Sustainability Pulse #117
Sustainability Trends & News Worth Exploring — Aug 11, 2025
This week's sustainability news is a wild mix of progress, PR spin, and pure innovation.
From polyester's climate problem and luxury brands' sweatshop scandals, to Shein's greenwashing fine and Icelandic outerwear turning 100 in style, the industry's contradictions are on full display.
We've also got mushroom leather getting a luxe upgrade, AI try-ons that could cut waste, and deadstock designers proving second chances can be chic.
Increased production, polyester use causing fashion industry's emissions to rise: report
The apparel sector's greenhouse gas emissions increased to 944 million metric tons in 2023, up by 7.5% compared to 2022, according to the Apparel Impact Institute.
A Slap on the Wrist Won't Solve Luxury's Sweatshops Problem
This week, Italy's Competition Authority closed a probe into whether Dior misled consumers about working conditions at its suppliers without finding any wrongdoing. But a new case linking Valentino to poor labour practices suggests this is a problem that won't go away easily.
Are Luxury Brands Responsible for What Happens in Their Supply Chains?
An Italian union is seeking to hold Richemont legally accountable for alleged workers' rights violations at a Montblanc supplier, as scandals linking brands like Dior, Armani, Valentino and Loro Piana to sweatshops draw more scrutiny to the sector's sourcing practices.
Shein fined $1.16M for greenwashing, releases plan to lower supply chain emissions
The fast fashion giant unveiled plans to reduce carbon emissions by replacing diesel trucks with electric vehicles in its China-based operations.
Steve Madden forecasts tough road ahead due to tariffs
The recent acquisition of Kurt Geiger led to revenue growth in Q2, but the company still pulled its earnings guidance.
Issey Miyake Fashion Innovation: Leading the Avant-Garde Textile Revolution
In a world saturated with fleeting trends, Issey Miyake Fashion Innovation stands as a radiant beacon of originality and enduring artistry.
From fishermen to fashion week: What's next for 66North?
Celebrating its centenary, Icelandic outerwear brand 66North is showcasing its technical origins with an immersive Copenhagen Fashion Week presentation. We speak to its owners about staying true to the label's roots while seeking scale.
The startup that wants to modernize tailoring
Logistics firm Atelier Society wants to change the way consumers and brands navigate garment fit and alterations, according to CEO Sophie Friedfeld-Gebaide.
From Secondhand to Luxury: How AI Try-On Supports Sustainable Fashion Choices
While consumers have a lot of fun adding influencer-recommended items to their virtual shopping carts, this can lead to buying without a chance to consider how the items will fit or whether they'll last.
Veja adds repair-driven after-sales to strengthen sustainability credentials
By the end of the year, the service, which was soft-launched in March, should handle all of Veja's after-sales demands in France. Since the brand started investing in in-house aftercare, more than 50,000 pairs have already been mended, according to the company.
Mother-daughter duo stocks sustainable style, four-leaf magic
A Monticello mother-daughter team is redefining handmade, sustainable style locally, showcasing their earth-friendly wardrobe staples and creative four-leaf clover keepsakes at two hometown venues.
Princess Polly Becomes a Certified B Corporation™
Brands Holding Corp. (NYSE: AKA), a portfolio of next generation fashion brands, today announced that Princess Polly has been certified by the nonprofit B Lab as a B Corporation™ (B Corp™). This designation recognizes Princess Polly as meeting high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency.
'Disappointing': Outcry after fast-fashion brand Princess Polly earns B Corp certification
The Gold Coast fashion brand has Gen Z in a chokehold, but its recent certification has received backlash, claiming it "undermines credibility".
"No beauty is innocent": Is sustainable fashion truly sustainable?
Each fabric thread weaves together a generation's hopes for what lies ahead. Because of this sense of stewardship, sustainable fashion moves away from mass production. Instead of rapidly filling shelves or cutting costs for profit, many brands opt for small-batch production, on-demand design, conscious consumption, and predominantly manual craftsmanship. The process is slower and costlier.
The End of Greenwashing: How Transparency is Revolutionizing Sustainable Fashion
As the deadline for the rollout of the European Digital Product Passport (DPP) approaches, greenwashing is going to become a thing of the past, as well as an industry that looks set to drown in digital data.
Kering and Marie Claire Present "Fashion Our Future" in Shanghai
Kering and Marie Claire China successfully hosted the third edition of their Fashion Our Future events at the Shanghai Columbia Circle · Naval Club
Is 3D printing the future of sustainable fashion?
The hype around 3D printing boomed around 2012. I remember reading about it for the first time on The Conversation, and many hypothesised it was a soon-to-be ubiquitous must-have in all industries, including medicine, manufacturing andbuilding. Alas today, 3D printing still remains a sort of novelty; spoken about mostly by early adopters and fanatics.
Why It's Time to Quit Shopping, According to a Former Fashion Editor
With the No Buy 2025 movement gaining traction, author Alec Leach explains how reexamining your relationship with consumerism can actually improve your personal style.
Unpacking Fashion's New AI Marketing Toolkit
From Mango to Zalando, fashion brands are using AI tools to produce faster, cheaper and more personalised campaigns — but keeping content on-brand still requires human creativity and strategic control.
The Amazon's Shiringa Bio-Leather Celebrated At Copenhagen Fashion Week
Collective Fashion Justice showcases its collaboration between Caxacori Studio and the Awajún community to create a sustainable bio-leather, sharing its possibilities at Copenhagen Fashion Week SS26.
In a hub for fast fashion, 'deadstock' brands turn textile waste into small-batch design
The textile industry generates an estimated 92 million tons of waste every year — equivalent to a garbage truck full of clothing every second. But in the backstreets of Istanbul's garment districts, "deadstock" wholesalers give surplus fabric a second life. The World's Durrie Bouscaren meets the creators of OhSevenDays.
Fashion's Green Revolution: The 2025 Research Round-Up
From mushroom leather handbags to AI-powered design studios, researchers are sketching out a future where creativity and responsibility walk the runway together.
Here's what's hot off the academic press:
👢 Mycelium Leather, but Make It Luxe – Italian researchers perfect post-processing for mushroom-based leather, making it feel as fancy as the real thing — minus the cows. Read the research
🏭 Fashion Comes Home – Lean automation could bring garment production back to US soil, cutting carbon and shipping costs. Read more
🖥️ When AI Meets Couture – An immersive, human-in-the-loop design platform that blends tech precision with human creativity for greener collections. See the study
💰 India's ESG Fashion Goldmine – Sustainable fashion as an untapped investment opportunity in one of the world's fastest-growing markets. Dive in
🌍 Decarbonising at Scale – Industry 4.0 tools to slash emissions in global fashion manufacturing. Read more
🔗 Blockchain, but Make It Fashion – From raw fiber to shop floor, blockchain ensures every step is traceable and transparent. Full text
🇳🇬 Rethinking Fast Fashion in Nigeria – Policy blueprints for a fairer, greener local fashion economy. PDF link
🇮🇳 Indian Consumers Go Green(ish) – What shoppers really think about "sustainable fast fashion." Full text
🤖 CSR Meets AI – Using artificial intelligence to turbocharge sustainability goals in fashion manufacturing. Read study
🌿 Small-Scale, Big Impact – New models for sustainable textile production from local crops like milkweed. PDF link
Vera
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