Liability framework for sustainable certification in textile supply chains Over the past few decades, the production and consumption of clothing has increased exponentially, leading to a dramatic increase in the negative environmental consequences produced by the fashion industry. Given the rising pace of global warming and the rising concern about the fashion industry’s contribution to the climate crisis and its exploitative social dimensions, decision makers, politicians and government officials have begun to promote sustainable fashion through public policy. This article reviews the main barriers facing a circular economy in general and the fashion industry in particular. It approximates nascent regulations emerging throughout the world in the field of sustainable fashion, applying circular economic principles to the fashion industry. Four categories of policy proposals are likely: Command and Control Interventions, Educational Initiatives, Incentives and Certification, grading them according to criteria of effectiveness, sustainability, feasibility, equity and compliance. The ranking process was based on an elicitation of expert judgement among a panel with expertise in the areas of sustainable fashion from the business sector, academia and civil society. Findings suggest that while some policy options appear to meet all criteria successfully, when selecting an optimal strategy for promoting sustainable fashion, there are frequently trade-offs between different alternatives. Mehr Details
Black box: Online fashion retailing – how responsible and transparent are Zalando, Shein & Co.? Digitalization is changing the balance of power in fashion capitalism. In Switzerland, three out of ten pieces of clothing are already bought online. The major online retailers and trading platforms in particular are growing rapidly: Zalando, Amazon, Shein and Co. have become dominant players in the global or at least European fashion market within just a decade. They increasingly influence the supply as well as the data, surfing behaviour and screen time of consumers. But how responsible and transparent are the digital players? Mehr Details
Results from the company survey Sustainable Textile Purchasing Textiles are often produced under inhumane conditions. In addition to inhumane working conditions, enormous water consumption, chemicals in rivers and high CO2 emissions also make textiles a highly critical product from an ecological point of view. The joint project #Fair Wear Works by GNF and FEMNET aims to raise the awareness of managers, employees and apprentices in companies about the social and ecological relevance of responsible textile purchasing. In order to record the current state of textile procurement in German companies, GNF and FEMNET conducted a survey in the second half of 2020. The aim was to determine the need for support offers for companies in order to be able to offer suitable training modules and information materials as part of the further project work. The results of the company survey on sustainable textile purchasing are compiled in the factsheet. It turns out that although the majority of companies already buy sustainable textiles, they do so rather sporadically. Mehr Details
An overview of standards, seals and multistakeholder initiatives in the textile industry Whether as protective clothing, bedding or merchandise items: Textiles are indispensable in many industries. It is well known that these are often produced under conditions that exploit people and the environment. Last but not least, the increasing interest of the public in aspects of sustainability is driving more and more companies to commit to socially and environmentally friendly production. The joint project #Fair Wear Works by GNF and FEMNET aims to raise the awareness of managers, employees and apprentices in companies about the social and ecological relevance of responsible textile purchasing. The factsheet provides an overview of established sustainability standards by means of which socially and ecologically produced textiles can be identified. Mehr Details
From the clothes shopping frenzy to the old clothes garbage mountain: Why Recycling Doesn't Work at Fast Fashion Fast fashion, cheap fashion, short worn and quickly disposed of. There are still textile mountains. The providers now promise their customers sustainability and recycling of worn old clothes. What good is the promise of the suppliers to produce new clothes from old textiles?ZDFzoom author Anne Kauth pursues the promises of the industry and finds that the given fast fashion increasingly overwhelms the old clothes recyclers. Mehr Details
