Iva Jestratijevic, assistant professor in merchandising and digital retailing, is looking at ways the fashion industry can reduce waste produced from packaging throughout its supply chain.

In October, Jestratijevic and her research partner Urska Vrabic-Brodnjak presented the first global report on sustainable packaging innovation in the fashion industry in scientific journals Sustainable Production and Consumption and Sustainability. Their research earned the Distinctive research award from the International Textile and Apparel Association.

Through her research, Jestratijevic also found that a combination of sustainability strategies could help fashion brands lessen waste from their packaging. The seven strategies include – rethinking packaging logistics, refusing to use single use packaging, reusing packaging, reducing the packaging quantity, recycling packaging, repurposing packaging and providing rot or compostable packaging solutions.