Experts from across the Australian clothing industry are coming together as a Seamless working group this month to collaborate on the challenges of aged clothing inventory and share better practice and innovative solutions to address it.
Aged clothing inventory - those unsold garments gathering dust on shelves – can be a significant financial cost for clothing brands and retailers. These garments, commonly referred to as dead stock, take up expensive store or warehouse space, tie up capital which can no longer be used in other areas of the business and lead to inefficient inventory management and increased clothing waste.
Currently, there is no comprehensive baseline for understanding the scale of aged inventory in Australia or how it is managed across the supply chain. That’s why the Seamless aged inventory working group has been established. The group meets for the first time in May, and representatives are from Seamless members and supporters across the Australian clothing industry, from clothing brands and retailers, through to universities, clothing charities and reuse operators.
The group of experienced industry experts will review the current baseline of industry data on aged clothing inventory and identify the gaps and reporting requirements to capture them more accurately. They will also identify the opportunities to improve aged inventory management and share current better practice and innovative solutions to leverage them. This will result in an industry guide for effectively reducing overproduction and managing aged inventory to keep clothing at its highest use, which will be shared with Seamless members and supporters.
Keep an eye out for insights and outcomes from the Seamless working groups in the coming months.
