Yes / Rising demand for cheaper textiles and clothing in Western Europe is well documented, as are changes in the Textiles and Clothing industry's globalised production structure. We apply a sub-systems global multi-regional input–output accounting framework to examine the sustainability implications of meeting Western European demand for textiles and clothing goods between 1995 and 2009. Our framework estimates environmental and socio-economic impacts of consumption in a consistent manner and shows where these occur both geographically and in the value chain. The results demonstrate that Western European textiles and clothing consumption remains dependent on low-cost labour from Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC), principally in the Textiles and Clothing and Agricultural sectors. Conversely, we show that the wage rate for BRIC workers in the global value chains serving Western European textiles and clothing consumption has risen over time but remains low relative to the wage rate paid to Western European workers. Likewise, we find that profits are increasingly generated within BRIC and that they are now at comparable levels to those generated in Western Europe. We find a slight overall decrease in the amount of carbon emitted in the production of textiles and clothing goods for Western Europe between 1995 and 2009. However, the trend is not linear and the importance of different underlying drivers varies over the timeseries. We conclude by discussing the implications of these results for a more sustainable future for Western European textiles and clothing consumption.

[pt] A concentração da população urbana e a dinâmica das cidades apresentam desafios às administrações públicas municipais em suas tarefas de ampliar e conservar caminhos pavimentados destinados a pedestres, especialmente em metrópoles como o Rio de Janeiro onde a integração entre dois ou mais modais de transporte público é realizada quase totalmente sobre a superfície e por meio de linhas de ônibus, demandando a utilização de calçadas com mais frequência. Embora a Constituição Federal trate dos temas acessibilidade em prédios, portadores de deficiência, segurança viária e mobilidade urbana, as ações públicas voltadas para soluções de tráfego ainda privilegiam modais motorizados. Sem conservação, calçadas com buracos e desníveis estão por toda a cidade. Faltam rampas de acesso para pessoas com mobilidade reduzida e sobram obstáculos que diminuem a capacidade de fluxo para os pedestres, como bancas de jornal mal posicionadas. Inegável é que o planejamento e as respectivas ações administrativas para a gestão de calçadas urbanas necessitam de técnicas que deem conta da dinâmica em lugar de soluções empíricas. Esta pesquisa propõe um modelo de calçada sustentável que priorize as dimensões social e institucional da complexa realidade urbana representada. Um índice de qualidade é proposto para que o gestor público possa diagnosticar e monitorar a conservação dos pavimentos destinados a pedestres. / [en] Pavements for pedestrians were object of attention of rulers since the 17th century, when cities still had no motor vehicles. In the city of Rio de Janeiro, capital of the empire, in 1870, a new urban structure was in process, in total harmony with transportation; the city expanded due to the capacity of the transport network to ensure transportation of the population (Silva, 2008). Figure 1 exhibits the granite sidewalks of Ajuda street, in the proximities of the municipal theater of Rio de Janeiro, in the early 20th century. They offered good comfort and safety conditions even for current demand levels. This example represents a significant advancement in pedestrian infrastructure in comparison to pavings that still prevailed at the time, as the pé-de-moleque (boy s-foot, a Brazilian candy made with crunched peanuts) pavement that emerged in colonial Brazil, still present in neighborhoods of Rio de Janeiro and other historical cities of Brazil. Figure 1 also shows an segment in pé de moleque on current Rio Branco avenue, discovered in 2015 upon construction of the light rail vehicle (VLT). Currently, sidewalks may be considered an indicator of human development, within the sustainable human mobility sphere, defined as the displacement manner that prioritizes the individual, respecting same as to what regards proper needs, producing minimal energetic cost, with significant reduction of pollutants emissions and noise levels, restricting use of cars and decreasing their speeds. In this scenario wherein sustainability is considered a guideline for urban development policies, which have among their purposes equity and social justice in the appropriation of land, resources and the use of road space, city walking gains more importance (Gondim, 2001). In Brazil, where more than 80 percent of the population lives in cities, how does the municipal public administration act on the current sidewalks infrastructure? Could a sidewalk quality index serve as a tool to the manager and the proper population, through residents associations to diagnose and monitor the quality of sidewalks? An attempt to answer these important questions is the aim of this work.