# Additive Manufacturing in the Clothing Industry: Towards Sustainable New Business Models
## 5 Conclusions  
Although the clothing industry in its current state is facing sustainability issues concerning the consumption growth (fast- fashion trends and increasing consumption in developing countries), there are limited positive actions (such as the use of sustainably grown cotton, eco-fashion, and regulations to ban specific chemicals in the production of clothing) to prevent the worsening of the situation. However, in this study, we evaluated the possibilities enabled by AM as a novel and emerging technology that has been called the enabler of the third industrial revolution [7]. Additive manufacturing may radically change the way products are manufactured. When the technology is ready to produce the clothing items, many conventional concepts such as one-size-fits-all, build for inventory, and planned obsolescence will be radically changed. Clothing repair, reconfiguration [92], full raw material recycling, and design personalization can become feasible and accessible to everyone [17; 69]. However, a concern is that the widespread use of AM through desktop manufacturing can facilitate the production of clothing items without closing the raw material recycling loop and elevate the production of waste. In this research, we exploredthe current state of AM technology and its state of implementation in clothes production, and pointed out the obstacles that need to be addressed before its wide utilization for the production of clothing. The limitations concerning machine and material costs, availability of suitable raw materials, automation of the secondary processes, and brand support are time-dependent issues. On the other hand, lack of retail store experience, design knowledge requirements, and enthusiasm to take part in the production process were classified as the time-independent obstacles to AM utilization in the clothing industry. Three distinct potential AM-enabled NBMs for the future of the clothing industry were recognized and explained. Clothing as a service, collective consumption, and direct distribution are expected to have different levels of sustainability implications in the clothing industry. We utilized a holistic sustainability framework developed by [PERSON] and [PERSON] [19] to assess the opportunities from each NBM. Our findings suggested several generic benefits were shared amongst all NBMs. Lower raw material waste due to the additive nature of the process; lower water consumption and greenhouse gas generation due to the consolidation of manufacturing steps; a simplified supply chain with less transportation and inventories; and better health, safety, and human capital development were pointed out as the generic benefits of AM implementation in the clothing industry. For clothing as a service NBM, repair, remanufacturing, updating, and upgrading of the clothes in a distributed local service center will lengthen the product lifecycle and improve the environmental, societal, and economic aspects of sustainability for the clothing industry. The collective consumption NBM brings high-end clothing to the masses and increases the reuse and utilization of clothing items, and through that impacts environmental and societal aspects of sustainability. Direct distribution is a digital version of Dell's famous business model. This NBM enables the consumer to participate in the design and production of their clothing; in other words, creating prosumers. This can result in increased desirability (through customization) of each item and make fast fashion less trendy. In another scenario, a direct distribution NBM, if not coupled with increased environmental awareness and green and recyclable raw materials, can increase the waste generation and increase the negative impact of the clothing industry on the environmental aspect of sustainability. As the AM field of research is further developing and different industries are finding it as a serious source of competitive advantage, we expect it will not be different for the clothing industry.