I’d like to start with an apology for last week’s edition 🤕.
You see, I included a few high-level statistics from a BCG report. They were widely-circulated statistics like fashion’s share of global carbon emissions is 5% to 10%. They’re stats that I’ve read in numerous sources, but this week, I read a piece in Vox by Alden Wicker, a writer who’s been covering sustainability in fashion for a long time.
She informed us:
Only one out of the dozen or so most commonly cited facts about the fashion industry’s huge footprint is based on any sort of science, data collection, or peer-reviewed research. The rest are based on gut feelings, broken links, marketing, and something someone said in 2003.
I’m the first to share these eye-popping statistics, in the piece Fashion has a Misinformation Problem, Wicker explains how a number of the highly-circulated statistics are not based in rigorous, scientific processes.
Some of the observations are a bit shocking:
The McKinsey website also used to say that nearly three-fifths of all clothing produced ends up in incinerators or landfills within “one year” of being made but at some point changed it to the vague “within years.“
or
Also attributed to the World Bank is the fact that 80 percent of garment workers worldwide are women, but when I asked, a representative directed me to an article that says 80 percent of garment workers in Bangladesh are women and then to a conflicting World Bank report that says it’s actually 54 percent.
or
The stat that says there are 60 million garment workers globally, which the advocacy organization Clean Clothes cited as from the International Labor Organization. “We reached out to ILO, who doesn’t have a record of this information. It was also used by BetterWorks, Sustainable Brand Solidarity Center, and IndustriAll. Seventy-five million garment workers globally was also found in a Clean Clothes publication, and they cite Fashion United, but the link doesn’t mention that stat.
The author is certainly not saying that fashion doesn’t have problems. But the main takeaway is until, collectively, the industry works to properly measure our problems it’s impossible to take meaningful action.
As long as we have only garbage information, we’ll only get garbage action from brands and governments to fix the problem.
It certainly made me more conscious of the facts that I share, but it also reminded me there is a huge opportunity in getting good information out there:
There is some progress. Last May, Stella McCartney and Google announced a partnership to test Google’s data-processing prowess by quantifying the impact of various types of cotton and viscose, using McCartney’s data and more data they hope to collect from researchers and brands.
We all love data, so maybe this is another place we can try to make an impact.
Happy Reading,
Ranjan
FASHION
H&M Is Experimenting With Natural Coffee Dyes and “Leather” Made From Wine Waste
Some new materials from H&M worth keeping an eye on:
- Vegea, a soft vegan leather alternative made from the byproducts of wine; You’ll find the Vegea “leather” on chain-strap handbags and a few pairs of shoes
- A new dye made from the coffee grounds in H&M’s offices in China.
- A new material, Circulose, is made from recovered cotton and viscose—making it 100% natural—and is making its worldwide launch with H&M
How silk can replace artificial ingredients in skin care and clothing
Some of you may have been hearing about an upcoming partnership with a company named Evolved By Nature for Gentrue. Reuters just picked up this video interviewing the founders, and its a good, quick explanation of the technology we’ll have the opportunity to use (Please keep this quiet 🤫) !
Fashion’s dirty microplastics secret
An article covering a recurring theme in this newsletter: the problem of microplastics (remember that disgusting image of the amount we consume each year?)
And as a special note – this article also features Evolved By Nature, because, surprise, their technology also helps reduce the microplastics released from clothing!
Diesel unveils sustainable strategy for responsible living
Speaking of boilerplate language…Diesel launched the brands’ For Responsible Living strategy, built on four pillars:
- Be The Alternative
- Stand For The Planet
- Celebrate Individuality
- Promote Integrity
Is cashmere bad for the planet?
Should we be purchasing the luxury material if we want to support sustainability?
SUSTAINABILITY
Your Company’s Next Leader on Climate Is…the CFO
Rodolphe 👋 !
NYC’s roofs are getting a sustainable makeover
For New Yorkers, a great overview of the April 2019 New York City’s Climate Mobilization Act:
The laws, known informally as the Sustainable Roof Laws, require most new buildings and buildings undergoing major roof reconstruction to include a sustainable roofing zone on 100% of the available roof space.
AND FINALLY
Nicky Hilton is fighting climate change by wearing vintage Chanel
We’re all doing our part, but it’s no match for the indefatigable Nicky Hilton. She wore old clothing AND took the subway!
“I am here in support of [sustainable fashion brand] Maison de Mode … So I pulled out an old Alice + Olivia skirt and wore a vintage Chanel bag, and I took the subway here,” she told us at Fashion Group International’s Rising Star Awards at Cipriani 42nd Street. “I took the 6. I feel like I am doing my part.”
