Sustainability Pulse #124
Sustainability Trends & News Worth Exploring - Nov 11, 2025
November once meant abundance, new coats, early sales, gifts wrapped before the tree. This year, abundance feels like excess. Earth Overshoot Day hit July 24; we’ve been borrowing from the future ever since. For Estonia, the debt started in March, the spring had barely begun.
So let November be about using better, not having more.
Wear what you own.
Mend what’s frayed.
Reimagine what’s forgotten.
Around the world, yeast ferments into leather, Lagos rebuilds local supply chains, and “clean” chemistry rewrites the fibers in our clothes. Innovation matters, but the real revolution is quieter: people choosing enough.
This month, we explore mindful consumption - from the politics of clean fashion to the poetry of slowness...
Sustainability isn’t a sacrifice. It’s remembering what’s worth keeping.
IN NOVEMBER, WE FOCUS ON MINDFUL CONSUMPTION
In November, we invite people to reflect on mindful consumption and reuse. This year, Earth Overshoot Day fell on July 24. It marks the date when we’ve used up all the planet’s renewable resources for the year, and each year this date comes earlier. For Estonia, that day was already in early March this year. This means we used up our fair share in just about two months, and for the rest of the year we’re living at the expense of the future. So what will be left to live on in the future?
Brewing waste: The solution to sustainable fashion?
Biodegradable fibers spun from yeast protein avoid the resource use and pollution of cotton, wool, and polyester
Can Inside Out Redefine ROI for Sustainable Fashion Businesses?
Co-signed by entrepreneur Erik Stangvik and former Deloitte partner Blair Knippel, Inside Out was positioned as a“wayfinding collective” designed to deliver “revolutionary solutions to the world’s most urgent challenges”, with Amis Cameron acting as founder and CEO. Its mission spreads across six key verticals: science research technology, fashion textiles and home, food, education, media, and wellness.
Is Fashion Ever Really ‘Clean’?
A steadily growing cohort of ‘clean’ fashion brands is challenging the chemistry of our clothing.
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Could West Africa Be Fashion’s Next Manufacturing Hub?
After a decade building her eponymous brand in New York, designer Tia Adeola is now relocating her entire supply chain to Nigeria. Her Fall/Winter 2025 collection, titled From Lagos with love, will highlight local artisans and Nigerian craft, including cowrie shell beadwork and screen printed Ankara on satin. Adeola is also working with local creative talent, from models and photographers to hair and makeup teams.
Kalpona Akter: Why are garment workers still denied dignified jobs?
Former child labourer Akter has dedicated her life to helping Bangladeshi garment workers use their voices for change. This is her blueprint for a better industry.
Rethinking consumption: the rise of eco-conscious consumers
The fashion industry is experiencing a significant transformation, with sustainability taking center stage. This shift is primarily fueled by eco-conscious consumers who demand greater transparency and ethical practices from brands. The influence of social media has enabled individuals to express their preferences, prompting companies to adopt more responsible production methods.
Our obsession with efficiency is costing us our humanity
Thanks to technology, our lives have never been more convenient. But is it worth the price we are paying? Here, a writer makes the case for taking the scenic route.
Inside Out acquires conscious clothing brand The Simple Folk
Global holding company Inside Out LLC has acquired environmentally-friendly US brand The Simple Folk, described as”a significant step forward towards its mission to redefine how business interacts with both people and planet”.
Sheep Inc. unveils first-ever store on London’s Newburgh Street
Sustainable knitwear brand Sheep Inc. has opened its first-ever store at 5 Newburgh Street in London, adjacent to Carnaby Street.
This Luxury Fashion Brand Is Setting the Gold Standard for Sustainability
Sustainability has had a pretty rough go of it these last few years. Despite major strides in the right direction, the push for a greener future has been dealt several devastating blows from a fraught supply chain, economic headwinds and political setbacks.
Experimental evidence on consumers’ willingness to pay in the sustainable fashion industry
This paper provides experimental evidence on consumer purchase intention and willingness to pay (WTP) in the context of sustainable consumption. Grounded in the theory of planned behavior, the literature on the intention–behavior gap, and Lancaster’s model of product attributes
Astral Signature Revolutionizes Sustainable Fashion with Mindfulness-Inspired Designs for Global Conscious Community
Astral Signature is a pioneering brand in conscious fashion, launched in 2025, offering mindfulness-inspired apparel to intentional consumers in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. Its rapid growth across platforms like astralsignature.com, Amazon, Etsy, TikTok Shop, and Shopify highlights the demand for purpose-driven fashion. By combining sustainable print-on-demand technology with designs based on astrology and mindful living, Astral Signature fosters emotional connections, turning customers into community members.
TECHNOLOGY AND HIS ROLE IN DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY IN 2023
One of the key ways that technology is driving sustainability in the fashion industry is through the use of innovative materials.
Miami Fashion Week Brought Sustainable Fashion Tech To The World Stage
This year’s October event fused fully virtual fashion shows produced via AI and immersive animation, offering designers global digital reach and audiences worldwide the opportunity to engage remotely.
‘Fashion is Political’ at Sustainable Fashion Week
A panel was held at the Illinois Environmental Council on September 30 to discuss environmental issues in fashion.
“For a large part of the fashion industry, it’s embarrassing how much waste there is, how horrible it is for the planet,” Norton said. “People just kind of want to pretend it’s not happening and keep going.”
Did You Know? Your Leggings Might Outlive You - Meet the Activewear Brands Vowing to Protect the Planet
“Almost every pair of leggings ever made is still out there, slowly fragmenting into microfibres that drift through air, water and our own bodies.”
Your next pair of yoga pants or running shoes may be made using corn from Iowa farms
In the town of Eddyville, home to just under 1,000 people, a large corn processing plant dominates the skyline. Iowa corn, transported there from nearly all 99 counties, is turned into products like ethanol, high fructose corn syrup and corn gluten, and now, some of its refined product is piped just across the road to a one-of-a-kind facility that is helping turn Iowa corn into clothes.
Greenwashing in the fashion industry: red flags & examples
But awareness is rising and folk are seeking better things to wear. The global sustainable fashion market was valued at $8.1 billion in 2024 and is expected to more than quadruple in value by 2033. This surging growth is driven by demand, as 79% of people think that buying sustainable fashion is important, and clothes-hunters are willing to spend an average of 9.7% more on sustainably produced or sourced goods.
A New Era of Sustainable Fashion Efforts Is Changing the Landscape of Conscious Shopping
Brands like Madewell, Rothy’s, and more are building repair, recycling, and resale into their DNA.
The Frayed Edge: Are All Sustainability Certifications Broken?
The standards big brands rely on to back up their green claims are facing intense and unflattering scrutiny, Trump’s trade war is having far-reaching and destructive impacts on the lives of garment workers and what to watch ahead of the UN’sCOP climate summit.
The Frayed Edge: The Cost of Being Shein
The ultra-fast-fashion giant’s first permanent store opening in Paris has been a source of high drama.
Sustainable Fashion Guide: How to Build a Green Wardrobe in 2025
Rural Frazee entrepreneur transforms a love of secondhand clothes into an eco-conscious business
Emily Sonnenberg, now 20, started her mostly online thrift business at 15, rehoming vintage clothes and promoting sustainable fashion and conscious consumption throughout the lakes country.
How to Talk About Sustainability Across the Political Divide
Earlier this year, two months into the second Trump administration, federal agencies in the US circulated an internal list of nearly 200 words that would be limited or avoided in the government’s clampdown on so-called “woke initiatives”,according to documents seen by The New York Times.
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I really hope you’re enjoying The Sustainability Pulse, my weekly newsletter looking at sustainability in the fashion industry. If you find the tips and insights useful, please share these articles to help spread the word.