Sustainability Pulse #17
Sustainability Trends & News Worth Exploring — December 12, 2021
How Fashion Brands Can Enter Web 3.0 Metaverse Worlds
The term metaverse has been making several rounds in the video game world as more and more video gaming platforms adopt virtual reality environments that allow simultaneous interactions from multiple users. In some ways, this is considered the next step in interacting on various platforms.
The metaverse has become a costly playground in the fashion industry, with the world's largest, most profitable luxury brands rushing to quickly seize ground in the metaverse.
Sustainable fashion communication: The new rules
Among the 13 new commitments added to the UN Fashion Charter at COP26 was a call for fashion comms to be brought in line with the 1.5°C pathway in the Paris Climate Agreement. What does this mean for fashion PR?
Greenwashing in the fashion industry
Green, eco-conscious, responsible, environmentally friendly, sustainable: these are all buzzwords used by companies to sell products which supposedly have a reduced impact on the climate. The problem, however, is that too often these words are meaningless. This is known as greenwashing– 'the practise of falsely promoting an organisation's environmental efforts.' Anna delves more into what this means.
But what is there to gain from deliberately misleading consumers?
Fast Fashion impact on mental health
It's no secret that fast fashion has made a killing by producing a succession of designer styles at a bargain price. Finding an on-trend item with a price tag that doesn't break the bank can be highly satisfying and psychologically rewarding — at least at first. Unfortunately, mindless shopping has many hidden psychological dangers. Fast fashion and our mental health do not mix.
A greener fashion world
Amsterdam-based Arch & Hook first burst on the fashion scene in 2019 with a sustainable clothes hanger produced from sustainably-sourced thermoplastic material derived from ocean-bound post-consumer waste plastic collected for the most part from four of the most polluting rivers on earth. The success of the sustainable hanger led to further efforts to reduce or even eliminate the use of non-sustainable materials in retail. Arch & Hook has now developed a range of design and product solutions for "behind-the-scene" goods that are commonly made from single-use plastics. These include sustainable options for products such as packaging and store furnishings — in the industry known as GNFR, or Goods Not For Resale.
Can Better Denim Change the World? Levi’s Is Betting on It
According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the dyeing and treatment of textiles accounts for 20 percent of industrial water pollution globally; greenhouse gas emissions from textile production in 2015 were equivalent to 1.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide. More alarming is that, according to management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, 60 percent of all clothing produced winds up in incinerators or landfills within 12 months. People, meanwhile, are buying new clothes at a staggering rate; according to McKinsey, “clothing production doubled from 2000 to 2014, and the number of garments purchased each year by the average consumer increased by sixty percent.”
Author J.B. MacKinnon on what might happen if we stop shopping
The writer explores the possibilities of a future economy not based on endless consumption. J.B. MacKinnon is an environmental journalist living in Vancouver. His most recent book, The Day the World Stops Shopping, imagines what would happen were we all to suddenly and substantially reduce our consumption. His 2007 book, The 100–Mile Diet, co-written with his partner, Alisa Smith, was a funny and revelatory bestseller.
Inflation is coming for your closet—the cost of clothing to jump next year, new report shows
The global fashion industry is set for a complete recovery in 2022. But while fashion retailers will breathe a deep sigh of relief as COVID-caused supply and demand constraints finally ease, shoppers will have to reconcile themselves to price jumps in everything from hats to bags to shoes.
New luxury: from elite consumption to conscious consumerism
How younger generations are moulding new consumption habits.
Luxury brand goods have lost their perceived unattainable status. Especially in millennials and gen z, there is a newfound appreciation towards fashion. Motivating factors are social media influencers, general higher public engagement, and new ways of identity expression.
In other words, luxury purchasing has shifted from the traditional customer profile and reached a broader audience. Over time, the fashion industry is going through severe changes driven by its new customers, redefining previous mental negative associations (i.e. excess, waste, frivolousness, consumerism).
Green Job Board
Manager, Sustainability-Tapestry
Location: New York, NY
Account Executive Mid-Market- EcoVadis
Location: New York, NY
Director, Sustainability Packaging - Clinique
Location: New York, NY
Human Resources Generalist (Remote)
VP of Sustainability-Avocado Green Brands
Brand Partnerships & Sales Manager (Media x Sustainability)
Location: Seattle-Remote
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