Promoting sustainable fashion through repair and upcycling : an exploratory study at the University of Malta

Abstract

The fast fashion industry is a major driver of environmental pollution with global textile waste emerging as one of the most pressing environmental challenges of modern consumer society. Underlying this crisis is ‘planned obsolescence’, whereby garments are intentionally produced at low-quality to accelerate disposal and replacement. While circular practices like thrifting are gaining traction among younger generations, repair and upcycling practices which are crucial for reducing waste at source, remain largely marginal. This study investigated repair and upcycling behaviours, perceptions and barriers among University of Malta students and tested whether university-led skill-building workshops could foster pro-environmental behavioural change. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was employed, combining a survey of 153 students, structured workshops and three follow-up focus groups conducted three months later. Results revealed a clear value-action gap: students strongly endorsed repair and upcycling as environmentally and practically valuable, yet engagement remained minimal. Since most already owned basic repair tools, material accessibility was not the primary obstacle. Barriers instead clustered into three dimensions: practical (lack of skills, time and financial resources), structural (dominance of cheap alternatives) and psychological (anticipatory failure anxiety and low self-efficacy). The workshops partially addressed barriers of proximity, time, financial costs and confidence. However, no participants reported independent repair or upcycling activity in the three months following the intervention, indicating the insufficiency of one-off initiatives. This study recommends institutionally-embedded opportunities at both university level and early education, including visible on-campus repair initiatives, curriculum integration through a mandatory ‘Green Skills’ module and targeted digital communication to normalise repair cultures among younger generations.