Sustainability Pulse #118
Sustainability Trends & News Worth Exploring - Aug 22, 2025
This week’s roundup is a bit like rummaging through a very eclectic closet: you’ll find a $4 T-shirt that outlasts its £395 cousin, AI-powered closets straight out of Clueless, and global regulators telling brands to finally clean up their act.
In between, there are lawsuits, wool revolutions, recycled leather, and one designer proving that puff sleeves can, in fact, be subversive.
If there’s a thread running through it all, it’s this: sustainability in fashion isn’t a straight runway walk- it’s a zigzag of experiments, stumbles, lawsuits, and breakthroughs.
And honestly? That’s what makes it worth following.
Here are the stories I think you’ll want to explore this week.
Closing the Footwear Loop
The “Closing the Footwear Loop” project is a major initiative led by Fashion for Good, bringing together 17 leading fashion and footwear brands and their existing circularity programs to tackle the complex challenges of circularity in the footwear industry. The project aims to transform the current linear “take-make-dispose” model into a circular one.
Alta Is the Smart Closet We Were Promised in Clueless
Track cost per wear and so much more with this AI-powered app.
‘Something you can move in’: How this designer became the go-to for unconventional brides
In the fashion industry, where styles are cyclical and the same trends are repeatedly served up in TikTok and Instagram feeds, coming up with a unique and identifiable look is no small feat. Yet, it’s what Danish fashion designer Cecilie Bahnsen has achieved, with puffy sleeves, lace-up details, organza frills and textured jacquard being among the visual signatures of the namesake brand she founded in 2015.
Material Guide: What Is Viscose and Is It Sustainable?
Viscose is one of the most popular materials in the fashion industry, and you may know it by another name: rayon. It’s a man-made cellulosic fibre (MMCF) that is made from trees, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s any better for the environment, or for you.
Louis Vuitton confirms customer data stolen in cyber attack
The breach, which took place on 2 July according to Bloomberg, follows similar attacks on Louis Vuitton’s Korean operation and on fellow LVMH label Christian Dior Couture. In May, Dior revealed that hackers had accessed customer data during another attempted breach.
How Puma is engaging consumers with its R-City initiative
While the campaign centres on culture and community, it also reflects a wider shift in how brands engage consumers. R-City blends experience, values and purpose, embedding Puma in everyday life beyond the store.
Shein faces class action lawsuit over marketing texts
The fast fashion giant is accused of repeatedly texting those on the national Do-Not-Call registry.
Counterfeit market continues to grow in US
The number of products tested for authenticity grew “by the millions” last year, according to luxury authentication platform Entrupy.
Circularity in fashion is ‘mainstream’ but progress slowing: report
The 2025 Circular Fashion Index from Kearney found that a lack of a clear business case for circularity is holding up efforts.
Research confirms frustrating reality for ‘slow fashion’
A recent academic literature review has provided valuable insights into consumer behaviour with regard to so-called slow fashion.
Tapestry increases stake in recycled leather maker
The Coach owner signed a supply agreement and is participating in Gen Phoenix’s $15 million funding round.
How DEI destroyed Black-owned brands
‘Overnight, the rug was pulled.’ Black founders explain how funding dried up and retailers like Target left them in a lurch.
How Canada's sustainable fashion startups are unravelling our throwaway clothing culture
Paul Long started his fashion brand humbly, to say the least.
His plan, at first, was to create a line of wool basics that were made entirely in Canada — from material through to production. But his timing was ill-fated:
Textile ministry sets up task force for sustainable fashion
On National Handloom Day, the textile ministry launched a sustainability-focused exhibition and ESG taskforce to promote circularity in fashion. The “Weave the Future” event celebrates regenerative handloom practices, indigenous cotton, and artisan-led innovation in textiles.
Marina Tran Vu: the uncompromising ‘green’ philosophy of a female CEO who has worked at multinational corporations
In the face of constantly shifting trends, “sustainability” is often mistaken for a passing craze rather than the vital transition it truly represents. But is it really just a trend?
South Africa embraces Merino wool for sustainable fashion
Demand for South African wool is growing as consumers become more aware of ethical fashion. Australia is the world'slargest wool exporting nation, dominating the premium Merino market, which feeds the fast-fashion industry. Rahul Radhakrishnan reports on how that's changing.
Gap releases curated vintage collection
The 148-piece capsule is the third since the brand launched GapVintage with Sean Wotherspoon earlier this year.
The stories our clothes tell – and why shoppers are finally listening
What if the clothes in your wardrobe could speak? What stories would they tell – of hands that stitched, fields that grew fibres or the journeys they took across continents before landing in your arms? Looking at values for our Fashion Reimagined series, Caroline Garland speaks to the sustainable fashion leaders making sure all voices are heard
Scientists make concerning discovery about hidden dangers lurking in popular clothing material: 'A one-way ticket to … disposal'
As consumer demand for eco-friendly fashion options rises, the retail side sees dollar signs — and a new Wired piece about the role of recycled polyester illustrates why making sustainable choices is a quagmire of confusion even when shoppers do their due diligence.
Wolford appoints Deputy CEO as it completes €25m capital raise
Pozzo joined the Management Board as Deputy CEO on 7 July 2025. With an extensive background in leading premium and design-driven businesses, including Ermenegildo Zegna, Alessi, FontanaArte and Driade, his appointment marks a step in the brand’s evolution as it pushes forward its transformation.
Depop reveals second-hand fast fashion is 'displacing' new purchases
The study also says that Depop users are "intentional" as, if an item isn't available, the vast majority of buyers (71%) will either keep searching or buy nothing at all, "showing more deliberate and sustainable consumption patterns among Depop users".
Safety, quality fears stop consumers buying more sustainable fashion says BSI study
Consumers want more sustainable products, but a big ‘say-do gap’ remains in terms of their actual buying behaviour. That’s the conclusion of a new report from the British Standards Institution (BSI).
Fashion Weeks must be about rules and regulations – not about parties and glam
Sustainability requirements for fashion weeks are expanding across Europe, but do they work?
Spring into sustainable style: How to refresh your wardrobe without hurting the planet
Beyond individual action, there’s growing momentum in the global fashion industry to develop more sustainable textiles. Perhaps surprisingly, it’s not a luxury brand in Paris or a tech lab in California leading the charge – it’s Bangladesh.
Meet The Fashion Executives Who Left The Boardroom To Chase The Sustainability Rainbow
In a fast-paced industry like fashion, these executives know all too well that a moment to pause and reflect can be hard to find. There’s no one silver-bullet solution to reduce fashion’s environmental footprint, it’s going to take multiple solutions and multiple talents, from the C-suite to the factory floor, but the first step, as Metheringham says, is taking a step back:
Is it time for FDCI to rethink couture fashion through a more sustainable lens?
Mumbai: The fashion industry is one of the most polluting sectors in the world. At a time when the climate crisis is a real issue, token gestures toward sustainability are not enough. For the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), India’s elite fashion platform, sustainability remains restricted to a single day in an otherwise opulent week of glitzy and luxurious showcases.
How AI, Meta, and Sustainability Are Transforming Fashion Education
Fashion must rethink how it trains future designers—blending creativity with AI, sustainability, and ethical design practices.
T-shirt costing £4 lasts longer than one priced at £400
The £4 T-shirt was judged to be more long-lasting than a £395 alternative in a study by the University of Leeds Institute of Textiles and Colour and Wrap, an environmental group.
Of 47 garments tested by researchers, the £4 T-shirt ranked 15th for durability but the £395 one came 28th. Six of the 10 best-performing T-shirts cost less than £15, the study found.
Study finds no correlation between cost and durability
Fashion rental offsets climate impacts, UTS study finds
A new study has found that renting garments via the Australian peer-to-peer rental platform “significantly reduces climate change impacts per wear compared to traditional ownership.”
Titled How Australian Women Bought Less But Had More, the study was led by University of Technology Sydney (UTS) researchers at the Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Fashion & Textiles, in partnership with peer-to-peer rental platform The Volte
In Conversation With Andy Fine: The Entrepreneurial Mind Behind Sartoro’s Tech‑Infused Custom Suits and Sustainable Fashion Revolution
There’s more to a suit than fabric and stitching. Andy Fine, the founder of Sartoro, has concluded: the best suit doesn’t require the perfect store; it needs the best measurements.
Vera
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