towards a Systemic and Coupled Social–Ecological–Technological System Perspective

Shiqian Zhu () and Xiaogang Liu
Additional contact information
Shiqian Zhu: College of Fashion and Design, Donghua University, Shanghai 200051, China
Xiaogang Liu: College of Fashion and Design, Donghua University, Shanghai 200051, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 5, 1-28

Abstract: Smart clothing integrates advanced technologies such as textile materials, flexible electronics, and data communication systems, playing a pivotal role in driving productivity innovation within the textile and apparel industry. However, this emerging field faces substantial challenges, including high resource consumption, high disposal rates, and difficulties in material recycling and management. This paper presents an integrative review, analyzing 263 studies to examine the ecodesign transformation framework for smart clothing. The findings highlight multiple sustainability challenges associated with the linear lifecycle of traditional smart clothing. By assessing ecodesign strategies across various stages of the lifecycle, the study emphasizes the need for a shift from a product-focused approach to system-level innovation in the ecodesign of smart clothing. Building on this, we propose a systematic, coupling ecodesign framework to facilitate the sustainable transformation of smart clothing. This framework is grounded in the principles of circular economy and Social–Ecological–Technological Systems (SETSs). Our work not only aims to contribute to the achievement of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals but also aligns with the core objectives of the European Green Deal, focusing on resource efficiency and low environmental impact. We seek to provide a feasible theoretical framework to guide the sustainable transformation of smart clothing.

Keywords: smart clothing; ecodesign; product lifecycle; circular economy; social–ecological–technological systems (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/5/2102/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/5/2102/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:5:p:2102-:d:1602472

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().