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Letter of Transmittal
Date: November 20, 2016
To: Jessica McCarthy
From: Katie Maxwell
Subject: True cost of clothing website
Attached in the appendix is a link to the informational website I created about the
true cost of clothing. I have completed the tasks previously sent to you in my
proposal and memo, as of November 18, 2016. I acquired a basic understanding
of what people do with their unwanted clothes and their knowledge of where their
clothes go beyond that, assessed all possible ways to dispose of clothes and
determined which way is more prevalent, and determined the best way to
educate people on how to make this process more green. Using the information I
acquired I have created three tasks to complete my website, and they were to
determine the best way to present the information I found in my previous
proposal, organize the information into three sections on my webpage, and
assess the overall user friendliness of the website.
To carry out these tasks, I surveyed 34 individuals on their knowledge of where
clothes go after they are donated and how often they contribute to the used
clothes industry. I also preformed research on the different ways clothes can be
recycled and how often clothes are recycled into new material. To use the
information I researched, I found a website builder that had the components I
needed and began organizing my information into three sections: the project,
take action, and donate.
My main finding was that many people are unaware of what happens to the
clothes that cannot be resold, and that there are many ways that old material can
be turned into something new. The best way for me to educate people on my
findings was to make a website that gave them background information on my
subject, and give them the tools to make a difference. Since recycling clothes is a
new concept, I recommend that this website be updated as new methods of
recycling come up.

The True Cost of Clothing Webpage

From: Katie Maxwell
November 20, 2016

Table of Contents
Executive Summary.4
Introduction4
Research Methods4
Task 1:Determine the best way to present the information I found in
my previous proposal..4
Task 2: Organize information between three sections on my
webpage..5
Task 3: Assess the overall user friendliness of the website.5
Results.5
Task 1:Determine the best way to present the information I found in
my previous proposal..5
Task 2: Organize information between three sections on my
webpage..5
Task 3: Assess the overall user friendliness of the website.6
Conclusions6
Recommendations6
Appendix:
I: Clothing Survey..6
II: Clothing Website...7

Executive Summary
Recently I noticed a problem in the fashion industry. We currently consume more
than we have space for and have to get rid of clothes at a fast rate, leading to
more clothes in landfills. In order to inform people of the problem our society is
facing and how to go about fixing it, I have created a website that gives
background on the subject, as well as ways that each person can change the
ending result by recycling their clothes. While working on my project I considered
visual appeal, quality information and presented the results in different ways, and
lastly I found different companies that recycle clothes and what some of the
companies make out of the clothes.
Introduction
In this report, I will be discussing how I took the information from my first report
on analyzing what people knew about clothing waste, what they do with
unwanted clothes, and how I could efficiently inform people of the impact they
were making on the environment and what they could do to fix it. In order to
effectively use the information I found in my first report, I decided to make an
website that went into detail on the problem we are facing with clothing waste,
and make it easy for readers to fix the problem with recycling. For this project I
used the information from my first report, such as, a survey I conducted about
what people currently know about clothing waste, and what most companies that
take donations are currently doing with the donations. In addition to previous
research, I also researched what companies currently recycle clothes and what
their recycled material gets turned into. Although my main focus is on the amount
of clothes that end up in landfills, I added a little more information on the
background of clothes. A lot goes into making clothes that we do not think about
when we are purchasing them. The process of harvesting and dyeing the
material pollutes the fresh water sources for these third world countries that
manufacture our clothes, and the people that work in the factories have very
harsh working conditions.
From my previous research I found that the most significant information that I
needed to address in my project is that clothes that may be too worn to wear
again do not need to be thrown away, because it can be recycled into something
new. In order to make this possible, I found many places that recycle clothes and
presented the link to their websites for people to easily access. Following my
introduction you will find my research methods, results, conclusion,
recommendations, and lastly I will provide a link to my website.
Research Methods
Task 1:Determine the best way to present the information I found in my
previous proposal
I originally thought a brochure would be a good way to present my information
since it is more informative than anything else, but I felt that many people would

not see it. In todays society many people throw away anything that is paper and
want to see an electronic version, so I chose to make a website.
Task 2: Organize information between three sections on my webpage
The website that I chose came with tabs that were already labeled, and I felt like
they fit my information well. Here is each tab name and the information that I
decided to put in it and why:
The project: This section I decided to make an overview of all the
information that I have gathered. This is where I give background of how
clothes are made and how it affects the individuals who make them and
the environment. Also included is the amount of clothes that end up in the
landfills and this is where I begin to start talking about recycling. All of this
information comes from the previous information I have gathered and I
preformed additional research
Take action: I wanted to tell people how recycling clothes works and how
they can take part in it. I wanted this section to be separate from the
background because after they read the background information they will
want to make a difference. This section will give step-by-step instructions
for how to go about choosing the clothes to recycle.
Donate: Instead of using this tab as donating money I wanted to give a list
of places to donate clothes for recycling and second hand use.
Task 3: Assess the overall user friendliness of the website
While making my project, I wanted to make the theme of the website cohesive by
choosing a color scheme that went with recycling and that the words were still
visible.
Results
Task 1:Determine the best way to present the information I found in my
previous proposal
Once I decided to do a website I searched website builders for the best layout for
my project. I found one that was made for an organization that contained all of
the elements that I needed for my website. It already contained the three tabs
that I needed for my website and I found it visually appealing.
Task 2: Organize information between three sections on my webpage
On my website you will find three tabs labeled: the project, take action, and
donate (Appendix II: Clothing website).
Under the project section, I decided to give all the background information on
clothing. I discussed the effects the process of manufacturing clothes has on the
environment and the workers and what currently happens to clothes when people

take them to donation centers. I added some videos that have additional
information on the subject, and I added some of the facts I found from the survey
I conducted (Appendix I: Clothing survey). Under the take action tab, I included
information about recycling clothes and how to sort through your unwanted
clothes to decide what should be sent to recycling and what could be taken to a
second hand clothing store. I also provided information about companies that are
working to improve the current working conditions, as well as, their impact on the
environment. Under the donations tab I put links to different companies that
recycle clothes. Since recycling clothes is a newer invention, there are not very
many companies near us that offer recycling, but thankfully we are close to
Atlanta, GA and there are many companies around their city that do offer
recycling.
Task 3: Assess the overall user friendliness of the website
I chose a color scheme of green, black, and white to resemble recycling. Each
tab is clearly labeled and can be navigated two ways from the homepage. All the
information is divided by sections and clearly labeled. I added pictures and
videos to enhance the overall visual appearance and to provide entertainment
that goes along with my project.
Conclusions
This website will allow people to learn about the current problems within the
fashion industry as well as how they can go about changing their normal
shopping routine and disposal of old clothes. It allows anyone who views it to get
some sort of useful information, because I presented the information in many
different ways. I presented my findings in writing, numbers, and visually. It also
provides information regarding what to recycle and what to take to second hand
clothing stores and links to places that will recycle clothes near them.
Recommendations
Since recycling clothes is a new concept, there are not many companies that
advertise that they recycle. Therefore, over time as new companies emerge I will
need to add more places to donate. In order to make a large change in society,
we need to share this website on social media to allow the largest amount of
people to see it. The more people know about the impact their choices make on
the environment and others, the more changes will be made to improve working
conditions and the affects on the environment.
I.

Appendix
Clothing Survey: This is a survey I took on social media through Google
forms and I received 34 responses.
1. How many times do you shop a month?
65.6% once


15.6% twice
18.8% three or more
2. How often do you get rid of clothes?
5.9% once every month
29.4% once every season
38.2% once a year
8.8% other
17.6% never get rid of clothes
3. Where do you take your used clothes?
39.4% Goodwill
21.2% Platos Closet
3% throw them away
36.4% other donation facility
4. What do you think a place like Goodwill does with your clothes if
they cannot sell them?
The responses I received said throw them away and donate them
to homeless or other facilities.
5. If you knew there was a way to recycle your clothes, would you
take the steps necessary to recycle them?
58.8% yes
41.2% maybe
0% no
II. Clothing website: Since I created a website I can only post a link to the
website itself. Here is the link:
http://kkz969.wixsite.com/truecostclothing