Sustainability Pulse #54
Sustainability Trends & News Worth Exploring — October 16th, 2022
Shein: Fast-fashion workers paid 3p per garment for 18-hour days, undercover filming in China reveals
Channel 4's Untold: Inside the Shein Machine exposes how people in China are treated while making garments that are snapped up by consumers.
A woman using the false name of Mei secretly filmed inside two factories where she took on jobs producing the kinds of tops that British shoppers can buy for as little as £1.49. The footage has been shared with i ahead of Untold: Inside the Shein Machine, streaming on All4 from Monday.
Fast-fashion giant Zara faces a huge challenge in the climate crisis. Can its heiress-turned-leader make the brand fast, cheap, and green?
Lightning-quick product releases and low prices propelled Zara to the top of the fashion industry. But the climate costs have become impossible to ignore. It will be up to Marta Ortega, the new head of Zara's parent company, to thread the needle.
Ensemble piece: who will wear the cost of fashion's sustainability drive?
Repairing the harms of fast fashion is expensive, but the industry will struggle to pass much of that cost on to cash-strapped shoppers, who've been seduced by years of rock-bottom prices
How fast fashion can cut its staggering environmental impact
The textiles industry urgently needs input from researchers to help it to embrace the circular economy.
Why Living Wage Is An Essential Part of Sustainable Fashion
With every day that passes, fast fashion companies introduce new sustainability initiatives with the overall goal of improving their bottom line. They tout the importance of recycled polyester, supposed "circularity," and clothing recycling programmes while leaving out many less-than-favorable truths about these so-called "fixes". In reality, there is much more to textile sustainability, and sustainability in general, than recycling and organic cotton.
Is The Metaverse A Net Benefit For, Or A Distraction From, Sustainability?
Is the fashion industry using the ghost of the Metaverse as a distraction from more deeply-rooted issues? In this exclusive opinion piece, specialised fashion and apparel talent scout Richard Donne starts to peel back the label.
A new start after 60: 'I started to experiment upcycling old clothes – and they sold'
Herbie Mensah was a shopaholic soul boy who modelled for Vivienne Westwood and made a single with Pete Waterman. After 20 years working in social care, he has returned to his first love with a stall at Portobello Market.
At The Renaissance Awards, Eco-Age Celebrates a More Sustainable Future
At the second annual Renaissance Awards in Florence, Italy (home of the renaissance), hope was in the air. This year, the ceremony took place at the newly restored Palazzo Portinari Salviati, where 16 honorees, who were recognized for their efforts as changemakers, received a physical award with one-of-a-kind NFTs built into each.
Levi's wants you to stop buying new jeans … at least, according to its latest ad campaign
A new video that is part of Levi's multiyear "Buy Better, Wear Longer" campaign, features a man buying a pair of 501 jeans in the 1970s and wearing them to the disco. The jeans are then thrifted by an '80s arcade-goer and a '90s skateboarder. By the 2020s, they're faded to light blue and torn, but an influencer gets her hands on them, giving them another life.
How 'sustainable fashion' could run afoul of antitrust regulators.
The organizer of New York Fashion Week has pledged to achieve a net-zero goal by 2050, but agreements among fashion houses risk violating competition rules.
'Surprisingly sustainable': fashion meets eco meets politics at New York fashion week
With Gabriela Hearst showcasing women activists and heroes, and Stuart Vevers reworking old leather into neo-noir homages, this was a very relevant NYFW.
A broke college student's guide to shopping sustainable fashion
Sustainable fashion doesn't have to break the bank. If you are looking to be more environmentally conscious without spending a fortune, look no further.
Fast fashion mogul turns to sustainability through compostability at ADL Fashion Week
At the helm of seven fast fashion brands, which relied heavily on wholesale customers and department stores, the tough choice was made to put the company into administration and up for sale.
Could sustainability make a bigger impact at next year's Fashion Week?
According to CFDA reports, New York Fashion Week emits around 48,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per event. As soon as this information was made public, demands flew in for London, Paris, Milan – and future shows in New York City – to reduce the overall environmental impacts of their events.
Retailers, facing an inventory crisis, are cancelling orders again
Retailers are busy right-sizing their inventory. That doesn't bode well for garment workers, who may be even more vulnerable amid rising prices and stagnant wages than they were early in the pandemic.
Fashion shoppers put price above sustainability
A new report has found that sustainability is taking a backseat to price when it comes to shopping for fashion.
Ongoing digitisation of fashion supply chain processes: the only way to meet next-generation consumer demands
Each business needs to continually look at its end-to-end processes and buyers' needs to identify which technologies need to be brought in or adapted to quickly overcome the existing key challenges.
9 Types of Vegan Leather Coming for Cowhide
From cactus leaves to mycelium, there are a lot of ways to make leather without animals. But, what is vegan leather?
Why we're all seeing green
Designers have adopted the colors of environmentalism — and it's growing on us
Myths vs Reality: Are consumers really getting more discounts during the holiday season's online sales?
Kumar Saurav, Global Mobile Business Head, AdCounty Media discusses the reality behind the discounts by brands during festive sale.
How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe, Plus 10 Vegan Brands to Include
Learn how to build a unique vegan capsule wardrobe that is good for you and the planet.
Timber & Forestry Foundation Launches Membership Programs, Sustainability Commitment Pledge
The Timber & Forestry Foundation is an educational platform that promotes the sustainability, carbon sequestration benefits, and beauty of American and legally harvested timber and hardwoods. TFF develops educational campaigns and outreach programs using digital tools to drive demand in the U.S. and worldwide for sustainably managed, legally harvested timber and hardwood products.
Fashion Is Using More Raw Materials Than Ever. Not Enough Are Sustainable.
The global textiles industry is producing more than ever before, but shifts from conventional materials to lower-impact alternatives have stagnated, according to a report published Wednesday by non-profit Textile Exchange.
Vera
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.
Anyone can subscribe for free.
Please feel free to follow me on Instagram or LinkedIn if you want to discuss anything sustainability-related!