About
Kirsi Laitala is a senior researcher at the department for Technology and Sustainability at the Consumption Research Norway (SIFO), where she has been working with textiles and clothing research since 2001. She gained her MSc degree in textile, clothing and fiber engineering from Tampere University of Technology in 2001, and completed a PhD at the Department of Product Design at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in 2014. Laitala has researched and published on areas related to clothing quality, maintenance, safety, environmental issues, design, as well as fit and size issues, including reports for industry as well as scientific journal articles. Her current research interest lies within sustainable clothing consumption. She uses interdisciplinary research methods that often combine technical laboratory based tests with consumer studies, as well as qualitative and quantitative methods.
Fields of study
Academic disciplines
Other subjects within materials science Industrial and product design
Subject areas
Environment Clothing Textile Consumer behaviour Sustainable consumption Clothing consumption Tekstiler Textile wash Laundry
Research groups
Research projects
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Direct and Indirect Costs of Disabilities in Children (BUDGET)
The research project addresses the costs aspects of caring for a child with a disability.
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LASTING: Sustainable prosperity through product durability
How can the lifespans of consumer goods be increased?
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WOOLUME: Polish sheep wool for improved resource utilisation and value creation
Publications and research
Scientific publications
Laitala, Kirsi; Klepp, Ingun Grimstad
(2020).
What Affects Garment Lifespans? International Clothing Practices Based on a Wardrobe Survey in China, Germany, Japan, the UK, and the USA.
Sustainability
.
Vol. 12.
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/21/9151
Laitala, Kirsi; Klepp, Ingun Grimstad; Kettlewell, Roy; Wiedemann, Stephen
(2020).
Laundry Care Regimes: Do the Practices of Keeping Clothes Clean Have Different Environmental Impacts Based on the Fibre Content?.
31 p.
Sustainability
.
Vol. 12.
https://uni.oslomet.no/lasting/
Klepp, Ingun Grimstad; Laitala, Kirsi; Wiedemann, Stephen G.
(2020).
Clothing Lifespans: What Should Be Measured and How.
21 p.
Sustainability
.
Vol. 12.
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/15/6219
Wiedemann, Stephen G.; Biggs, Leo; Nebel, Barbara; Bauch, Katarina; Laitala, Kirsi; Klepp, Ingun Grimstad; Swan, Paul G.; Watson, Kalinda
(2020).
Environmental impacts associated with the production, use, and end-of-life of a woollen garment.
14 p.
The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment
.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-020-01766-0
Laitala, Kirsi; Klepp, Ingun Grimstad; Haugrønning, Vilde Anine Rydal; Throne-Holst, Harald; Strandbakken, Pål (2019). Is It Worth It? Repair of Household Appliance, Mobile Phones and Clothing. Segalàs, Jordi; Lazzarini, Boris (Ed.). Proceedings of the 19th European Roundtable for Sustainable Consumption and Production Circular Europe for Sustainability: Design, Production and Consumption. 1003. p. 1003-1016.
Vittersø, Gunnar; Torjusen, Hanne; Laitala, Kirsi; Tocco, Barbara; Biasini, Beatrice; Csillag, Peter; Duboys de Labarre, Matthieu; Lecoeur, Jean-Loup; Maj, Agnieszka; Majewski, Edward; Malak-Rawlikowska, Agata; Menozzi, Davide; Török, Áron; Wavresky, Pierre
(2019).
Short Food Supply Chains and Their Contributions to Sustainability: Participants’ Views and Perceptions from 12 European Cases.
Sustainability
.
Vol. 11.
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/17/4800
Klepp, Ingun Grimstad; Laitala, Kirsi (2019). «Ты это сам/а связал/а?», или Почему норвежцы вяжут одежду сами. Aliabieva, Liudmila; Grigorieva, Tatyana; Petrov, Sergey (Ed.). Теория моды: одежда, тело, культура. Норвегия. p. 161-179. Novoe Literaturnoe Obozrenie.
Shevchenko, Tetiana; Laitala, Kirsi; Danko, Yuriy
(2019).
Understanding Consumer E-Waste Recycling Behavior: Introducing a New Economic Incentive to Increase the Collection Rates.
20 p.
Sustainability
.
Vol. 11.
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/9/2656/pdf
Klepp, Ingun Grimstad; Laitala, Kirsi; Skuland, Silje Elisabeth
(2019).
Uniformity Without Uniforms: Dressing School Children In Norway.
Borch, Anita; Harsløf, Ivan; Klepp, Ingun Grimstad; Laitala, Kirsi (Ed.).
Inclusive Consumption: Immigrants' Access to and Use of Public and Private Goods and Services. 3. p. 39-62.
Universitetsforlaget.
https://doi.org/10.18261/9788215031699-2019
Laitala, Kirsi; Klepp, Ingun Grimstad
(2019).
Dressing a Demanding Body to Fit In: Clean and Decent with Ostomy or Chronic Skin Disease.
Social Inclusion
.
Vol. 7.
https://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/art...
