INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
The Fashion for Good-Plug and Play Accelerator has revealed the names of the 15 startups selected to participate in its third edition, which kicks off today.
NEW METRICS -
A multi-industry initiative has introduced new protocols and tools for the responsible sourcing of tin, tungsten, tantalum, gold, and cobalt, as well as social, environmental and governance impacts of the extraction and processing of raw materials in international supply chains.
ORGANIZATIONAL GOVERNANCE -
As a division of the fashion industry, the footwear sector has a hefty environmental footprint. However, a slew of emerging brands are gearing up to change footwear’s future, raising the bar for the rest of the industry by embracing sustainable sourcing, ethical labor practices and transparency.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
The complexity of global supply chains has made it incredibly difficult for businesses to effectively drive sustainable social and environmental change. However, new funding and accessible online resources are making it easier than ever for businesses to overcome these deeply embedded challenges.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
Discussion around the future of mobility is dominated by discourse around the shift away from fossil fuels, but this is only one small part of a more complex conversation. Even clean energy vehicles have impacts on environmental and human health. China’s industry ministry, General Motors and Goodyear are taking these often-overlooked impacts into account by focusing on waste recovery and prevention approaches that seek to establish closed-loop systems.
PRESS RELEASE -
General Motors today announced an expansion of its industry-leading landfill-free program as all of the company’s manufacturing plants in Canada, Mexico and South America now recycle, reuse or convert to energy all waste from daily operations. With the addition of 27 newly certified facilities, General Motors has 142 manufacturing and non-manufacturing landfill-free facilities globally — more than any other automaker.
MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
The war against single-use plastics rages on as even more brands rise to the challenge of creating a plastic-free future.
Online food delivery companies Just Eat and Deliveroo are the latest businesses to hop aboard the sustainable packaging bandwagon.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
Guided by its Sharing Beauty with All global sustainability program, beauty giant L’Oréal has revealed plans to achieve carbon neutrality by 2019 for all 21 of its US manufacturing and distribution facilities.
PRESS RELEASE -
Today, L’Oréal USA announced its plans to achieve carbon neutrality in 2019 for all 21 of its U.S. manufacturing and distribution facilities with a financially sustainable approach that could potentially serve as a model to support new renewable natural gas (RNG) projects in the future. In order to reach this milestone, L’Oréal USA is adding to its diversified energy portfolio with RNG purchased from a new processing facility in Kentucky. The company currently has 17 renewable energy installations across the country, including large on-site solar arrays in Arkansas, New Jersey and Kentucky as well as wind turbines in Texas. The RNG purchased from the new project alone is expected to eliminate the carbon equivalent of 1.8 million gallons of gasoline consumed per year.
MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Levi Strauss & Co. (LS&Co.) has taken an important step to clean up the fashion supply chain, rolling out a new digital manufacturing process that will eliminate the use of hazardous chemicals that have traditionally been used in the industry for jeans finishing.
MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Makersite, a groundbreaking open data platform created by Everycs that aims to make better products faster, has developed a first-of-its-kind modeling app that simultaneously calculates a product’s production costs, its compliance and its effect on environment and health.
MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Aquafil and H&M have joined forces to make sustainable fashion mainstream through the H&M Conscious Exclusive collection.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
Across the globe, about 50 percent of CO2 emissions are tied to materials — goods that often produce a significant amount of physical and financial waste.
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS -
A first-of-its-kind research project led by Microfinance Opportunities (MFO) in partnership with Fashion Revolution and C&A Foundation gives the most comprehensive picture yet of the living and working conditions faced by female garment workers in Bangladesh, Cambodia and India.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
As increasing emphasis is being placed on circularity, the concept of planned obsolescence is being called into question. While it has long been criticized by consumers, brands and governments are finally beginning to recognize that the short-term strategy has no place in the low-carbon economy — and are taking action to promote transparency and resource efficiency.
ORGANIZATIONAL GOVERNANCE -
Sustainable production standards for clothing continue to rise, with attention to sustainable materials and practices becoming a more integral part of the global apparel industry. In an effort to mitigate its impact on the environment, the sector has been taking important steps toward more sustainable product solutions.
But are we doing enough?
PRESS RELEASE -
Power purchase agreement will provide approximately 80 percent of the electricity load for five Nestlé facilities in southeastern Pennsylvania
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
The Cradle to Cradle (C2C) Products Innovation Institute has revealed the winners of the latest Cradle to Cradle Product Design Challenge.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
A new textiles economy is on the horizon as innovative textile and chemical firms develop new chemical- and petroleum-free processes to produce fabrics and materials.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
A garment’s country of origin isn’t that garment’s full story. Canadian belt manufacturer Unbelts is looking to prove that the fashion industry and consumers have a responsibility and an existing means to provide high-quality clothing-production jobs around the world. Plus, this 2017 Best for the World honoree is out to make women feel awesome in their pants — a goal that is also worthy of global adoption.