The Future of the Laundry

Research Project, 2017 – 2020

Human behaviour in laundries causes massive wastage of textiles, water and electricity, and avoidable climate and aquatic pollution. Models of consumer behaviour in laundries are frequently based on unreliable self-reported behaviour. This project aims to improve environmental outcomes by reducing uncertainty in existing systems analyses, and to find out how to improve consumer behaviour in laundries. We will answer questions about how physical interventions and resource use information generated in the laundry can affect consumer behaviour. Outcomes of this research will have practical use in the development of multiunit dwellings, social media campaigns for reducing resource use and waste generation, and for garment industry sustainability actions.