#sustainable

Jan 6, 2021
5 min

The Race to Make a Truly Circular Running Shoe

Fitness experts recommend that runners replace their shoes every 300 to 500 miles or so. That means your average jogger will buy — and discard — between two and four pairs of running shoes a year. Estimates suggest that adds up to more than 200 million pairs of running shoes every year. That amounts to a lot of impact on the environment. An estimated 80 percent of all sneakers end up in landfills. And this is partially because they are so hard to recycle. “A typical pair of r

Jul 28, 2020
2 min

H&M’s Online Secondhand Shop Sellpy Launches Internationally

Swedish online second-hand shop Sellpy, which is majority-owned by fashion giant H&M, has launched in Germany in a first step outside its home market as it bets on shoppers trending towards more sustainable consumption. The start-up handles the entire sales process from picking up the goods from sellers’ homes, to photographing, selling and shipping. Sellpy announced in May that it would double its warehouse capacity in Sweden, to near eight million items annually, due to str

Jul 22, 2020
2 min

Consumers Think the Brands They Like Are the Most Sustainable

What makes a brand sustainable in the eyes of a consumer? Evidence from the Vogue Business Index survey of 8,400 luxury shoppers worldwide shows part of it comes down to how much they like the brand. The panel was asked to rank the extent to which each brand behaved in a responsible way towards society. No brand scored particularly highly on this measure, nor did the consumers show much recognition for any specific policies that brands were taking. One strong correlation did

Jul 16, 2020
2 min

Converse Just Unveiled Its Most Sustainable Sneaker to Date

One of the most iconic sneakers in the world just got a super sustainable makeover. Launching next week, the Converse Chuck Taylor All Star Crater uses recycled polyester and post-industrial textile waste scraps to reinvent the 100-year-old classic style in a modern and sustainable way.As part of Converse’s Renew initiative signalling the brand’s commitment to a waste-less future, the All Star Crater draws from parent company Nike’sSpace Hippiecollection of shoes created from

Jul 4, 2020
2 min

The North Face Launches Free Virtual Summer Camp Program

The North Face ‘Summer Base Camp’ is a two-week summer camp program offering a variety of free online experiences taught by the brand’s athlete ambassadors. “Created for curious explorers who love a little mess, Summer Base Camp teaches campers of all ages how to find adventure at home,” The North Face said. “Each week, Summer Base Camp will launch three new educational, hands-on, fun-filled activities for campers and parents to complete at their own pace at home, with activi

Jul 4, 2020
3 min

Can Nike’s Space Hippie Line Make Sustainability Cool to Sneakerheads?

Sustainability and sneaker culture have never meshed all that well. That’s not to say there haven’t been plenty of successful “eco-friendly” kicks. Veja, the low-key trainer brand beloved by Meghan Markle and [checks notes] Rick Owens, makes no secret of its ethically-sourced, organically-grown materials. Adidas, meanwhile, has been crafting shoes using recycled ocean waste through its Parley program for half a decade now. And if you’ve ever listened to any podcast ever, then

Jul 1, 2020
2 min

American Eagle Outfitters Launches New Slow Fashion Business ‘Unsubscribed’

American Eagle Outfitters is shifting from its typical fast fashion model with the launch of ‘Unsubscribed’, a new women’s apparel and accessories business focused on what the company has called “consciously-made, slow fashion.” Based in East Hampton, New York, Unsubscribed launched its Instagram account on June 20, showing images of a flowing ecru dress and blousy white button-down, alongside black-and-white photos of the ocean. According to multiple reports, Unsubscribed wi

Jul 1, 2020
5 min

Sustainable Sleepwear Brand Talks Antibacterial, Antiviral Fabrics

In the past, antibacterial and antiviral fabric treatments were merely an “add-on” feature — but according to Dagsmejan, a sustainable Swedish-Swiss sleepwear company, these technologies “have become a must-have” due to the coronavirus pandemic. Antibacterial fabrics have been around for many years, as they’ve been particularly useful for performance-oriented sportswear, the company said. “Traditionally, [antibacterial technology] has been a finishing applied to the knitted f

May 20, 2020
5 min

COVID-19 Could Usher in a New Normal, Sustainability, Social Purpose

In times of crisis, it is tempting to lose focus on initiatives that support longer-term business goals such as creating a more sustainable industry and contributing to the social good. And with the uncertainty COVID-19 has brought, it’s understandable that cash-strapped companies would view any programs that are not critical to their immediate survival as unnecessary right now. But we can’t afford to lose the momentum we’ve built in terms of raising awareness and taking acti

May 12, 2020
3 min

This Hazmat-Inspired Suit Lets You Dance, Drink, And Even Vape While Staying Safe From The Coronavir

Partying might look different in a post-coronavirus world. Designers at Production Club created Micrashell, a full body suit that “allows you to safely socialize in times of a pandemic.” In introducing the Micrashell, Production Club references the value of social distancing for slowing the spread of COVID-19, but notes the potential economic and mental tolls of prolonged isolation. The studio calls it a “socially responsible solution” to letting people be together without di

May 12, 2020
6 min

In a Pandemic, Is ‘Wellness’ Just Being Well-off?

Maybe there isn’t really a difference anymore. In 2017, I wrote a story titled The Wellness Epidemic. It was a tour of the various expensive, spiritually assertive, and scientifically questionable strategies that many people were engaging in to stave off the perceptions that “people are finding more and more that everyone they know is kind of sick,” as Elise Loehnen, the head of content at Goop, told me at the time. (Yes, this seems ironic now.) I later was offered a book con

May 12, 2020
2 min

"Sustainability: A Starting Point" Guide to What Sustainability Means for 2020

Even before the impact of Covid-19, the fashion industry was in the process of adjusting to a new reality, where old ways of manufacturing and selling weren’t able to keep up with new global standards and rising consumer expectations around sustainability and transparency. MADE Trends’ deck “Sustainability: A Starting Point” is an overview of key trends and changing consumer attitudes, illustrated with best-in-class examples from leading environmentally conscious brands to re

May 11, 2020
5 min

Sustainability Was Corporate America’s Buzzword. This Crisis Changes That.

From Unilever to Starbucks to GM, corporations pause some social-responsibility programs or put them on the back burner Lauren Singer had spent the last eight years living a “zero-waste” life and building an eco-friendly business off of it. Then, the coronavirus pandemic confronted the chief executive of New York-based Package Free with an existential crisis. “When the reality of Covid-19 set in,” she posted on Instagram, “I made some choices that went against the way I have

May 5, 2020
3 min

First Virtual Met Gala Generates 22.79 Million Euros in EMV

A DMR Group study highlighted the broad reach and engagement ignited by social media platforms in celebrating the 2020 digital Met Gala. While the 2020 Met Gala has gone virtual — and the in-real-life event is postponed indefinitely — the first Monday in May still generated a lot of buzz online. According to DMR Group, which focuses on monitoring, tracking and analyzing data, communication activities and public relations strategies for leading brands worldwide, in the period

May 4, 2020
6 min

Forget Unicorns. Startups Should Be Camels.

Startup ‘camels’ prioritize sustainability by balancing growth with cash flow. In Silicon Valley, the entire ecosystem is aligned around one thing: the cultivation of unicorns — startups valued over $1 billion. Unicorns were once a rare breed, but in recent years, the stable of billion-dollar thoroughbreds has grown to about 350 unicorns around the world. In today’s world, unicorns represent more than a valuation. Rather, they represent a philosophy, an ethos and a process of

Apr 30, 2020
2 min

Burberry to Introduce Sustainability Labels to Its Products

To mark the roll out, Burberry will also re-create a capsule of 26 looks using eco-friendly materials. LONDON — Burberry is rolling out new labeling across all key product categories in a bid to show how each product is meeting certain sustainability requirements. The rollout of the labeling coincides with the launch of ReBurberry Edit, a collection of 26 of its top spring 2020 looks re-created using sustainable materials. “By inviting customers to learn more about the sustai

Apr 29, 2020
4 min

Covid-19 Has Emphasised The Importance of Brand Transparency

Fashion Revolution’s Fashion Transparency Index is a tool to hold brands to account as the pandemic tests their commitments to environmental and social practices. Fashion Revolution, in analysing 250 brands for its Fashion Transparency Index 2020, found that brands are increasingly disclosing their policies and commitments on environmental and social issues, but progress needs to be made in clearly communicating their implementation. The Index measures fashion brands with ann

Apr 29, 2020
1 min

Allbirds, New Carbon Footprint Index

Two weeks ago, US-based sustainable shoe brand Allbirds partnered with environmental consultancy Clean Agency to calculate the carbon footprint of every sneaker style in the brand’s collection. The calculation, which includes the environmental impact of production, use and end of life but excludes transport emissions, is displayed on the brand’s website alongside information about how it measured up to other industry practices. According to Allbirds, they are the first fashio

Apr 29, 2020
11 min

Social Sustainability, Overstock And ‘Greenwashing’: How COVID-19 Is Changing The Fashion Industry

As Fashion Revolution Week kicks off with the publishing of their fifth Fashion Transparency Index, part 3 in this industry insiders series examines how brands, manufacturers and thought-leaders are analysing current metrics and adapting sustainability and climate change initiatives in the face of COVID-19. In recent weeks it has been debated whether sustainability initiatives will take a back seat during and after COVID-19, largely due to the economic hardship likely to resu

Apr 29, 2020
18 min

50 Years of Earth Day: What’s Better Today, and What’s Worse

Here are 10 big environmental victories — and 10 big failures. Earth Day turns 50 today. The original wave of coast-to-coast demonstrations in 1970 not only transformed American priorities, leading to landmark legislation like the Clean Air Act, but helped shape the modern global environmental movement. In the past half-century, air and water pollution have plummeted in the United States, the bald eagle is no longer endangered, and environmental laws pioneered in America have