It ain't fashion, if it ain't sustainable

Emissions

Climate Crisis / Cotton Farming

23 November 2023

3 minutes

The paper highlights the responsibility of corporate actors in the cotton value chain, most especially consumer-focused retailers and brands, about the need to address cotton production in a changing climate.

Livelihoods, Production Can Suffer Irreversible Damage if Brands, Retailers Don’t Change Relationships with Farmers

In the foreseeable future, almost all cotton producing regions around the world will be negatively impacted by climate change, and if brands/retailers don't do their bit about their relationships with cotton farmers and value chains, the damage to livelihoods and production could be irreversible.

Staff Writer

Plastic Waste / Emission Control

20 October 2023

3 minutes

The first project will leverage the team’s collective advancements in artificial intelligence to create enzymes that break down plastic and textile waste, and the second will streamline the methods for manufacturing these enzymes at scale.

Protein Evolution, US Agencies to Use AI and Enzymes to Break Down Plastic and Textile Waste

Innovation startup Protein Evolution is collaborating with several US agencies with the overarching goal to reduce emissions from petroleum-based plastic production and the landfilling and incineration of plastic waste.

Staff Writer

Climate Action / Action Plan

3 October 2023

3 minutes

The initiative seeks to empower manufacturers to take substantive actions in reducing emissions to combat climate change, improving operational efficiency and growth, and further advancing sustainability throughout the industry.

SAC Launches Climate Initiative Aimed at Reducing Emissions, Excludes Scope 3 Measurements

The Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) has launched a Manufacturer Climate Action Program (MCAP) to help the textile industry reduce GHG emissions by 2030.

Staff Writer

Going Circular / Decarbonisation Path

27 September 2023

2 minutes

By 2040, resale initiatives have the potential to lower annual carbon emissions for these brands by 15–16%.

Resale Can Help Brands Reduce Need for New Production by 35%, Claims Report

A groundbreaking study reveals how circular models are critical for brands to reduce their emissions when combined with upstream supply chain interventions.

Staff Writer

SecondHand / Emission Control

4 September 2023

3 minutes

If each adult in the UK donated all the clothes that they have not worn in the past year to charity shops, it could remove the need for 4.9 billion kg carbon entering the atmosphere.

Second-hand Fashion Can Prevent Emissions Equivalent To Flying Around the World 17,000 Times

As extreme weather hits all corners of the globe, research by the NGO Oxfam says that secondhand clothing could help reduce climate-damaging emissions during manufacturing by extending the life of clothes and reducing the need for brand-new clothes.

Staff Writer

Rental Drive / Japan Airlines

4 August 2023

2 minutes

Japan Airlines will monitor changes in passengers' checked-in baggage weight and verify the reduction effect of carbondioxide emissions by reduced airplane weight due to use of the service.

Fly Japan Airlines Sans a Suitcase, Rent Clothes On the Go

In a unique concept aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of the air traveller and promote circular economy, Japan Airlines (JAL) along with the Sumitomo Corporation has launched a trial "Any Wear, Anywhere" clothing sharing service for foreign tourists and business travellers.

Staff Writer

Tech Innovation / Biomimicry

31 July 2023

3 minutes

Neeka and Leila Mashouf, twin sisters who grew up in North California, founded Rubi Laboratories in 2021 after inventing and prototyping the technology in a public biohacking lab, leveraging their deep scientific expertise in materials engineering and bioengineering.

Rubi Laboratories to Help Walmart Convert Emissions into Cellulosic Fibres

In what could well be a groundbreaking technology, a Walmart and Rubi Labs collaboration could soon be spinning out affordable clothing from carbon emissions, and the inspiration is nature yet again — the process how trees “eat” CO2!

Staff Writer

Cotton Farming / Australian Industry

25 July 2023

3 minutes

Cotton is grown mainly on family farms in inland eastern Australia. In recent years, it has also expanded into parts of Northern Australia.

Australia's Cotton Industry Has Halved Water Usage in Last 25 Years

The Australian cotton industry has made remarkable progress in the last 25 years, with its water consumption dropping by half. The last year also witnessed a record harvest of 5.6 million bales valued at a record $4.6 billion.

Special Correspondent

Cotton Production / Australia

11 July 2023

4 minutes

Higher temperatures and lower rainfall associated with severe drought in 2018–19 saw more evaporation, more plant stress, and more irrigation water needed to grow cotton. All of those factors combined to reduce yields and reduce water use efficiency in that drought year.

Australian Cotton Productivity Increases, GHG Emissions Too Rise 15%

The just released Australian Cotton Sustainability Update 2022 has revealed some critical findings and suggests the way ahead on how it can cotton on to better sustainable ways and profitability with people and planet at centrestage.

Staff Writer

Fashion Footprint / London Study

5 July 2023

3 minutes

In London, a large proportion is thrown away by consumers. Of the 142,700 tonnes of clothing discarded by Londoners in 2019 (around 44 items of clothing per person), over 40% ended up in the waste bin where 90% is lost to energy from waste/incineration and 10% goes to landfill.

Londoners Buy 48 Items of Clothing, Throw Away 44. Every Year

A recent study has mapped material flows across London's fashion supply chain, identifying where carbon hotspots occur and shows that fashion makes a significant contribution to the city’s consumption-based emissions associated with the stuff are used.

Special Correspondent