Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Apparel, Textiles, and Interior Design / Melody L. A. LeHew / The UN has challenged higher education to integrate sustainability across all disciplines, declaring 2005-2014 the Decade for Educational for Sustainable Development (DESD) (UNESCO, 2003). Education for sustainable development (ESD), a UNESCO initiative, advocates for reorienting education away from the industrial model of education, and has significant pedagogical implications for cultivating knowledge, skills, and values thought to support sustainable development (Rode & Michelsen, 2008; Sterling, 2004). Responsive action to this call has been sluggish (Everett, 2008; Rode & Michelsen, 2008). Concurrently, product development and design protocol is becoming more progressive in an effort to limit the impact of products on people and the planet, and there is an urgent need to evolve apparel and textile (AT) curriculum to better prepare undergraduates for this evolution. ESD may provide a way forward, but little is known about how it may succeed current educational practice or how such practice may impact learners in AT. The purpose of this study was to examine the learning and development experience of students enrolled in an apparel product development (APD) course that has been redeveloped according to the ESD framework. A qualitative case study was conducted during one semester to examine how students experienced the course. Data collection included student reflective writings, focus group interviews, and a researcher reflexive journal. Also, a survey was utilized to determine how students perceived their progress in the development of skills related to ESD. Both theory-driven and inductive coding procedures were used to identify themes across the qualitative data. A repeated measures ANOVA was used to analyze the quantitative survey data. Results of the study indicate that students yielded a positive, though challenging, learning and development experience in the course, and one that was considered exceptional in comparison to other courses in the same program. Among the learning and development outcomes experienced in the course considered most important, according to students, were sustainability literacy and the development of change agent skills. Further, the pedagogical perspectives of ESD which influenced the course redevelopment were perceived to be highly impactful. The study has identified pedagogical and curriculum design approaches which may be used to integrate sustainability more effectively into the AT curriculum and better foster the development of change agent skills.

Background and problem: As one of the major emerging markets, China has alarge population, stable growth in GDP and increased consumer spending powerwhich has attracted the whole world’s retail business. Many international clothingbrands have increased investment or speeded up the pace into the China’s market (Chen et al., 2007; Cui 2000).However, because of the differences in economy, policy and culture, it sometimesresults in difficulties in meeting standards and accessing the market with effectivestrategies (Cui, 2000). Numbers of clothing brands have been found not reach theChinese standards of textile and apparel. These problems force the brandswithdraw their substandard products from shelves, pay fines, and exposed by themedia, therefore the brands suffer not only economic losses, but also the damageof their images and reputations.The identified problem corresponds to two research questions:• What are the main challenges for apparel companies to conform withChinese standards?• How have the Swedish textiles retail companies responded to thesestandards?Methodology: A qualitative research approach was taken to collect relevant data.In the first phase, literature review was used to collect information related topicsof the thesis. Because this paper was addressed on China’s market as the focus ofthe investigation, both China’s and Swedish academic databases were utilized. Inthe second phase, the author developed the work by doing an interview withKlaus Ziegler, the founder and owner of the Quality Partnership LLC in China; anin-depth international laboratory located in China identified the impact of theChina’s standards and regulations and two email interviews with the managers oftwo Swedish apparel retail companies. Moreover, few informal interviews withprofessors in the Swedish School of Textiles and experts from Business Swedenwere made to reach better understanding of thesis topic.Conclusions: Findings provide insight on Chinese highly growing standardsregarding quality and service; International exporters face a lack of understandingof these standards in China’s textile market; The research of two retail companiesindicate that the companies can conduct better conformity of Chinese standards bysetting specific requirements to control the production, paying attention tolabeling related rules, cooperating with developed export agents, professionalthird-party laboratory, and so on.

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