I discussed the Higg index with Jules and started to cover the controversy surrounding the certification platform; for further research, I decided to look more into this. The GFA Monitor 2022 (Progression to a net positive fashion industry) data partner is fueled by the Higg index, so the reliability of this source could be questioned. Still, other certification partners have a higher reliable status. The variety of trusts can be shown in the table below. It is argued that the Higg index
The GFA Monitor 2022
The provided GFA Monitor 2022 outlines various challenges and opportunities within the fashion industry regarding resource stewardship, mainly focusing on sourcing and producing fibres and materials. I’ve included some key points I gathered from reading this report.
- Resource Pressure and Environmental Impact: The text rightly highlights the significant pressure the fashion industry places on natural resources, particularly water, energy, and land. It emphasizes that a large portion of the environmental footprint of fashion brands is due to their choice of raw materials. This understanding is crucial for addressing the industry’s sustainability issues.
- Linear Business Model vs. Circular Economy: The text contrasts the current linear business model in the fashion industry with the need for a shift towards circularity. The linear model’s emphasis on extraction, production, and disposal exacerbates resource depletion and waste generation. Transitioning to circular systems, where products are designed for longevity, reuse, and recycling, is identified as a critical solution.
- Opportunities for Innovation: Several opportunities are identified for reducing the fashion industry’s environmental impact, including the adoption of sustainable materials, such as recycled synthetics and nature-positive plant-based fibres. Investing in innovative materials and technologies, like textile recycling and bio-based materials, can help mitigate resource depletion and waste.
- Challenges in Implementation: While there are clear opportunities for improvement, the text also acknowledges challenges in implementing sustainable practices. These include difficulties in waste management, limited recycling technologies for certain materials, and the prevalence of the informal waste management sector in many manufacturing countries.
- Multistakeholder Approach: The text emphasizes the importance of a multistakeholder approach in driving sustainability within the fashion industry. Collaboration among brands, manufacturers, consumers, and policymakers is necessary to effectively address complex issues like resource stewardship, supply chain transparency, and waste management.
- Need for Data and Transparency: A notable aspect of the analysis is recognising the lack of data and transparency in certain areas, such as post-industrial waste flows and textile waste management. Addressing these knowledge gaps is essential for implementing evidence-based strategies and measuring progress towards sustainability goals.
- Social and Economic Implications: While focusing primarily on environmental sustainability, it’s essential to consider the social and economic implications of transitioning to more sustainable practices. For example, initiatives like regenerative agriculture and formalizing waste management processes can positively impact local communities and economies.
In conclusion, while there are significant challenges facing the fashion industry in terms of resource stewardship and environmental impact, there are also promising opportunities for innovation and collaboration. Addressing these challenges will require concerted efforts from all stakeholders, backed by robust data, transparency, and a commitment to sustainability principles.
In the Report, there were a lot of valuable links which directed the user (me) to some interesting reports, papers, and websites that reference and contribute to changing the linear supply chain model into a circular economy, which for either a professional or interested user can spring inspiration and other vital resources. I’ve noted some of the essential resources below. After seeing this interactive PDF, I was curious to look into other outlets of this format; I came across many sustainability statements and infographics. I was wondering how I would present my sustainability statement, and this research aided me in this decision of an interactive PDF.
Helpful information from links provided by the PDF
Reverse resource:
Reverse Resources (RR) is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform transforming the fashion industry’s approach to textile waste. We’re paving the way for a fully circular fashion industry by making textile waste a valuable resource. Our role is to assist brands in connecting their textile waste with recycling partners and assist recyclers in transparently and cost-effectively accessing high-quality waste. RR platform offers an access point to 4 different types of “roles” on the platform, which may not always overlap with how the industry usually talks about the supply chain actors:
- A supplier of the waste – an organisation that is generating waste and has detailed background information on it (e.g. exact composition of it), which may be valuable for the recycling process (e.g. a garment factory, a post-consumer sorting facility or a hotel group)
- A “handler” of the waste – anyone processing the waste before the fibre gets “locked” into a new product, e.g. doing fibre-sorting of the waste, quality check, aggregation of more significant volumes, shredding, etc.
- A recycler – anyone who needs pre-processed textile waste for the production of high-quality materials or products for the textile industry
- A brand – anyone interested in mapping and tracing a certain amount of “my own” waste flows throughout the supply chain, regardless of the legal ownership of this waste.
In the platform, they work with 70 recyclers, 44 waste handlers, 1,287 manufacturers, and 24 countries. When I came across this brand, I found it really insightful as they are a service cultivating waste and ensuring a circular economy. The waste we produce now with our established industries is a very engaging way to create a circular economy with a right-now solution. With design, the transition into the mainstream fashion industry could have a delayed effect. Still, the environmental repercussions would be a lot lower due to these scraps, and discarded items collected by Reverse Resource don’t wholly biodegrade due to their material properties. I still admire the service, but I am looking at the system of circular economies from my brand’s perspective. This system works efficiently to combat waste and recode linear economies for the current change affecting the climate. I was looking into the opportunities of working with this service for my database, but there is a bit of creative work that leads to more analytical work.
Fashion for good:
The Fashion for Good Innovation Programme is for startups to drive sustainability, circularity, and transparency innovation to make all fashion good. They work closely with their Corporate Partners to select the most promising innovators from around the globe. They offer an intensive innovation programme with no fees and no equality required, Targeted introductions to choose brands, intensive manufacturers, and industry experts, as well as pilot brainstorming with the fashion for a good team, connections to our investor network and potential access to early, mid and late stage funding, dedicated mentors with technical, sustainable and commercial expertise, regular forums for innovator interaction to build networks, share insights and move towards scaling, and an active alumni network. When I was researching this foundation, it seemed like an exciting start-up opportunity; the platform also offers blog posts with the modern succession of environmentally conscious businesses, leading to this page being a good page to follow for upcoming news and innovations; these are considered focal points on the website. Alot of the articles cover new and emerging concepts for a sustainable future.