At the Copenhagen Fashion Summit 2012 the NICE Code of Conduct and Manual was, in collaboration with the UN Global Compact, officially launched. A review of this document, and the impact it may, or not, have onto the fashion industry it is targeting.
Resting the case for innovation.
“Globalization presumes sustained economic growth. Otherwise, the process loses its economic benefits and political support.” (P. Samuelson). There is an evident illogic, impossibility, of the traditional 'economic growth' lemma.
The term ‘circular economy’ has recently been – again – converted into a buzz word. To some extent there are a couple of good reasons for that as both common sense as well as the Ellen McArthur foundation's most recent report prove.
Connecting the present and the past, learning and drawing conclusions from either, is and will remain key to creating a more sustainable fashion industry. So far, learning from the past in particular - in the good and in the bad - has been chiefly neglected. A series of thoughts.
Part I of III. The jewelry industry is in many ways a messy one, marked by ecological degradation, disruption of social and economic order, child labour, even slavery and murder.
Part 2 of 3. The jewelry industry is in many ways a messy one. The Kimberley Process tries to install a way to preempt many of the abuses. But it is only partially successful.
Part 3 of 3. The jewelry industry is in many ways a messy one. What are the concrete business challenges and experiences encountered in the Far East, e.g. Japan?
What 'ethical' business trends can we see across the globe. In this double post, we look at what the trends in fair trade are, and what we can infer from them.
Part 1: What we probably know.
Historically, fair trade has pitch to and sold thanks to consumers' guilt. A grave mistake as the currently ongoing consumption trends show. Quality, exclusivity is what has survived the economic downturn best.
Story telling is a powerful tool, and an important part of how we create lasting memories. Can we use the power of story telling to encourage a different type of fashion consumption?
How can environmental sustainability benefit from small and micro units? And, how can it be ensured that the associated skills sets are unique, yet valuable to the global fashion industry as a whole? Through 3 case studies from South-East Asia we show how different potential solutions could look like.
How can environmental sustainability benefit from small and micro units? And, how can it be ensured that the associated skills sets are unique, yet valuable to the global fashion industry as a whole? Through 2 designer case studies from the UK, and a co-operative in India, we show how different potential solutions could look like.
Does sustainability, or not, impact share price? Does it, or not, make for a profitable bottom line business case? Does it, or not, help increase efficiencies? Here the insights from research, and what they mean.
A phenomenon: National borders segregate markets. Ethical fashion brands don't know much about what is happening abroad.
1st of 2 part posts, incl. event listing.
A phenomenon: National borders segregate markets. Ethical fashion brands don't know much about what is happening abroad.
2nd of 2 part posts, incl. event listing.
Is Japan ready for ethical fashion?
We suffer from a strictly hierarchical fashion industry. Insights from a conversation with a top leaders for ethical lifestyle in Japan.
First of an article series that analyses Uniqlo's CSR - specifically in Japan - track record, and why it joint forced with Bangladesh's Grameen Bank.
The world of sustainability in fashion has changed fundamentally in the last few years. In this article we look at qualities that leaders such as Patagonia's Yves Chouinard have, that make them the movers and shakers of the sustainability agenda in the industry at large.
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'.
Fall 2010, Summary: London Fashion Week, the dream destination of fashionistas. Insights from LFW about sustainability and commitment of fashion brands.