Abstract
The article is devoted to the study of methodological foundations for teaching students to save natural resources in the process of garment manufacturing within vocational and higher education systems. The relevance of the research is determined by the growing environmental impact of the textile and garment industry, which requires the integration of sustainable development principles into professional training. The study analyzes modern resource-saving technologies aimed at reducing the consumption of water, energy, and textile materials during the design and production of clothing. Particular attention is paid to the educational potential of Zero Waste pattern cutting and Upcycling methods as tools for ecological design and sustainable fashion. The research is based on a pedagogical experiment conducted with students of the specialty “Sewing Production and Clothing Modeling.” Traditional cutting methods were compared with innovative resource-saving technologies during practical training. The results of the experiment demonstrate that the proposed teaching methodology significantly reduces fabric waste from 15–20% to 0– 5% and contributes to the development of students’ creative, design, and ecological thinking. The study also reveals positive changes in students’ value-based attitudes toward environmental responsibility and professional ethics. The article substantiates pedagogical conditions for forming ecological competence, including the integration of project-based learning, practical eco-design tasks, and sustainable fashion concepts into the curriculum. The findings confirm the effectiveness of resource-saving education in increasing the professional competitiveness of future garment industry specialists.