BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
Walk to work. Recycle your aluminum cans. Remember your reusable shopping bags. These modern-day sustainability mantras help consumers take small steps every day to lower their environmental footprint, keeping plastics out of the oceans and carbon emissions down. But have we considered the footprint of our clothing — one of the biggest polluters in the world?
PRESS RELEASE -
Savers’ State of Reuse Report examines the impact of reuse
MARKETING AND COMMS -
In honor of National Soil Conservation Week, which commences on April 16, the Soil Conservation Council of Canada (SCCC) has launched a new campaign encouraging Canadians to play in the dirt. Initiated by the Innovative Farmers Association of Ontario, the Soil Your Undies campaign aims to draw attention to the importance of soil health.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Just days after Reebok announced plans to introduce a plant-based, compostable shoe later this year, Adidas has launched a new piece of performance footwear featuring midsoles crafted with light and oxygen.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
The concept of fast fashion isn’t exactly synonymous with conscious consumerism and sustainability, but major retailer H&M has been at the forefront of the movement to change that — and the fashion industry as a whole.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Global fitness brand Reebok has launched its “Cotton + Corn” sustainable products initiative, which will bring plant-based footwear to the market later this year.
PRESS RELEASE -
Apparel and textile companies are increasingly facing questions from stakeholders about their sustainability performance, policies and strategies. To respond with transparency and accuracy, credible data along the value chain is key to make informed, fact-based decisions and to prioritize their sustainability efforts.
Watch the replay of the Quantis webinar that includes a panel of experts in the field: Quantis’ Rainer Zah, Sustainable Apparel Coalition’s Julie M.H. Brown and Hugo Boss’ Heinz Zeller. In this one-hour session, they provided business case examples of how apparel companies are deploying programs and strategies based on metrics.
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COLLABORATION -
The apparel and textile industries have long struggled with environmental and social impacts and the rise of fast fashion has only aggravated the problem, with its unsustainable business model that is based on an unrealistic trajectory of growth. But with the launch of Fashion for Good, McDonough Innovation is hoping to change all of that.
PRESS RELEASE -
The Goodwill store on Forsyth Road is getting a boutique makeover thanks to the art department at Wesleyan College. Under a new partnership with the college, Goodwill has created an artist gallery in the store in the Wesleyan Station shopping center.
The students took donated Goodwill materials and turned them into wall hangings that are now decorating the store along with Pitts’ designs and ceramics. Each month, a new display will be featured in the shop.
“The monthly featured artists in the gallery space will provide new reasons to shop at the Wesleyan Station Goodwill store,” said James Stiff, president of Goodwill Industries of Middle Georgia, who suggested the collaboration.
LEADERSHIP -
The textile and apparel industries are widely known to have considerable environmental and social impacts on both local and global levels. The leather industry is no exception — in India, approximately 2.5 million workers are exposed to poor working conditions that violate their human rights and negatively affect their health.
CLEANTECH -
Textile dyeing accounts for one fifth of all industrial wastewater pollution generated worldwide and much of it, particularly in developing countries in Asia, goes untreated. Now, China is employing electron beams to treat effluent from textile dyeing plants, ushering in a new era for radiation technology.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Nest, a New York-based nonprofit focused on creating a better life for workers in the cottage industry, has announced the formation of the Nest Artisan Advancement Steering Committee, a coalition of heavy hitters in fashion and home design committed to addressing sustainability issues impacting the global community of homeworkers and artisans.
WASTE NOT -
Global outdoor lifestyle brand Timberland has launched the Timberland X Thread collection in partnership with Thread, the Certified B Corporation that transforms plastic bottles from the streets and canals of Haiti into what Thread calls “the most responsible fabric on the planet.” The collection goes beyond environmental sustainability, creating social value and impact in the form of cleaner neighborhoods and meaningful new job opportunities.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Today, VF Corporation, the US' largest fashion conglomerate - parent company of lifestyle apparel, footwear and accessories brands including Timberland, The North Face, Lee and Wrangler – released its first-ever Forest Derived Materials Policy, which sets formal guidelines for the company’s purchasing preferences and use of sustain
LEADERSHIP -
If there existed any question about the effectiveness of boycotts, recent actions taken across the retail industry by both consumers and brands should remove any doubt. The performance of Ivanka Trump’s fashion line plummeted as her father’s presidential campaign gained momentum, leading major retailers such as Nordstrom to pull the plug on her products not long after his inauguration.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
This week, sustainable menswear brand Outerknown launched #ITSNOTOK, an evergreen giveback program designed to bring awareness to environmental issues – particularly the declining health of our oceans, mostly due to pollution – all over the world. #ITSNOTOK is a call to action to consumers to become part of the solution, rather than the problem, by helping to clean up the oceans.
PRESS RELEASE -
DuPont Industrial Biosciences announces that its renewably sourced fiber, DuPont™ Sorona®, has been recognized as a runner-up for Fiber Producer of the Year by the World Textile Awards.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Even more brands are making moves towards a more circular economy through textile innovation and consumer engagement. Recently, H&M debuted its new “Bring It” garment recycling campaign, as well as a new BIONIC-based Conscious Exclusive collection, while Kering announced the next stage of its ambitious sustainability plan.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
The Social and Labor Convergence Project (SLCP) — an initiative led by the world’s leading manufacturers, brands, retailers, industry groups, intergovernmental organizations, service providers and civil society organizations — has secured more than 100 signatories in the year since it launched. The missions of the SLCP is to develop a common assessment framework and data collection system for the apparel, footwear and textile industry, dramatically increasing industry efficiency and reducing audit-related costs.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
The fashion industry shows no sign of slowing down in regards to reducing its environmental impact, with new initiatives and schemes emerging almost daily. Though the concept of fast fashion stands in stark contrast to the notion of conscious consumerism and arguably sustainability itself, innovation and disruptive design play an important role in driving the industry towards a more circular, sustainable model.