Pullovers, socks and other textiles are increasingly being
ordered online, and not just for Christmas. Germans buy around 20 percent of
their clothes online. However, many of the items of clothing ordered do not fit
at home, and so they are sent back. This causes greenhouse gas emissions and
unnecessarily costs raw materials.
With the German Institute for Textile plus Fiber Research
(Denkendorf) and the company Assyst (Aschheim), the company Avalution
(Kaiserslautern) wants to change that by making it possible to try on clothes
virtually. The German Federal Environment Foundation (DBU) is providing
technical and financial support for the project with just under 445,000 euros.
“Buying clothes online is part of everyday life for many
people. If the project is successful, it exemplarily shows how ecological and
economic goals can be achieved at the same time through digital solutions. The
more returns are avoided, the more the environment is relieved, ”says DBU
General Secretary Alexander Bonde.
25 to 50 percent of the clothing
ordered online is returned
"Every fifth item of clothing bought in Germany in 2015
was ordered online by customers, and the trend is rising. 25 to 50 percent of
them are sent back after they have been tried on, ”explains Michael Stöhr,
Managing Director of Avalution. Often the same items of clothing would be
ordered in different sizes. Anything that doesn't fit will be sent back.
That needs energy for the transport and raw materials, since
the returned goods have to be cleaned and repackaged. In some cases, it would
even be destroyed directly because it would be too expensive to process, according
to Stöhr. Avalution requirements to reduce the number of returns by allowing
the customer to try on the clothes online, thus avoiding selection orders. For
this, the customer should receive a digital copy of their body - a
three-dimensional mirror image, also known as an avatar in the digital world.
He should be able to try on the clothes online and see which size is the right
one and whether the piece fits his own figure.
With just a few details about your
own digital mirror image
“We have the world's largest catalogue of human body scans.
On the basis of this database, we create avatars with just a few details, which
the customer can easily customize, ”says Stöhr. Due to the experience and
networking of Avalutions on the market, if the project is successful, it is
conceivable that in a few years there will be such a possibility of digital
trying on in many online shops and thus a considerable potential for savings in
returns, says DBU speaker Dr. Michael Schwake.
In addition, an approach is being developed in the project
that is intended to make the effects of various purchase decisions on the
environment transparent for the customer. At a glance he can see that ordering
several sizes to choose from puts a lot more strain on the environment than
when he chooses one size. Schwake: "In this way, the buyer can incorporate
ecological aspects into his own decision in the long term."
