WASTE NOT -
In the world of sustainable fashion, few designers are pulling off the business model with as much style and substance as Shannon South. BBMG’s proprietary community of Aspirational consumers, The Collective, recently partnered with Shannon for the Remake My Leather Challenge, and we sat down with her to discuss what makes Shannon’s line, Remade USA, different from other sustainably designed product lines.How did you get started as a handbag designer?
BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
In the past two months, the garment factory collapse in Bangladesh, the second-floor failure of the shoe factory in Cambodia, and most recently, the fire in the Chinese poultry plant have resulted in the deaths of some 1,500 workers in the developing world.In China alone, more than 100,000 people die annually in factories. These numbers are raising difficult questions among European and American consumers who have become accustomed to goods being manufactured abroad.
WASTE NOT -
The ancient phrase “to turn swords into plough shares” may not be common today, but Emily and Betsy Nunez are doing their best to keep it relevant. The phrase means to take military technologies and materials (the swords) and apply them to peaceful civilian activities (the plough shares). Their new company, appropriately called Sword & Plough, is repurposing surplus military material into fashionable bags and accessories.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Nike, Levi Strauss, H&M and several other members of the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals Group have committed to publishing a list of chemicals targeted for phase out or research by 2015 as part of a plan to eliminate hazardous chemicals from their supply chains by 2020.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
H&M announced Monday it has publicly committed to supporting the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, which was initiated by IndustryALL Global Union and UNI Global Union in response to last month’s deadly building collapse that has claimed some 1100 lives.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
Patagonia is renowned for its consistent environmental support; each year, the outdoor apparel company gives away 1% of its profits to grassroots environmental nonprofits. Now, its new venture capital fund of more than $20 million will support eco-friendly for-profitbusinesses, focusing on energy, food, water or waste-related startups.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Nike last week partnered with NASA, USAID and the U.S. Department of State to bring together some 150 materials specialists, designers, academics, manufacturers, entrepreneurs and NGOs to catalyze action around one of the world’s biggest challenges — the sustainability of materials and how they are made.
WASTE NOT -
Textile and clothing recycling has always lagged behind the sustainable disposal of other household products such as glass, aluminum and even plastic. The numbers, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, are disturbing.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
H&M for the first time has made its supplier factory list public alongside its annual sustainability report, released last week.
WASTE NOT -
The North Face has announced a new initiative aimed at reducing the amount of clothing and footwear going to landfills.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Seventeen years ago, Indigenous cofounders Scott Leonard and Matt Reynolds were picking burs out of hand-knit South American sweaters before delivering them to The Nature Company.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Outdoor apparel company Patagonia is working to restore grasslands in its namesake region of Argentina through a partnership with The Nature Conservancy and Ovis XXI, an Argentine company working to improve the economic, environmental, social and human sustainability of the sheep-based supply chain.
PRESS RELEASE -
New brand and Metropolis collection bring edgy, innovative design to Milan
The United Nations is partnering with the Nordic Fashion industry to address human rights, labor and environmental issues.The sector-specific initiative is a first-of-its kind effort under the UN’s Global Compact, an organization that works with businesses to ensure markets, commerce, technology and finance advance in ways that benefit economies and societies everywhere.
Levi Strauss & Company has revamped its forest products purchasing policy to ensure it does not source materials from the world’s endangered forests.
Patagonia on Tuesday became the first company in California to elect benefit corporation status.
PRESS RELEASE -
The two companies announced the new initiative today which involves Levi's including another tag on their clothes with messaging about the project and encouraging consumers to reduce waste be donating their used clothes.