PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Jeans are a sartorial staple for consumers around the world, but denim is a ‘dirty’ business. The production process generates a considerable amount of waste water, which is often released — untreated — back into the environment, contaminating water sources and soil with chemicals and heavy metals. Poor practices and lack of regulation are having a negative impact on the health of local populations, with communities near denim manufacturing hubs demonstrating significantly higher instances of reproductive and fertility problems, as well as chemical poisoning.
BUSINESS CASE -
Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, which dates back to World War II radar systems, is increasingly being used to track goods throughout complex global supply chains.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
In recent weeks, outdoors organizations such as The North Face and Paradox Sports have been making marked efforts to make positive changes in local communities across the US with the rollout of new campaigns and initiatives that aim to spark conversations around inclusion.
PRESS RELEASE -
Outdoor lifestyle brand Timberland celebrates the 25th anniversary of its award-winning Path of Service™ program by kicking off a season of volunteer events around the globe. The events will reinforce the brand’s commitment to be Earthkeepers by working to protect and restore the outdoors and support the communities where it does business.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
With the publication of its annual report for 2016, Cotton made in Africa (CmiA) demonstrates the growing momentum the sustainable cotton movement continues to gain around the world.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
Walls have conventionally been viewed as objects that divide, an idea that has intensified in this new era. But to The North Face, walls are places where people in the climbing community come together to test themselves, build trust and strengthen their bonds. They aren’t meant to divide us, but rather to unite us.
NEW METRICS -
With its sights set on reducing the social and environmental impacts of its garment sector, Bangladesh has launched an initiative to map all of its apparel factories.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
A new partnership between Sourcemap and Provenance signals a major win for the food and fashion industries. The two companies have linked their digital platforms for supply chain transparency, allowing brands to address inefficiencies and unsustainable and unethical practices through supply chain mapping, data collection and tracking of verified claims with the movement of product.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
With greater focus being placed on the fashion industry’s environmental impacts, efforts are emerging almost daily in an effort to help the sector shed its unsustainable rep.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
When it comes to sustainable fashion, the contribution of children’s clothing to the textile waste problem is often overlooked. While the sector represents only 12 percent of overall market share, it constitutes a considerable portion of the 26 billion pounds of textiles entering landfills each year. Children themselves embody the fast fashion model, with their rapid growth rate requiring a constant flow of new clothing to keep up with lengthening limbs and expanding feet.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
Stella McCartney has long been an advocate for sustainable, ethical fashion; the luxury label has been busy over the last several months trying to drive the industry away from a take-make-waste model, announcing plans to use Parley for the Oceans’ recycled plastic yarn and Aquafil’s ECONYL® fiber, made from 100 percent regenerated nylon waste, in its line of shoes, accessories and outerwear
PRESS RELEASE -
Global outdoor lifestyle brand Timberland announces an important milestone in its longstanding commitment to environmental responsibility – ten years since the launch of the Original Earthkeepers® 6-Inch Boot. To mark the anniversary and pay tribute to the product that fundamentally changed the company’s approach to product sustainability, Timberland today released a seasonal exclusive boot called the Eagle Bay.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Fashion continues to make headlines, with news emerging about a new textile breakthrough and shifting attitudes towards clothing across the UK that are helping drive down the industry’s environmental impact.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Across the globe, brands, manufacturers and employers are becoming more aware of the urgent need to address worker exploitation in global supply chains. Through the development of new cross-industry collaborations and technological solutions, industry leaders hope to put an end to forced labor.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Fashion is slowly shedding its negative rep as brands continue to embrace circular and forward-thinking practices that drive innovation and product durability.
Only weeks after announcing a new partnership with Parley for the Oceans, luxury label Stella McCartney has made yet another push to keep the world’s oceans waste-free. The brand has revealed that its Autumn 2017 collection of Falabella GO bags will be made with yarn derived from converted ocean waste.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
The sourcing and manufacturing of materials are two of the most environmentally impactful aspects of the fashion industry. In an effort to shift the sector to a more sustainable model, key industry players have revved up efforts to move sustainable materials to the mainstream.
PRESS RELEASE -
In spring 2017, global outdoor lifestyle brand Timberland released a new collection in partnership with Thread, a Certified B Corporation that crafts fabric from plastic bottles littering the streets and landfills of Haiti. The Timberland X Thread collection of boots, bags and t-shirts goes beyond environmental sustainability, creating cleaner neighborhoods and meaningful new job opportunities. The collection recently received three distinct honors – from the Environmental Leader Product & Project Awards, The Stevie American Business Awards and Apparel Magazine Top Innovators Awards – for demonstrating innovation, responsible sourcing and social impact.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Brands continue to uncover new ways to transform waste into valuable materials, providing critical solutions for pressing problems such as ocean plastics.
Stella McCartney is the latest label to team up with Parley for the Oceans in an effort to keep plastics out of the world’s oceans. The designer, who previously designed a sneaker for adidas in partnership with Parley, intends to use the nonprofit’s recycled plastic yarn in lieu of woven or recycled polyester in her line of shoes, accessories and outerwear.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
The apparel industry continues to make progress towards shedding its bad rep, with even more brands making moves to rethink traditional supply chains.