Oeko-Tex is, by numbers of products availale, both B2B as well as B2C, the most widely-used eco-label for textiles globally.
What most people aren’t quite aware of is, that Oeko-Tex offers 2 fairly substantially different certifications
The reaping (black market) trade in reptile skins for the luxury fashion and accessories market is an openly talked about, albeit ugly, reality of the present.
The recently published UNCTAD BioTrade report and toolkit provides useful and pragmatic info for designers.
2 weeks after the Rana Plaza’s disaster in Bangladesh, the death toll has risen to 921 and the fire broke in another garment factory last night killing 8.
But how have these fashion brands reacted to, possibly, the worst known disaster in the history of the global apparel industry?
Nigeria’s textile industry used to be – possibly still is – the African continent’s third largest after that of Egypt and South Africa. For one reason or another, the first two are fairly well established among brands of all colours and types as potential – and actual – sourcing destinations. Egyptian cotton is well renowned, as is their industry for jersey goods. Also ‘Made in South Africa’ is not uncommonly found in clothing labels.
Winter 2011, D3: TheKey.to, Berlin.About dynastic companies launching ethical brands, and my personal 'Best Of' list taken from the attending brands.
This current post is looking at supply chain risk in the light of the Europe wide ‘Horse meat’ scandal. It remains to be said that the results found so far not only suggest that undeclared horse meat found its way into cheap and low quality, possibly prepared meals. But that there is a much more general, and widely spread problem with meats of different types ending undeclared on the shelves for consumption.
Minimum wage, living wage. Many are the approaches to guarantee fair remuneration for work. In 2010, Bangladesh textile workers have been rioting for fair pay. What's it all about?
With an event targeting the industry. the United Kingdom’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) launched their first Sustainable Action Plan (SCAP) report revealing the data about the extent and impact of the country’s clothing waste.
Launched at the end of 2006, the Global Social Compliance Programme is a business-driven programme, and aims for continuous improvement of working and environmental conditions in global supply chains.
True Cost Accounting is – while far from sufficient – a step forward in the sustainability discussion, beyond the fashion industry. Let's look hence a bit close into what the three large apparel industry initiatives in this area are really about.
Julius Walters of Stephen Walters & Sons is a ninth generation weaver of a family business founded 1720. This is the company that wove the silk for the Queen’s coronation robes and for Princess Diana’s wedding dress.
The developments in the British Midlands of the industrial revolution have coined the textiles industry possibly like no other.
It was is this area that we find the roots to the modern textile industry, including case studies that (nearly) could be dated from our modern times. From archives and historical records the industrial revolution left behind in the area, we can gain many an insight that will trigger a simple ‘déjà-vu’ when taking note of news about textile factories from the Far East that with regularity hit our headlines.
Greenwashing is defined as 'the expression of environmentalist concerns especially as a cover for products, policies, or activities'. There also exists Diversity-washing, Governance-washing, or skill-washing for example.
In itself a truly nasty thing, there is an unexpected upside to Greenwashing however: it will come back to haunt the greenwasher. Maybe not fast, but no doubt steadily. Just like the tortoise won the race against the hare.
Cork is one of the most sustainable natural materials extant. Portugal supplies about two thirds of the world's cork, but the increased use of plastic bottle stoppers for wine, instead of cork, poses a threat to the country's industry. This post presents some data around cork and describes the bigger picture. The follow up post will look at how innovative uses of cork find application in fashion.
In the briefest of time, Bottletop's iconic bags have not only made into the limelight of fashion weeks supported by VIP, but their business model and approach has earned the organisation a shortlisting for the Observer Ethical Awards 2012, the British 'Green Oscars'.
London Fashion Week 02/2011 - Day 3: Sourcing ethically is all about knowledge. It's primarily about livelihoods and survival, beyond the 'Human-Rights factor'.
Supply chain transparency is – as it happens – among the prime concerns of investors when considering their risk. The news is though, that it really isn’t any news at all. Supply chain transparency has been called for for at least a couple of decades – for reasons that are entirely aligned with profitability, customer service, competitive advantage, product quality and so on and so forth.
London Fashion Week 02/2011 - Day 1: British Wool and its use in fashion. What is the issue with British wool and what brands are truly making a difference and how?
This is the first of a series that will look at and into true cost of certain goods and services. Cash subsidies thereby is one component, but certainly not the only one relevant one – indirect subsidies (e.g. in the form of environmental degradation or similar) need to be considered also. In this particular post, I’d like to focus on Oil & Gas subsidies, fossil fuels' True Cost, and what we know about these. What we already also learn: comparing apples to apples won't be easy.
True Cost calculations are only ever 'best available efforts', and much data remains missing or speculative at best. This is an issue we will encounter again also once we'll look into renewables, or indeed other kinds of industries outside of energy.
C&A, part of the Cofra Holding that owns C&A Europe, Brazil, Mexico and China, has been a family business since 1841.
The company is quite conservative in communicating corporate responsibility achievements. Their style of communication appears to be more emotional than factual.
The company has been awarded the Textile Exchange Future Shaper award in 2012 recognising the company’s commitment to promoting the analysis and certification of organic cotton and textiles.
