Sustainability Pulse #93
Sustainability Trends & News Worth Exploring — August 23rd, 2024
This week’s Sustainability Pulse is packed with stories shaping the industry’s future. We’re taking a closer look at how Patagonia balances its mission to save the planet with the challenges of running a profitable business. Plus, check out how Copenhagen Fashion Week is setting new standards in sustainability, and get the scoop on the innovative launch of Stilbaar, a circular fashion retailer that’s turning heads.
Whether you’re curious about the latest in fashion education or eager to see how brands respond to sustainability pressures, there’s something here for you.
Let’s dive in!
Ugg Rides the Wave of Its Comeback in First Global Campaign With AKQA
The shoe brand hired a new agency earlier this year as it surged back into popularity.
Microplastics are infiltrating brain tissue, studies show: ‘There’s nowhere left untouched’
Twenty-four brain samples collected in early 2024 measured on average about 0.5% plastic by weight
The beta launch of Stilbaar, Circular Way's first fully circular retailer. Stilbaar is an online fashion store for women that buys back every garment at end of use to be resold or regenerated into new garments.
Stilbaar features several firsts:
• Buying back every garment at end of use to be resold or regenerated into new garments
• Selling new and refurbished versions of the same garment side-by-side (this will begin as soon as the first wave of sell-backs starts to arrive)
• Embedding an NFC tag in every garment to keep you aware of the current sell-back price and tie the garment to a host of after-sale services (one-tap sell-back, facilitated repair, social media integration, etc.)
Importantly, every handpicked garment Stilbaar sells is made of natural cellulosic fibers (cotton, linen, modal, etc.) so that it can be regenerated into new fabrics. Equally importantly, the brands behind the products have shown a proven commitment to both style and sustainability.
Is Dupe Culture Out of Control?
The widespread availability and acceptance of dupes have opened up access to products and trends for wider audiences. However, it has also made doing business more complicated for many independent designers.
‘In Business to Save the Planet’: The Patagonia Paradox
The American outerwear giant’s profits are meant to fight climate change, but its means of generating them do the opposite. CEO Ryan Gellert talks to BoF about the contradiction at the heart of Patagonia’s business, why he’s gambling on resale and the company’s efforts to curb consumption.
Is Luxury Finally Set for a Sustainability Reckoning?
Amid growing disillusionment with luxury brands, a series of Italian investigations linking major players like Dior and Armani to sweatshop labor is putting new pressure on the sector’s most powerful asset: brand image.
Explainer: Why luxury fashion is not immune to ‘sweatshop’ scandals
An analyst tells Just Style that guaranteeing good working conditions throughout the supply chain is essential for a luxury fashion brand's reputation after handbags made in Italy for LVMH-owned Dior were traced to factories facing labor abuse claims.
Copenhagen raised the bar on sustainability. How are brands responding?
By implementing mandatory sustainability requirements, Copenhagen Fashion Week hopes to prove its role as a changemaker. Other fashion councils are yet to be convinced.
As growth stalls, luxury has an opportunity for change
Luxury’s first-half earnings reveal an industry too reliant on sales volume. Other options are out there, writes senior sustainability editor Rachel Cernansky.
Delays and damp demand: Fashion’s mid-year supply chain outlook
Ongoing unrest in the Red Sea, trouble brewing in the US, high freight costs and a global slowdown in demand for luxurycould create a perfect storm for fashion’s supply chain in the second half and beyond.
Delays and damp demand: Fashion’s mid-year supply chain outlook
Ongoing unrest in the Red Sea, trouble brewing in the US, high freight costs and a global slowdown in demand for luxurycould create a perfect storm for fashion’s supply chain in the second half and beyond.
Tapestry prepares fight against FTC’s Capri merger block
On Tuesday, the companies filed arguments against the FTC’s April motion to block their merger ahead of the 9 September trial.'
The ‘sustainability recession’ will end soon—and not by choice
Sustainability, as well as the related, but different ideas of Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) and Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI), had become something no large company could ignore. Even through the pandemic, these concepts gained steam, with multinationals setting bold carbon goals and launching big initiatives to reduce inequality.
Analysing AI with François Gonnot of Lectra
Lectra’s Product Marketing Director, François Gonnot, on leveraging AI to revolutionise the fashion value chain, enhancing decision-making, transparency, and innovation.
Is Fashion Education Ready for AI?
Key Takeaways:
AI is moving from a niche technology to a mainstream tool in the fashion industry, and there is an increasing need for fashion educators to integrate AI into their curriculums to prepare students for the rapidly evolving technological landscape.
Despite the industry's mixed feelings, many believe that AI can enhance creativity and productivity. However, there are also significant concerns about job displacement and the ethical implications of AI-generated content.
While some fashion schools have started incorporating AI into their programs, there is a concern that educational institutions may need to be keeping up with the pace of AI advancements, potentially leaving future professionals underprepared for the industry's demands.
Can Fashion Tame Data, Rather Than Being Ruled By It?
Fashion wants to move closer to the consumer, and artificial intelligence offers an objective way to to bridge that gap. But can brands make use of it without compromising what makes them unique?
Animal-Based Materials Are Still Key To Sustainable Leather In Fashion
Leather has one of the highest carbon footprints of any material used by the fashion industry, making it a top priority for brands to find alternatives to meet their sustainability targets.
“I hope that the longevity of our products drive home our commitment to sustainability”: Preeti Verma on conscious label Runaway Bicycle
Shein sues Temu for copyright infringement, fraud
The irony: The fast fashion giant claims that its rival mimicked it on social media and operated an illegitimate e-commerce marketplace.
Repreve launches filament yarn, insulation materials made from recycled polyester
The new products are part of holding company Unifi’s goal to recycle 1.5 billion T-shirts’ worth of textile waste by 2030.
Goodwill launches secondhand textile traceability study
The new effort follows a two-year pilot program in which the nonprofit found that about 60% of the studied material was recyclable through existing tech.
Trove acquires competing resale platform Recurate
The company will oversee 44 partner labels and control up to 80% of branded resale traffic as a result of the deal.
Temu beats out Amazon for budget-conscious consumers: report
Survey data found that shoppers who purchased from both e-commerce giants think Temu is cheaper but Amazon is more convenient.
Back-to-school 2024: How brands can win younger consumers as uncertainty endures
Twice as many parents consider a brand when their kids have an early influence in the shopping journey, per Wavemaker research.
GANNI partners with Canopy to promote forest-friendly fashion
Fashion and lifestyle brand GANNI has announced a new partnership with the non-profit organization Canopy to ensure that its textiles and paper packaging are free from fibers sourced from climate-critical forests.
TRZ Garments Industry declares closure
According to BGMEA interim President Khandoker Rafiqul Islam, the company will also close its subsidiary companies, HN Garments Limited and Nowsin Garments Industries Limited.
Shein reveals child labour cases as it steps up supplier audits
Fast fashion retailer Shein found two cases of child labour at its suppliers last year, it said in its 2023 sustainability report, as it stepped up audits of manufacturers in China to assuage criticisms of its low-cost business model ahead of a planned flotation.
Oxfam teams with Vinted to open London Fashion Week
Oxfam and Vinted, a second-hand fashion retailer, are collaborating to create the opening show for London Fashion Week as part of the non-profit’s annual Second Hand September campaign.
Directed by Oxfam’s strategic communications lead Kehinde Brown, this year’s ‘Style for Change’ runway show will take place on 12 September and will feature famous faces sporting second-hand looks and pre-loved clothing.
Vera
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