June was all about the exchange of information – about new materials, EU legislation and pioneers in the industry who are promoting sustainability in the textile and clothing industry. Sustainability was not neglected at the Global Fashion Summit either. Read through an interesting June.
Product and material innovations
In March, the sustainable-oriented shoe manufacturer Allbirds announced a shoe that is to be manufactured without generating any CO2 emissions. Now the “M0.0NSHOT” was unveiled at the Global Fashion Summit in Copenhagen by Allbirds’ co-founder and chief of innovation Tim Brown. He also provided the instructions, because the company makes the entire production approach available as an open source tool.
Meanwhile, the Swiss bag label Freitag presented its first fully recyclable backpack made of just one material – polyamide 6 – and now the first circular backpack that does not require a truck tarpaulin is to go into production.
The London-based company Arda Biomaterials has developed a leather-like material made from beer, more precisely barley waste, that does not require any plastic at all. Thanks to a recent €1.3 million funding injection, founders Edward Mitchell and Brett Cotten expect to deliver finished material within 12 months.
The Spanish fashion retailer Inditex and the Spanish finishing specialist for sustainable clothing Jeanologia have thought about the more environmentally friendly production of clothing: together with the “Air Fiber Washer” they developed the first industrial air system that collects microfibers during the production of clothing (up to 60 percent) and thus reduces later disposal in the household laundry.
legislation
After decades of omissions in the clothing and textile industry in relation to environmental regulations, something is now supposed to change – at least in Europe – by law. The European Parliament is currently tackling the social and environmental impact through a series of legislative initiatives. FashionUnited has put this together in an article.
In a guest article on law & practice, FashionUnited also examines what fashion companies need to know about the EU directive proposal on “Green Claims”.
The focus of the European Green Deal is on two central points: recycling and eco-design. However, what is not mentioned in the strategy is upcycling, although the method makes a significant contribution to the circular economy by reusing old textiles that have already been produced. In this article, FashionUnited shows what obstacles the upcycling sector has to contend with and how designers are confronting the problems.
Global Fashion Summit
According to observations from Jonathan Anderson, founder and creative director of LVMH-owned luxury label JW Anderson, the younger generation is currently driving the pace when it comes to sustainability in luxury fashion. In a lecture at the Global Fashion Summit, he elaborated on this view.
Luxury fashion brands need to work together if the industry is to bring about sustainable change, said Antoine Arnault, head of image and environment at French luxury giant LVMH. He also explained why the company decided not to join the Fashion Pact four years ago.
Pioneers
In an industry that thrives on constant change, a handful of fashion brands have broken away from convention and honed timeless clothing collections. Their non-seasonal business models have proven remarkably resilient during the pandemic, when many apparel companies have suffered from overstock and supply chain issues. FashionUnited investigated whether they could offer a viable alternative to overproduction and other wasteful practices in the fickle world of fashion.
Since 2017, Solidaridad Europe and Pesticide Action Network UK (PAN UK) have published their annual Cotton Ranking – a look at the top cotton consumers among international clothing brands and retailers and their sourcing practices. The ranking analyzes their public goals and strategies, the proportion of sustainable cotton and the transparency of their supply chain. The most important finding of the 2023 Cotton Ranking: Only nine fashion companies source cotton in a sustainable way.
Armani Group, meanwhile, announced a pilot project to develop agroforestry cotton production.
The British slow fashion label Couture To Your Door (CTYD) is also breaking new ground, making the world of luxury accessible to everyone with a timeless and elegant collection that is individual and environmentally friendly. FashionUnited spoke to CTYD founder and designer Maria Loria via email about the appeal of well-designed clothing that can be customized and lasts a lifetime.
The fashion outlet platform Otrium, in cooperation with the carbon tracking software Vaayu, published an analysis of saving CO2 emissions and textile waste through off-price business models.