Sustainability

After a pandemic contraction — and with a new CEO on board — the godmother of mindful consumption is gearing up to grow (mindfully).

Cheap and versatile polyester has underpinned both the fashion industry’s growth and its worsening environmental footprint. Efforts to switch to recycled fibre are stalled, new data show.

This week, New York hosted the “unofficial climate summit of the year.” But the effort to move the needle on climate action feels as gridlocked as the traffic in midtown Manhattan.

A new California bill proposes that brands take charge of recycling efforts, allowing consumers to drop off unwanted clothing at designated sites.

An Italian probe linking luxury labels including Dior and Armani to labour exploitation — with the supply chains of up to a dozen more brands under the microscope — has exposed a seedy practice deeply embedded in the luxury system, creating an unpredictable PR crisis at a precarious time for the sector, a BoF investigation has found.

The Prefecture of Milan is aiming to beef up the fashion sector’s monitoring systems after an investigation by Milanese prosecutors found labour exploitation in the supply chains of luxury brands including Armani and Dior. The scheme currently in draft would be voluntary and limited to the Lombardy region.

Through partnerships with leading fashion schools across the US and a robust and growing network of alumni, the Supima Design Competition is setting up emerging design talent for success.

The Model Alliance delivered hundreds of letters from models and allies to New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s office Tuesday morning, calling on her to sign the act which passed in the state’s Senate and Assembly in July.

A bill that would make brands responsible for making sure old clothes don’t wind up in landfill only needs the signature of Governor Gavin Newsom to become law, potentially paving the way for other states to take action on textile recycling.

The fashion giants have invested in Galy, a Boston-based start-up that aims to drastically reduce cotton’s environmental impact.

The ultra-fast-fashion giant’s planet-warming emissions have nearly tripled in the last three years as its growth far outpaced other major fashion companies. In Shein's latest sustainability report, CEO Sky Xu says tackling emissions is “particularly critical."

The company said both cases had been “resolved swiftly,” with remediation steps including ending underage employees’ contracts, arranging medical checkups, and facilitating repatriation to parents or guardians as necessary.