We don’t know about you, but we at FashionUnited get pretty excited
every month when we compile the sustainability efforts and see the list
growing and more and more fashion companies jumping on the bandwagon. In
October, it was refreshing to see that recycling initiatives are on the
rise among brands and retailers, with proceeds being donated to charity.
Also, clothing rentals are catching on and reducing, reusing and recycling
when it comes to packaging. FashionUnited has put together 14 such efforts
that were announced in the month of October alone.
Cooperations & Projects
The Fashion Pact met for its first working meeting in October after 32
brands originally joined the coalition for a more sustainable fashion
industry in August. Comprised of a diverse group of fashion and textile
companies, the Fashion Pact is a pledge to work towards sustainable goals
in climate, biodiversity and oceans. The coalition announced 24 new
signatories following its recent meeting, bringing its total signatory
count to 56 and number of brands involved to around 250. New companies to
the Fashion Pact include Bally, Calzedonia Group, Farfetch, Figaret, Gant,
Mango and The Visuality Corporation.
Nike has teamed up with nonprofit environmental advocacy group Ocean
Conservancy to launch a new campaign against Arctic shipping routes. The US
sportswear giant has launched the Arctic Shipping Corporate Pledge,
encouraging other businesses and industries to avoid travelling through the
Arctic’s shipping routes, an area that is becoming increasingly accessible
as climate change causes its ice to melt. Sending vessels through the route
poses an environmental risk to one of the world’s most fragile regions,
with temperatures rising in the Arctic at twice the rate of the rest of the
planet.
Brands & Retailers
US clothing retailer Everlane is bringing sustainability to the inside
of its clothing. The brand has launched its new Re:Down line of outerwear
made with cruelty-free recycled fill. Typically, down filling in jackets is
made using cruel living-plucking practices, as Everlane explained on its
website. Its Re:Down fill is made from 100 percent recycled down comforters
and pillows. Similarly, all of the jackets in the Re:Down line features 100
percent recycled shell fabric, using post-consumer recycled plastic as with
its ReNew line.
New Zealand fashion brand Karen Walker has announced a new collaboration
with Outland Denim. The women’s ready-to-wear label and sustainable denim
brand have partnered on a limited-edition collection of six pieces that
take a new take on signature Karen Walker styles. These styles are all
crafted from off-white denim that is made from organic cotton, staying true
to Outland Denim’s commitment to using only sustainably-produced cotton.
H&M is launching its first clothing rental service at its newly
refurbished Sergels Torg store in Stockholm, Sweden. Members of H&M’s
loyalty programme will be able to rent selected party dresses and skirts
from its 2012-2019 Conscious Exclusives collection – the sustainable arm of
the Swedish fast-fashion giant. The rental space will also offer a
selection of unique pieces designed with inspiration from this autumn’s
Conscious Exclusive collection, all made from more sustainable materials.
British high-end department store chain John Lewis & Partners has
launched a pilot at its Oxford store to encourage shoppers to reduce, reuse
and return packaging. The pilot, which John Lewis said will potentially
save thousands of tonnes of plastic from going to landfill, will focus on
eight ways the retailer and its customers can reduce their impact on the
planet, and will act as a blueprint to be expanded to other stores.
Online fashion giant Zalando has committed to a net-zero carbon
footprint across its own operations, deliveries and returns. The German
retailer announced a number of initiatives at the end of October as part of
a new “do.More” sustainability strategy, including meeting the goals of the
Paris climate agreement for its own operations ahead of the agreement’s
schedule, repositioning its private Zign label as a “sustainable” brand,
and aiming to be single-use plastic-free in its own packaging by 2023. In
2019, the company switched to over 90 percent renewable energy across all
locations. Carbon emissions that are not eliminated by operational
improvements such as renewable energy, order bundling or green delivery
options, are now being offset.
British luxury online retailer Farfetch has teamed up with on-demand
donation service Thrift+ to allow its customers to earn money and donate to
a charity of their choice by giving away clothes they no longer use. Once
an item is sold, a third of the proceeds are donated to a charity of the
customer’s choice, a third is given to the customer as Farfetch credit, and
a third is used to cover Thrift+’s costs. Customers are also given the
choice to forgo Farfetch credit and send that third of the money to their
chosen charity, too.
Companies & Education
The Lyocell market is expected to grow globally at a substantial rate of
over 7 percent by 2023. According to an announcement by Radiant Insights
Inc., sustainable fiber, which is made from bleached wood pulp, will be
used in more products including rope, bandages, and more—including
clothing. According to the report, factors like the rapid and continuous
changes in fashion trends have contributed to the lyocell fiber market’s
growth, along with development in technology, increase in demand for
biodegradable fibers, and awareness.
Photo: McKinsey Apparel CPO Survey 2019
