There were some interesting food for thought in October that invited the industry to pause. For example, behavioral scientists from the University of Amsterdam and the University of Amsterdam suggested that the Dutch government ban advertising for fast fashion. In California, a new law requires large companies to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions – but only from 2026.
Don’t miss our background article on what the fashion industry has to do with microplastic pollution and what you should know about the EU initiatives to combat microplastics.
Events
A number of events also brought new impulses. The fourth edition of the annual Fashion Changers conference in Berlin at the end of the month focused on the social level of sustainability. FashionUnited has summarized three focal points for social sustainability.
A panel discussion at the Sankalp Global Summit 2023 in Mumbai on October 19 focused on how the industry can create a fair and inclusive transition to circular fashion, while H&M’s Innovation Day on October 10 in Berlin focused on the topic “Development instead of perfection: prospects for scalable, tangible progress in the fashion industry”. The company also recently issued a “green” €500 million bond for sustainability projects.
innovation
On the innovation side, three former students from the Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences (HSNR) and the Aachen University of Applied Sciences amazed people with a new yarn called “Octogarn”, which is unwettable, meaning it remains dry even when it comes into contact with water. The yarn still needs to be developed, for which they received 1.84 million euros from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection.
Patagonia and Gore unveiled a new PFC-free Gore-Tex ePE membrane at the end of the month, and Cologne-based backpack brand Airpaq was named winner of the Westfield European final for its roll-top backpacks and accessories made from discarded airbags, scrap seat belts and old seat belt buckles Grand Prix announced.
Brands
In conversation with FashionUnited, Grounded People, a sustainable shoe brand from Vancouver, Canada, introduced itself. The PETA-approved brand is committed to reversing the global fashion industry’s harmful impact on the environment and has each pair of shoes made almost entirely by hand in what is said to be the only 100 percent vegan shoe factory in the world. Grounded People not only uses recycled materials, but also ensures fair wages and working conditions.
During a tour of the new research and development laboratory of the Italian sportswear retailer Unleash Your Nature (UYN), FashionUnited looked around the site. The company is also transforming unsold textile masks into a recycled accessories collection with its new “Change the Face of Your Mask” initiative.
The Swiss sporting goods provider On Holding AG has set itself ambitious growth goals for the next few years and, in an interview with FashionUnited, revealed what efforts it is making in the area of circular economy and in collaboration with para-athletes so that they can achieve their best performance. On’s co-CEO Marc Maurer also explained why a circular system needs to be established in sportswear, such as the deposit bottle tax.
cooperation
Spanish clothing group Inditex and the International Clothing Federation (IAF) signed a framework agreement earlier this month to drive change in the global clothing industry through clear goals and concrete actions to encourage the adoption of more sustainable practices and technologies.
Inditex also entered into a strategic partnership with the US start-up Ambercycle to secure access to recycled polyester fibers. During the course of the month, the group announced that it wanted to purchase the first 2,000 tons of a new type of fiber from the Chinese chemical company Tangshan Sanyou, which consists of a mixture of viscose from sustainable cultivation and circulose.
At its annual meeting, the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) announced the launch of the Manufacturer Climate Action Program (MCAP) in collaboration with US sports brand Nike and US retailer Target. MCAP was introduced as part of SAC’s decarbonization program, which is intended to “catalyze support and propel the sector toward ambitious and necessary carbon emissions reductions.”