Tuesday 19 September 2023
Welcome back to the green pulse!
Hello sustainable fashionistas!
I hope you are all well! Firstly, apologies that the newsletter is a bit late this week but I hope you enjoy what we have lined up.
This week, the newsletter has a special focus on COP 28. It’s just finished and I watched with interest as my ex “boss” ran the conference!
Yes that’s right, I used to work in Abu Dhabi for a zero carbon city called Masdar. Sultan Al Jaber was and still is the CEO. To say that he is conflicted is an under-statement: the UAE runs on oil but in 2006 the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) was born. Its sole intention was to steer their economy away from oil. Even then, they knew the writing was on the wall!
They have made great strides in developing and investing in new types of energy technology across the world and building construction methods at Masdar City. But it’s inevitable that they are still wedded to their very lucrative income source of oil.
So COP28 didn’t commit to a total phase out of fossil fuels (yet) but let’s see if the world can achieve their ambitious outcomes of a tripling of renewable energy capacity and a doubling of energy efficiency improvements by 2030.
And the fashion industry will of course have to play its big part. Scroll down to see some of the initiatives that were proposed. However, a big theme for fashion was to stop making commitments and start acting on them! Let’s see what progress they can report in Azerbaijan next year!
Enjoy the newsletter. I’ll be taking a break over Christmas and look forward to bringing you the next edition in January 2024. I wish you all a peaceful, joyful and healthy festive season for you and your loved ones! 🎄
Conscious discounts
- Bluebella: For SERIOUSLY sexy, sustainable and ethically made underwear! 20% off selected lines with code BBGET20DECEMBER until 20 Dec.
- Aspiga (pictured) For beautifully designed & effortlessly stylish men’s & women’s pieces from the B Corp certified brand, 20% off seasonal bestsellers until 31 Dec.
- Oxfam Unwrapped charity gift cards. 50% off & give gifts that matter such as A Safer World for Women, Emergency Response or Clean Water. Until 18 Dec.
- British Diamond Company: For conflict free & fair trade diamond jewellery, get 15% off until 7 January with code BDC15AFF.
- Joanie: For vintage inspired dresses, coats & knitwear from this B Corp brand. Up to 60% off in their winter sale until 23 Dec.
Home and homewares discounts
Nkuku: Another B Corp certified company, this lifestyle brand from Devon are offering 3 for 2 on selected Christmas decorations & gifts until 18 Dec.
Ethical Bedding (pictured): For gorgeous soft & sustainable bedding made from eucalyptus. 15% off orders over £200 with code: AFFETHICAL15 until 31 December.
Quote of the week:
“We don’t need more commitments – we need more progress.”Liv Simpliciano, Fashion Revolution. At COP 28.
Upcoming events
MA in Sustainable Fashion open day (online)
Being held again in December for those who’d like to study sustainable fashion and become one of tomorrow’s change-makers. This is an online course overview and live Q&A for the online MA at Falmouth University. 14 December 18:00.
Sustainable clothes swop event
Bring 10 pre-loved clothing items in great condition and get ready to swop at this free event held in Cambridge Heath on 17 December from 12-4pm.
What news? Sustainable fashion in the press
The fashion industry at COP28
The fashion industry were busy looking into the part they can play in reaching the Paris Agreement goals prior to and during the conference:
The EU: Just days before, the European Parliament discussed its goal to phase out fossil fuels in fashion. Their Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulations will be a key part of this.
H&M and Bestseller: they announced their investment into Bangladesh’s first off-shore wind project to increase renewable energy availability.
We Wear Oil Campaign: Sophia Kianni reacted to COP president’s comments that there was “no science” to support the phase out of fossil fuels with a campaign with Vogue Arabia highlighting fashion’s reliance on fossil fuel-based fibres. She urged the industry to honor Paris Agreement commitments.
Stella McCartney’s sustainable market: This highlighted some of her sustainable startup partners and circular solutions with an emphasis on regenerative agriculture and plant-based alternatives.
Fashion Revolution’s Transparency Demand: Fashion Revolution called for more transparency and action in the fashion industry, criticising “glossy” one off commitments and demanding real progress instead (see quote above).
GFA’s Progress Report: The Global Fashion Agenda presented the industry’s progress towards a net-zero future in its report “The GFA Monitor 2023”, showing mixed results in sustainable practices.
Fan-Based Climate Action: K-pop fans demanded proper climate action and genuine environmental commitments from luxury fashion brands and interesting called out their idols that were supporting them.
LVMH’s: LVMH announced new collaborations for biodiversity protection and environmental sustainability with a focus on deforestation and soil preservation.
Italy: Italy’s Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI) discussed national sustainability efforts, and announced collaborations with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the UN Ethical Fashion Initiative and the development of digital passports for products.
COP28 Sustainable Fashion Show: Last but not least, COP held its first ever fashion show! The event showed off international designers and focused on sustainability and inclusivity. The collections particularly promoted the circular economy and renewable fabrics.
McKinsey’s State of Fashion 2024 report highlights sustainability
McKinsey’s annual report was released on 29 November and makes a number of predictions for 2024. These include it being a record year for travel, increased competition for fast fashion brands with ultra cheap players like Shein and Temu squeezing prices and outdoor brands moving into lifestyle wear.
And sustainability is identified as one of the top 10 themes: “The era of fashion industry self-regulation is drawing to a close.” What a relief. They predict that both fashion brands and consumers alike will be affected by new rules and regulations. Fashion brands will have to update their business models accordingly.
Puma to source polyester from recycled textiles instead of plastic bottles
The use of plastic bottles to create recycled polyester clothing is becoming more and more criticised. The theory is that plastic bottles are needed to be recycled back into plastic bottles, a process that can happen more times than being recycled into textiles. Not only that but the huge global textile waste problem needs to be tackled.
Puma, starting with their official replica football tops, will be using its textile-to-textile Re:Fibre product from 2024. Textile waste will be sourced from factory offcuts, preloved clothes and faulty goods. It’s a great move and good to see a big name taking this move. Let’s hope that they expand it to their whole range ASAP.
AI to speed up used textile sorting
A Berlin collaboration fashionsort.ai has developed technology that could move the textile recycling sector from manual to automatic sorting of textiles. Used textiles are laid out on a conveyor belt and specialist scanners detect the fabric type and assign whether they should be sent for re-use or recycling. The project is one of 21 that are sharing €75 million in funding from the BMWK (Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action).
Under Armour makes public its fibre shedding test kit
Along with industry experts, Under Armour have developed a ground breaking test kit that can be used at industrial level to test the microfibre shedding of different fabric types. They are making this simple but new technology available open source for all industry players. The benefit is that by testing fabrics at such an early stage, heavy microplastic shedding fabrics can be ruled out, thus lowering microfibre pollution.
That’s all for now…
I hope you enjoyed this fortnight’s newsletter, have a great Christmas and New Year break and look forward to being back in touch in the New Year!
Have a great fortnight.
All the best
Julie
