1. A Sustainable Business Model - Green Digital Clothing
Bivolino provides a vision of the future which encompasses the evolution of digital clothing supply chains, from design to retail, that minimize returns and, in turn, reduce waste. This “webified”
supply chain is the “Googlification” of the apparel industry and trade (referring to the book ‘What would Google do?‘ from Jeff Jarvis) focusing on e-configurators, digital design toolkits, online
dressing facilities and the development of "controlled" virtual shopping communities. Waste can be controlled as part of a lean manufacturing, or sustainable initiative. Technology also plays
a role in developing a more sustainable supply chain. Bivolino uses sustainable technologies including computerized sketching, CAD pattern design, digital grading and marker-making, digital
printing and computer numerical control (CAM) single-ply cutting. In fact, any technology which allows the product to remain in digital form until later in the process is considered to be more
sustainable. Why is it more sustainable to create and buy a garment in a digital form? Surely you need to see real product samples? Whenever a physical sample is created, waste is introduced
into the process. At Bivolino, you indeed create and buy a shirt which is digitally displayed and configurated, without real samples.
The business model behind this is described as “Mass Customization”. Special focus goes to the biometric sizing technology (patent Nr EEC-EP1341427 & US-7346421) which experiences
only 5% complaints: no shirts must be returned (zero return).