PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
This week at the United Nations headquarters, adidas celebrated its new partnership with Parley for the Oceans by showcasing the first innovative footwear concept born from the collaboration.Parley for the Oceans brings together creators, thinkers and leaders to raise awareness about the disastrous state of the oceans and to collaborate on promising projects that can protect and conserve them. As a founding member, adidas supports Parley for the Oceans in its education and communication efforts and its Ocean Plastic Program that aims to end the rampant plastic pollution of the oceans.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Last month I did a feature interview with Davis Smith, CEO of outdoor gear and apparel company Cotopaxi, and was impressed with the way the brand had managed to build sustainability and social responsibility into its business model.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
The far-reaching social impacts of the fashion industry were catapulted into the global spotlight with the devastating collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory in Bangladesh in 2013.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
Last week, a colorful protest temporarily diverted attention from the red carpet parade at the 2015 Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Fashion Awards at New York City’s Lincoln Center.Dressed in sleek formal wear, activists deployed a large banner over the heads of the crowd while others handed out balloons and business cards printed with a parody logo of the demonstration’s target: Ralph Lauren.
WASTE NOT -
Fashion is probably the last thing you think about when you see a leather airplane seat – yet through a partnership between Southwest Airlines and textile and accessories upcycler Looptworks, 43 acres of leather collected from 80,000 discarded Southwest airplane seats were turned into LUV Seat weekender duffle bags, shoes, soccer balls and more that embody how creative partnerships can help companies close loops and benefit the environment.
COLLABORATION -
Fresh from its successful collaboration with Southwest Airlines on its LUV Seat collection of bags and accessories upcycled from the airline’s leather seats, Looptworks has launched an email campaign to enlist its customers’ help in restoring the Colorado River.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Over the past year, I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing a range of startup fashion brands doing inspiring work on developing sustainable and socially responsible business models. However, it’s hard to escape the fact that the textile industry’s notoriously poor reputation means that these innovators are currently the exception and not the rule.
WASTE NOT -
The Eco Laundry Company, the world’s first certified B Corp dry cleaner and laundry service franchise, has announced a strategic partnership with famed denim heavyweight G-Star RAW. As part of the partnership, The Eco Laundry Company will offer free dry cleaning for life for any piece of clothing from G-Star’s RAW for the Oceans collection, a clothing line curated by Pharrell Williams and made with fabric spun from recycled ocean plastic.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
With the rise of brands such as Warby Parker, Soapbox Soaps, Plum Organics and Bombas Socks, the one-for-one giving model has become a popular way for companies to easily tie social impact to consumer product purchases and show just how easy it can be to support a worthy cause.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Last month, Vancouver welcomed back the ninth season of Eco Fashion Week (EFW), to celebrate the ongoing transformation of the fashion industry into one that is aware of and co-exists with the environment. This year’s Eco Fashion Week fell during Earth Week, with Offsetters Climate Solutions on board as the Official Offset Sponsor, helping to raise awareness of the environmental, and more specifically, the carbon impact made by the fashion industry worldwide. The week was inspiring, energizing and reinvigorating, full of runway shows, speaker sessions, films and, of course, more shows!
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
More and more companies are beginning to acknowledge the importance of water stewardship to the longevity of their operations, regardless of industry. Consumer-facing brands can have added impact — and have added responsibility — to engage their customers on this critical issue, as well.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
Today, global viscose giant Aditya Birla Group announced an industry-leading commitment to eliminate sourcing from the world’s ancient and endangered forests for all of its Viscose fibers, which are widely used in clothing and textiles.Aditya Birla is India’s largest multinational conglomerate (with US$40B in revenue) and the world’s largest producer of Viscose, manufacturing 20 percent of the world’s supply of the material, which is made from wood pulp. The commitment applies to wood and pulp sourcing for all its mills, including those in Canada, Indonesia and China.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
The past week saw continued momentum in the global push for a more sustainable fashion industry, some from some surprising sources.
WASTE NOT -
Spring cleaning this year just got a little easier: On Saturday, May 2nd, donating old clothes will be a breeze thanks to a partnership between Goodwill and Uber. Donors can open the Uber app on Saturday, select the GIVE option at the bottom of the screen and request a pickup for their donations to be delivered directly to their local Goodwill, free of charge.
BLOG -
It’s time once again for the Sustainable Brands Innovation Open (SBIO) — our annual competition for startups poised to make scalable, sustainable impacts. Each year, we receive submissions from hundreds of purpose-driven ventures innovating to shape the future of business, and we’ve selected 11 finalists for this year’s SBIO, presented by Target and co-sponsored by SicaSoft and Sprint — winners to be announced June 3 at SB ’15 San Diego.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Today marks the two-year anniversary of the devastating collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory in Bangladesh. It also marks the second Fashion Revolution Day, launched last year to commemorate the Rana Plaza disaster with the aims of encouraging greater collaboration across the fashion sector supply chain.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
On Friday, the second annual Fashion Revolution Day, people in 66 countries around the world will challenge global fashion brands to demonstrate commitment to transparency across the length of the value chain, from farmers to factory workers, brands to buyers and consumers.One in six people work in the global fashion supply chain. It is the most labor-dependent industry on the planet, yet the people who make our clothes are hidden from us, often at their own expense, a symptom of the broken links across the fashion industry.
WASTE NOT -
In honor of Earth Day this week, both Brad Pitt and Sheryl Crow are using their star power to back initiatives aimed at helping responsibly build affordable housing for those in need, while bringing awareness to the importance of textile recycling.First, Pitt’s non-profit, Make It Right — which builds sustainable, affordable homes, buildings and communities for people in need — kicked off a partnership with American Eagle Outfitters to recycle used and unwanted denim into building materials for affordable homes.
PRESS RELEASE -
STRATHAM, N.H.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Timberland, a global leader in the design, engineering and marketing of premium-quality footwear, apparel and accessories, today released its 2014 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) performance data. The report aptly comes out on Earth Day, and shares the brand’s continued commitment to sustainability against four key pillars: service, product, factories and climate.“Timberland has a longstanding commitment to sustainability, which goes well beyond environmental stewardship”
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Today, the adidas Group announced a partnership with Parley for the Oceans, an initiative dedicated to raising awareness about the beauty and fragility of the oceans and to collaborating on projects that can end their destruction. Together, the organizations will implement a long-term program that builds on three pillars: communication and education; research and innovation; and direct actions against ocean plastic pollution.