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Fashion Network
an hour ago
- Business
- Fashion Network
Refiberd wins Trailblazer prize at the Global Fashion Summit
The Global Fashion Summit, hosted by the Global Fashion Agenda association, brings together global industry leaders, CSR stakeholders, and technology innovators to shape a more responsible future for fashion. The event serves as a catalyst for industry-wide change, encouraging decision-makers to turn sustainability ambitions into action. For its 2025 edition, held from June 3 to 5 in Copenhagen, Denmark, the event attracted more than 1,000 decision-makers to explore "the barriers and bridges" to progress in sustainable fashion. Industry leaders shared insights on key challenges and innovations: Kering addressed human resources, Target discussed the relocation of value chains, Zalando tackled the harmonization of clothing size labeling, Re&Up and Lycra presented new material developments, and H&M, Lenzing, and Tommy Hilfiger focused on strengthening a circular value chain. The Trailblazer Programme 2025 award placed a strong emphasis on circularity. The prize, which supports sustainable innovation in the fashion industry and attracted over 200 entries in its second edition, went to Refiberd. The company, which previously won an eBay Innovation Award in 2024, stood out for its "high impact potential." The California-based company, founded in 2020, has developed a textile composition identification technology that combines spectral imaging and artificial intelligence. This tool enhances the textile recycling chain, improves garment authentication for resale, and ensures better material traceability. The prize includes an investment of up to $200,000, along with support from PDS Ventures, the award's partner. The Global Fashion Summit has become a key platform for retailers and manufacturers to showcase their sustainability initiatives. This year, Zalando presented a report on the importance of sustainability for consumers, Lycra introduced its Qira corn-based fiber, eBay highlighted its initiatives for unsold goods, and Fashion for Good and Arvind unveiled plans for a sustainable textile innovation center in India. In the same spirit, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation launched its "Scaling circular business models" guide to encourage fashion executives to integrate circular models into their business strategies.
Forbes
6 hours ago
- Business
- Forbes
Sustainable Fashion Summit Turns Sweet 16, But Dark Reality Bites
Last week, Global Fashion Agenda (GFA), a non-profit aiming to 'accelerate impact' and 'spearhead the fashion industry towards a more sustainable future,' held its annual Global Fashion Summit, in this, its seventeenth year. GFA's industry vision is 'Net Positivity,' and the annual Summit unites brands, manufacturers, policymakers, and other global stakeholders under its strategic guidance and impact-reduction initiatives. However, fashion's negative impacts are increasing, not decreasing, and annual production volumes continue to rise. Global fiber production increased by a record 7% in 2023 to 124 million tonnes, a rate at which it will hit 160 million tonnes in 2030. Such growth is wiping out incremental gains from sustainability initiatives. Stand. Earth's 2025 Fossil Free Fashion Scorecard shows that in 2024, only three brands reduced emissions in line with a 1.5°C pathway, while 17 brands increased their carbon footprint compared to their baseline. 2024 was also the first year that average temperature increases breached the 1.5°C threshold. Sustainability demands absolute impact reductions. To borrow Yoda's wisdom, it's a case of 'do or do not—there is no 'try'.' As the industry's sustainability shepherd, what is GFA to do after 16 years of sustainability talk and with 'net positivity' further from reality than ever? Under the banner of 'Barriers and Bridges,' in their latest annual report, GFA named three strategic action areas for 2025: Circular Economy, People, and Planet. On the 'Circular Economy,' GFA will 'lead a harmonization effort of global Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations' that are under development in the European Union. Such work is critical since EPR fees ostensibly underpin investment in circular infrastructure in Europe, such as textile repair and recycling. These efforts should increase the utility of clothing and (in theory) reduce the demand for new fibers and new clothes – levers for decreasing production whilst generating revenue from existing resources). On 'Planet,' GFA (somewhat unspecifically) says it will 'continue to emphasize the need for decarbonization and collective investment in Renewable Energy Initiatives.' Fashion's emissions mostly arise from production in Asia, and its textile factories are in the crosshairs for decarbonization of energy sources, since they are the principal emissions, water, and chemical hotspots. 'People' is the GFA's third (and most detailed) area of focus in 2025, naming two research initiatives led by the non-profit: This revelation begs a pause. Europe? The region where just a fraction of global fashion production is done, the highest rates of pay equity, and the lowest climate vulnerability on the planet? Why the sudden departure from GFA's historical focus on the industry's impact hotspots (in Asia)? "Italy was never in the picture [at GFA], and I waited until we were sure we had enough [coverage of other] areas of the world to [then] look at Italy," explains the non-profit's CEO, Federica Marchionni. "We have to consider other countries and other brands–we're not 'global' if we don't include European countries." Regarding GFA's previous work: 'The biggest impact programs [are in Asia] for sure, that's what we did for 15 years [but] the brands that define culture are European–you can't ignore that. They are somehow very well known [and] Europe has to be in the mix for that reason,' says the CEO. European brands are undoubtedly economic powerhouses, and luxury brands have been implicated in several lawsuits in Italy over the past year due to systemic migrant worker exploitation in its supply chain. It's undeniable that these issues in Italy (also an inherent feature of global supply chains) be squarely addressed. "[European] brands have the responsibility to lead by example not only on quality [but on] future-proofing their businesses. If I want to speak on behalf of the industry, we need to include Europe," stressed Marchionni. Regarding putting Europe 'front-and-center' in GFA's strategic research efforts, what is the environmental rationale, since the industry's sustainability success depends on climate adaptation and decarbonization in Asia? "We need to solve a global issue with sustainability, and the way I am trying to do it is to go into the settings where those conversations are most relevant – at the UN, in Davos [for example]." "Our work was too focused on South Asia–we have the renewable energy initiative that was done in Bangladesh, the post-industrial circularity in South East Asia [where] Marchionni is referring to a few of GFA's many multi-stakeholder initiatives, namely the Global Circular Fashion Initiative (where they convene stakeholders under a Circular Fashion Partnerships scheme deployed by funding bodies, brands, manufacturers, and recyclers); as well as an offshore wind energy in Bangladesh. But are these Asia-based efforts "done"? Despite GFA announcing the Bangladesh offshore wind energy project at COP28 in 2023, a feasibility study into the project's potential to exist has not yet commenced. On the same subject, a straw poll of journalists at the Summit revealed they were under the impression that the Bangladesh wind farm was already being built, thanks to funding from fashion brands. Regarding the Circular Fashion Partnerships (CFP), the successful Bangladesh pilot led by BESTSELLER and Reverse Resources (and implemented by UNIDO) proved the business case for post-industrial recycling there, and the need for policy changes to support its industrial deployment. However, GFA is still recruiting brands (who pay to participate in the CFP program) for the Cambodia and Indonesia pilots. Is it really time to shift strategic focus to Europe? The devilish reality, as always, is in the details, and the 'sustainable fashion' movement at large has claimed 'intent' as 'action' for years. Science-based target (SBT) setting is one example, where fast-fashion brand Shein recently had its SBTs approved despite increasing its emissions by 176% from 2021 (its baseline year) to 2023, with no detailed explanation as to how reductions will be tracked or achieved. What is clear is Shein's publicly announced goal to achieve $60 billion in revenue by 2025 (compared to $32.5 billion in 2023), and that that will equate to higher production volumes (and emissions). What does this 'sustainability sentiment' and 'intention' actually cost? Well, what you don't measure, you can't know. To Marchionni's point, Europe has experienced intense industry scrutiny in the past year, with increased EU-based but global regulation and a slew of court cases in Italy that exposed sweatshop-like conditions, including at workshops manufacturing for brands Dior, Giorgio Armani, and Alviero Martini. Just ahead of the Summit, the Italian courts put Valentino under judicial review due to exploitation in its supply chain there. GFA began worker-focused research in Italy in 2024, in partnership with PwC and Camera Della Moda, to survey perceptions of gender pay equity. The results, presented on stage at the Summit, found that 80% of factory owners don't believe their company has a gender pay gap, while 67% of HR representatives in those companies think they do. Perceptions aside, Europe has the highest gender pay parity in the world, with women earning, on average, 12.7% less per hour than men. Italy fares better, with women earning just 2.2% less per hour compared to men (as of 2023). Leading industry-specific pay equity research by the Anker Research Institute found gender gaps of up to 22% in Bangladesh, 4-7% in Turkey, and 5-15% in Morocco. The Italian (and soon-to-be French) focus seems unusual: not only does Europe have the world's highest gender pay parity, but several organizations publish actual gender pay gap data. Why research pay gap perceptions? "It's a sensitive topic," says Marchionni, since Italian manufacturers may not be used to people questioning them (via surveys, in this case) in their factories. The CEO also pointed out that this delicate work is "not easy" for her since she is Italian but does not shy away from it. During the Summit, Erika Andreetta, Senior Partner at PwC Italia explained that most manufacturing units in Italy are micro-sized (10 or fewer employees) and fall below reporting and regulatory radars, so there can be hidden inequity. As such, their ongoing research with GFA will focus on gender pay equity in Italy and then France. Worker exploitation was a topic of discussion on stage at the Summit, but mainly focused on Bangladesh's below-living wages and gender-based violence problems, as explained by Kalpona Akter, Founding member and Executive Director of the Bangladesh Center for Workers Solidarity. From an Italian perspective, a video was broadcast during the Summit, pre-recorded by Luca Sburlati, the President of Confindustria Moda–a Federation that aims to protect and promote the interests of the sector and its members and represents the entire Italian supply chain nationally and internationally. In the video, Sburlati spoke on behalf of Italy's sector, representing '500,000 people, more than 40,000 companies, and a total turnover of about 100 billion yearly.' The President did not mention Italy's worker exploitation problem directly but referred to the new voluntary Accord: "Last week, we signed an important protocol to defend the legality [of our industry] "Together we want to defend and preserve the legality of what 99% of the companies [in Italy] are doing today," he said, repeating several times in the 5-minute video the need to preserve and defend 'the uniqueness of our [supply] chain,' and concluding "we for our companies." Atilla Kiss, Gruppo Florence GFA Attila Kiss, CEO of Gruppo Florence (an industrial project that promotes Italian manufacturing excellence in the luxury sector) spoke on the Summit's Ignite Stage about the recent "scandals we had in Italy," saying they were due to "pressures from the market." He describes the situation thus: The markets are placing pressure on brands, and brands are, therefore, pushing suppliers (which are small family-owned companies that are quite weak in relation to the brands). In turn, the suppliers find a production solution that "is socially not correct." Kiss describes Italy's micro-enterprises as being "pushed to find illegal solutions" due to pressures from brands. Overwhelmingly, the language from both speakers on the topic frames the recent exploitation as an external assault on the industry rather than a problem within it. But 'market pressures' could simply be stated as a decline in demand for a brand's products—an expected consequence of economic downturn and geopolitical instability. Rather than producing fewer products and gaining higher-margins through efficiencies or other legitimate means, the supply chain in Italy struggles to adapt (following years of decline) leading to adoption of illegal practices. This framing of 'market challenges' is the mechanism by which exploitation occurs across fashion's entire global supply chain, illustrating that Italy's pressures are inbuilt and top-down from growth imperatives. Italy's manufacturing woes, in essence, are those of the worldwide fashion manufacturing sector. Despite the excellent role the Summit plays in convening and hosting industry stakeholders and sharing valuable global insights, the Strategic focus (and selected Summit snippets) suggest a wider sense of denial–denial of how far the industry is falling short on its sustainability targets, denial of how bad exploitation is in Europe (like in other production countries), and denial of how inbuilt and permanent brands' pursuit of growth is, at any economic, social or environmental cost. I first attended the Global Fashion Summit in 2017, and I continue to hope for the best; by this year's measure, that would be GFA 'leading and spearheading' the industry, per its mission, by redirecting us onto the abatement path it set in 2020, and overseeing industry measurement of tangible actions and results against climate and social sustainability imperatives; prioritizing the industry's hotspots, and the most vulnerable, first.
Forbes
7 hours ago
- Business
- Forbes
Sustainable Fashion Summit Turns Sweet Sixteen, But Dark Reality Bites
Last week, Global Fashion Agenda (GFA), a non-profit aiming to 'accelerate impact' and 'spearhead the fashion industry towards a more sustainable future,' held its annual Global Fashion Summit, in this, its seventeenth year. GFA's industry vision is 'Net Positivity,' and the annual Summit unites brands, manufacturers, policymakers, and other global stakeholders under its strategic guidance and impact-reduction initiatives. However, fashion's negative impacts are increasing, not decreasing, and annual production volumes continue to rise. Global fiber production increased by a record 7% in 2023 to 124 million tonnes, a rate at which it will hit 160 million tonnes in 2030. Such growth is wiping out incremental gains from sustainability initiatives. Stand. Earth's 2025 Fossil Free Fashion Scorecard shows that in 2024, only three brands reduced emissions in line with a 1.5°C pathway, while 17 brands increased their carbon footprint compared to their baseline. 2024 was also the first year that average temperature increases breached the 1.5°C threshold. Sustainability demands absolute impact reductions. To borrow Yoda's wisdom, it's a case of 'do or do not—there is no 'try'.' As the industry's sustainability shepherd, what is GFA to do after 16 years of sustainability talk and with 'net positivity' further from reality than ever? Under the banner of 'Barriers and Bridges,' in their latest annual report, GFA named three strategic action areas for 2025: Circular Economy, People, and Planet. On the 'Circular Economy,' GFA will 'lead a harmonization effort of global Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations' that are under development in the European Union. Such work is critical since EPR fees ostensibly underpin investment in circular infrastructure in Europe, such as textile repair and recycling. These efforts should increase the utility of clothing and (in theory) reduce the demand for new fibers and new clothes – levers for decreasing production whilst generating revenue from existing resources). On 'Planet,' GFA (somewhat unspecifically) says it will 'continue to emphasize the need for decarbonization and collective investment in Renewable Energy Initiatives.' Fashion's emissions mostly arise from production in Asia, and its textile factories are in the crosshairs for decarbonization of energy sources, since they are the principal emissions, water, and chemical hotspots. 'People' is the GFA's third (and most detailed) area of focus in 2025, naming two research initiatives led by the non-profit: This revelation begs a pause. Europe? The region where just a fraction of global fashion production is done, the highest rates of pay equity, and the lowest climate vulnerability on the planet? Why the sudden departure from GFA's historical focus on the industry's impact hotspots (in Asia)? "Italy was never in the picture [at GFA], and I waited until we were sure we had enough [coverage of other] areas of the world to [then] look at Italy," explains the non-profit's CEO, Federica Marchionni. "We have to consider other countries and other brands–we're not 'global' if we don't include European countries." Regarding GFA's previous work: 'The biggest impact programs [are in Asia] for sure, that's what we did for 15 years [but] the brands that define culture are European–you can't ignore that. They are somehow very well known [and] Europe has to be in the mix for that reason,' says the CEO. European brands are undoubtedly economic powerhouses, and luxury brands have been implicated in several lawsuits in Italy over the past year due to systemic migrant worker exploitation in its supply chain. It's undeniable that these issues in Italy (also an inherent feature of global supply chains) be squarely addressed. "[European] brands have the responsibility to lead by example not only on quality [but on] future-proofing their businesses. If I want to speak on behalf of the industry, we need to include Europe," stressed Marchionni. Regarding putting Europe 'front-and-center' in GFA's strategic research efforts, what is the environmental rationale, since the industry's sustainability success depends on climate adaptation and decarbonization in Asia? "We need to solve a global issue with sustainability, and the way I am trying to do it is to go into the settings where those conversations are most relevant – at the UN, in Davos [for example]." "Our work was too focused on South Asia–we have the renewable energy initiative that was done in Bangladesh, the post-industrial circularity in South East Asia [where] Marchionni is referring to a few of GFA's many multi-stakeholder initiatives, namely the Global Circular Fashion Initiative (where they convene stakeholders under a Circular Fashion Partnerships scheme deployed by funding bodies, brands, manufacturers, and recyclers); as well as an offshore wind energy in Bangladesh. But are these Asia-based efforts "done"? Despite GFA announcing the Bangladesh offshore wind energy project at COP28 in 2023, a feasibility study into the project's potential to exist has not yet commenced. On the same subject, a straw poll of journalists at the Summit revealed they were under the impression that the Bangladesh wind farm was already being built, thanks to funding from fashion brands. Regarding the Circular Fashion Partnerships (CFP), the successful Bangladesh pilot led by BESTSELLER and Reverse Resources (and implemented by UNIDO) proved the business case for post-industrial recycling there, and the need for policy changes to support its industrial deployment. However, GFA is still recruiting brands (who pay to participate in the CFP program) for the Cambodia and Indonesia pilots. Is it really time to shift strategic focus to Europe? The devilish reality, as always, is in the details, and the 'sustainable fashion' movement at large has claimed 'intent' as 'action' for years. Science-based target (SBT) setting is one example, where fast-fashion brand Shein recently had its SBTs approved despite increasing its emissions by 176% from 2021 (its baseline year) to 2023, with no detailed explanation as to how reductions will be tracked or achieved. What is clear is Shein's publicly announced goal to achieve $60 billion in revenue by 2025 (compared to $32.5 billion in 2023), and that that will equate to higher production volumes (and emissions). What does this 'sustainability sentiment' and 'intention' actually cost? Well, what you don't measure, you can't know. To Marchionni's point, Europe has experienced intense industry scrutiny in the past year, with increased EU-based but global regulation and a slew of court cases in Italy that exposed sweatshop-like conditions, including at workshops manufacturing for brands Dior, Giorgio Armani, and Alviero Martini. Just ahead of the Summit, the Italian courts put Valentino under judicial review due to exploitation in its supply chain there. GFA began worker-focused research in Italy in 2024, in partnership with PwC and Camera Della Moda, to survey perceptions of gender pay equity. The results, presented on stage at the Summit, found that 80% of factory owners don't believe their company has a gender pay gap, while 67% of HR representatives in those companies think they do. Perceptions aside, Europe has the highest gender pay parity in the world, with women earning, on average, 12.7% less per hour than men. Italy fares better, with women earning just 2.2% less per hour compared to men (as of 2023). Leading industry-specific pay equity research by the Anker Research Institute found gender gaps of up to 22% in Bangladesh, 4-7% in Turkey, and 5-15% in Morocco. The Italian (and soon-to-be French) focus seems unusual: not only does Europe have the world's highest gender pay parity, but several organizations publish actual gender pay gap data. Why research pay gap perceptions? "It's a sensitive topic," says Marchionni, since Italian manufacturers may not be used to people questioning them (via surveys, in this case) in their factories. The CEO also pointed out that this delicate work is "not easy" for her since she is Italian but does not shy away from it. During the Summit, Erika Andreetta, Senior Partner at PwC Italia explained that most manufacturing units in Italy are micro-sized (10 or fewer employees) and fall below reporting and regulatory radars, so there can be hidden inequity. As such, their ongoing research with GFA will focus on gender pay equity in Italy and then France. Worker exploitation was a topic of discussion on stage at the Summit, but mainly focused on Bangladesh's below-living wages and gender-based violence problems, as explained by Kalpona Akter, Founding member and Executive Director of the Bangladesh Center for Workers Solidarity. From an Italian perspective, a video was broadcast during the Summit, pre-recorded by Luca Sburlati, the President of Confindustria Moda–a Federation that aims to protect and promote the interests of the sector and its members and represents the entire Italian supply chain nationally and internationally. In the video, Sburlati spoke on behalf of Italy's sector, representing '500,000 people, more than 40,000 companies, and a total turnover of about 100 billion yearly.' The President did not mention Italy's worker exploitation problem directly but referred to the new voluntary Accord: "Last week, we signed an important protocol to defend the legality [of our industry] "Together we want to defend and preserve the legality of what 99% of the companies [in Italy] are doing today," he said, repeating several times in the 5-minute video the need to preserve and defend 'the uniqueness of our [supply] chain,' and concluding "we for our companies." Atilla Kiss, Gruppo Florence GFA Attila Kiss, CEO of Gruppo Florence (an industrial project that promotes Italian manufacturing excellence in the luxury sector) spoke on the Summit's Ignite Stage about the recent "scandals we had in Italy," saying they were due to "pressures from the market." He describes the situation thus: The markets are placing pressure on brands, and brands are, therefore, pushing suppliers (which are small family-owned companies that are quite weak in relation to the brands). In turn, the suppliers find a production solution that "is socially not correct." Kiss describes Italy's micro-enterprises as being "pushed to find illegal solutions" due to pressures from brands. Overwhelmingly, the language from both speakers on the topic frames the recent exploitation as an external assault on the industry rather than a problem within it. But 'market pressures' could simply be stated as a decline in demand for a brand's products—an expected consequence of economic downturn and geopolitical instability. Rather than producing fewer products and gaining higher-margins through efficiencies or other legitimate means, the supply chain in Italy struggles to adapt (following years of decline) leading to adoption of illegal practices. This framing of 'market challenges' is the mechanism by which exploitation occurs across fashion's entire global supply chain, illustrating that Italy's pressures are inbuilt and top-down from growth imperatives. Italy's manufacturing woes, in essence, are those of the worldwide fashion manufacturing sector. Despite the excellent role the Summit plays in convening and hosting industry stakeholders and sharing valuable global insights, the Strategic focus (and selected Summit snippets) suggest a wider sense of denial–denial of how far the industry is falling short on its sustainability targets, denial of how bad exploitation is in Europe (like in other production countries), and denial of how inbuilt and permanent brands' pursuit of growth is, at any economic, social or environmental cost. I first attended the Global Fashion Summit in 2017, and I continue to hope for the best; by this year's measure, that would be GFA 'leading and spearheading' the industry, per its mission, by redirecting us onto the abatement path it set in 2020, and overseeing industry measurement of tangible actions and results against climate and social sustainability imperatives; prioritizing the industry's hotspots, and the most vulnerable, first.
Fashion United
a day ago
- Business
- Fashion United
Global Fashion Summit: barriers remain while bridges fail to span far enough
The Global Fashion Summit, now in its 16th year, took place from 3rd to 5th June 2025 in Copenhagen. It was launched by the Global Fashion Agenda (GFA) in 2009 to 'spark urgent action and accelerate impact in the fashion industry'. As in previous years, it attracted over 1000 industry leaders, including C-suite executives, leaders and participants along the value chain from over 48 countries, making it a much anticipated network event. In fact, judging by the many empty seats during some events, networking may have been the main agenda of many an onsite participant. Or it could have been the addition of a new space, the Ignite Stage, that spread out attendees over more venues. As the name suggests, the Ignite Stage was meant to provide a platform for quick, impactful presentations centred on innovation and a chance for the audience to ask questions. In true sustainable fashion, more attendance may also have decided to join online. Turning barriers into bridges In view of the immense pressure that the fashion industry is currently facing - adapting to geopolitical changes and complying with an increasingly complex regulatory environment - this year's theme was 'Barriers and Bridges'. It 'highlights the dualities of this moment, where traditional barriers have the possibility to transform into bridges for tangible change. With new legislation accelerating, the boundaries between voluntary and mandatory efforts are blurring, demanding both courage and capital to seize this moment of opportunity,' explains GFA. After all, 'a wall lying down is actually a bridge,' reminded Christiane Dolva, head of innovation and research at the H&M Foundation in the very first panel to shift perspectives as 'walls may be the future bridges'. GFA GFA CEO Federica Marchionni during her welcome address. Credits: Global Fashion Agenda 'We need to be a force for good,' stressed GFA CEO Federica Marchionni in her welcome address. 'Sustainability remains a fundamental priority for businesses, brands and consumers,' she added, especially in times where 'climate change is the only certainty.' While there is hope in innovation and solution providers, 'leadership is needed most in times of turbulence,' next to courage and cooperation. Navigating the S-word In view of new regulations and stricter guidelines, there was hesitancy, fear even, when it comes to communicating one's sustainability efforts, especially from the brands' side. Lauren Bartley, chief sustainability officer at Ganni, confirmed in a panel on 'Closing the Consumer Gap" that communicating about sustainability is a challenge. 'We are vocal about it but it is becoming more challenging, there is a lot of confusion.' Lauren Bartley, chief sustainability officer at Ganni, as part of the panel on 'Closing the Consumer Gap". Credits: Global Fashion Agenda The brand invests in fabrics of the future and enters into partnerships with makers of next-gen materials and material innovations but 'the communication around is very difficult because not only is it a new material so it has to be factually accurate. We have to be careful that it cannot be seen as greenwashing.' She also stressed the fact that complex conversations about sustainability have to be distilled to be digestible for consumers. Danish designer Henrik Vibskov agreed: 'It is tricky how to communicate whatever you do because in Denmark, we have a by-law now, we are not allowed to use the s-word. So we can only use pure facts, pure data. It is a challenge how to communicate to the end consumer that this is could be a better choice or be less harmful.' Emcee Nadir Nahdi in conversation with designer Henrik Vibskov (left). Credits: Global Fashion Agenda For some, the term sustainability was always a bit suspicious. 'Earlier, I used to say that sustainability is a bag of vomit,' admitted Sebastien Kopp, co-founder and creative director of Veja, adding 'I do not say that any more.' However, he stressed that Veja is not a sustainable brand: 'We never talked about ecology, we talked about reality. We are not a socially responsible company, we are not a sustainable company, our focus is to go to the reality of things, meaning materials, people, how is a sneaker built, what is inside a sneaker? What is beyond a sneaker?' And interestingly enough, that philosophy has enabled the brand to produce in Brazil, pay the workers there significantly more than market rate and use expensive materials, all while offering competitive prices and without relying on investors or loans. The secret? 'No advertising at all. It is all word of mouth,' said Kopp, adding that advertising costs can make up 50 to 60 percent of the overall product costs. Sebastien Kopp of Veja went deep into 'Raw Material Connections' and what sets the brand apart. Credits: Global Fashion Agenda Another driver is that Veja uses very few materials (maybe ten in total) but researches and utilises them very well. 'This limit is good for me, for creation, for design. You do not waste too much time saying 'what will be the next materials', no, you develop one over the course of two years, along the supply chain,' explained Kopp. 'We do not talk about circularity, we talk about cobblers. Opening places in the world to repair Veja shoes but also other sneakers. … What we want is a world with more reality, less talk,' he emphasised. Putting the loom back into heirlooms At the start of the first day, storyteller and emcee Nadir Nahdi brought the topic of heirloom pieces closer to the audience with a story about his grandmother who came from Indonesia to East Africa by boat. Tightlipped about her history, Nahdi grew up not knowing much about that side of his heritage but for a brightly coloured batik sarong. It was the connection, the missing link, that made him embark on the journey to his grandmother's village, Here, he met her childhood friend who was able to finally fill in the blanks. Another story told by a piece of clothing came from Lydie Taylor, a fashion design student and seventh generation at Taylors Run, an Australian sheep farm. Asked what she wore to the event, she revealed that her top was second hand and her skirt an inheritance from her grandmother who in turn had received the skirt from her grandmother. Moderator Ebru Özkücuuk Güler, Fashion for Good's Katrin Ley, fashion design student Lydie Taylor and Riyong Kim of the European Environment Agency (from left to right) discussed 'What is 'Next-Gen'?" Credits: Global Fashion Agenda We may have forgotten today that clothing used to last that long - in this case six generations - as it was truly precious and handmade, something that was treasured and handed down with pride. In times of ultra fast fashion pieces that are discarded almost as soon as they have been worn, the heritage aspect has become lost. 'What exactly are we doing and what is most important to us? It is no longer about volumes, it is about values. So through the process of making, of creating, what are the shared values between the making community and the corporations that own the companies and the end result, which is the garment,' said Omoyemi Akerele, founder and CEO of Lagos Fashion Week, in a panel that discussed life 'Beyond Fashion Categories'. For her, production volumes and overproduction are key problems. 'We cannot keep producing at this scale and expect to see change. We can't keep trying to solve the problem at the end of a garment, we have to think about solutions at the beginning. That is where we eliminate a lot of problems that we see today when it comes to garment production. I go back to my community and how we produce, rethinking design. And understanding that clothing is about creating purpose, creating meaning, ensuring that every garment is made with love, to last. Is made through a process that honours tradition and people.' This includes honouring the process and the people when taking craftsmanship from communities. ''Collaboration' is the new sexy word, but let's take it out and talk about co-ownership,' urges Akerele. Omoyemi Akerele, founder and CEO of Lagos Fashion Week. Credits: global Fashion Agenda Innovation Apart from GFS's Innovation Forum, innovations announcements popped up at the summit. In a sponsored session, the Lycra Company and chemical manufacturer Qore announced that they will soon bring to market the world's first large-scale commercial production of bio-derived Lycra fibre made with Qira, which uses dent corn as feedstock. Circular tech company Re&Up revealed at the event that it has become the first fibre producer globally to earn Cradle to Cradle Certified for Product Circularity, validating its recycled cotton and polyester as fully circular. Bio-design company Modern Meadow presented Innoveera, a high-performance, animal-free material made from plant proteins, biopolymers and recycled rubber. It is scalable and adaptable, and mimics the look and feel of leather and has a renewable carbon content of more than 80 percent. EBay revealed that it has built a suite of solutions to enable fashion brands to drive resale – from its brand outlet for excess inventory, to Imperfects for items that are slightly damaged but never-worn, to pre-loved take back solutions for brands, including its new partnership with Nobody's Child. Fashion for Good and Arvind Limited announced the launch of Future Forward Factories, an ambitious initiative with two interconnected components: developing a comprehensive open-source blueprint for sustainable textile manufacturing and constructing a groundbreaking physical facility in Gujarat, India that proves these innovations work at commercial scale. Eileen Fisher, the godmother of slow fashion, who launched her eponymous brand 40 years ago, cautioned that we have to keep on learning. Credits: Global Fashion Agenda Information Online fashion retailer Zalando presented a follow-up report from its 2021 publication 'It Takes Two' dedicated to the consumer or action gap - consumers wanting to buy sustainably but then not doing it. 'It Takes Many' looked at the European consumer in five markets (France, Germany, Italy, Sweden and UK ) and found out that while consumers care (74 percent want more sustainable products), there is still a gap disconnect between consumer behaviour and intentions. Price is still the main deterrent, also lack of knowledge in terms of identifying sustainable options and where to shop. Hence the consensus that it takes many - brands, the consumers themselves, governments, regulators and legislators - to close the gap. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) launched the Circular Transition Indicators (CTI) Sector Guidance for Fashion and Textile v2.0 to empower textile and fashion value-chain actors to unlock business value by embedding circular performance measurement into decision-making. One year after the launch of The Fashion ReModel at the Global Fashion Summit, The Ellen MacArthur Foundation released 'Scaling circular business models: a guide for fashion leaders', which aims to equip fashion leaders with the insights and tools to embed circular business models into core strategy, make a compelling business case and unlock financial and climate benefits. Networking at the Global Fashion Summit. Credits: Global Fashion Agenda Refiberd is winner of Trailblazer Programme For the second time, a winner of the Trailblazer Programme was announced by GFA and PDS Ventures, namely US-based AI-enabled textile material detector Refiberd. This year, the programme received over 200 applications from 44 countries across six continents - nearly double from last year. Nine innovators were selected by a cross-sector jury including representatives from Ralph Lauren, Fashion for Good, Zalando, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, GFA and PDS Ventures and featured at GFS's Innovation Forum. Refiberd, shortlisted under the 'Closed Loop Pathways' category, was selected for its pioneering technology using hyperspectral imaging and AI to accurately identify the material composition of textiles, thus unlocking critical advancements in textile recycling, resale authentication and traceability. As the Trailblazer winner, Refiberd will receive an investment of up to 200,000 US dollars from PDS Ventures, pending successful completion of financial and legal due diligence and final Investment Committee approval. The award also includes strategic commercial and operational support from PDS Group, including development and commercialisation assistance from its innovation-focused subsidiary, Positive Materials. 'The Refiberd team is thrilled to have been selected as the winner for the 2025 Trailblazer Programme. Having our technology be recognised by so many influential members of the fashion and textile industry is incredible validation for our team, and we are so grateful that the judges recognised the need for more accurate material data across the supply chain. This opportunity comes at a critical growth point for Refiberd, and we are thrilled to work towards scaling our technology with the support of the Trailblazer Programme, PDS Ventures and Global Fashion Agenda,' commented Refiberd co-founder and CEO Sarika Bajaj. A bit of protest An installation by Boas and Vnyx in Copenhagen. Credits: Vnyx On the final day of the Global Fashion Summit, Dutch vintage fashion site Boas and resale AI tool Vnyx quite literally aired the industry's dirty laundry by stringing clotheslines filled with discarded garments across the city—from bridges to the Little Mermaid. Each piece carried a message like 'Wear me', 'Repair me' or 'Donate me,' thus calling attention to the billions of garments dumped or burned each year. The campaign aimed to urge passersby to pause, reflect and act immediately on their consumption habits. 'You can touch these clothes, take them, smell them—and realise that every second, a truckload of fashion is dumped or burned. But the solutions are simple, and they are already printed on the clothing: wear, repair, sell, share and donate,' explained Boas co-founder Romy Goedhart. The way forward Looking at the fact that Copenhagen is one of the most expensive European cities, where one night in a hotel costs as much as a garment worker owns in a whole months as one panelist remarked, is it still timely to have the Global Fashion Summit here, far from the Global South, where much of the issues that need to be tackled are to be found? Why not have the next edition in Bangladesh, India or Vietnam? After all, it is the Global Fashion Summit, not the European Fashion Summit. This is also what Kalpona Akter, executive director of the Bangladesh Centre for Worker Solidarity (BCWS), mentioned. 'Workers voices are needed but they are always the missing puzzle, the discussion is not worker-centric.' Take the Omnibus proposal, for example, introduced by EC president Ursula von der Leyen earlier this year and framed as a simplification of key EU laws. 'There was hope,' said Akter, in view of sustainability laws like the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), 'all the good things were coming for workers but the Omnibus bill is ruining the show in the name of simplifying.' 'Either have a good agreement or no agreement,' she adds. 'This toothless directive protecting rather the companies than the workers will not work.' Kalpona Akter, executive director of the Bangladesh Centre for Worker Solidarity. Credits: Global Fashion Agenda Akerele, who is also the founder and CEO of Style House Files, echoes this sentiment. 'So 2023 might look great but for me, it looks really daunting if we continue at this speed. I think it is important that we were able to get decision makers in the room, which includes the people who make the clothes, not only the big guys and women in suits.' 'So if we are looking at 2023, we have to rethink production volumes, we have to rethink consumption patterns. …I must acknowledge that there are signs of progress; it is not all gloom and doom but it is important for us to be mindful that if things continue the way they do, a seemingly tokenistic approach to problem solving, 2030 will not be very great,' cautions Akerele. Or as Marchionni put it , 'sustainability is a marathon, not a sprint. It is a long journey of winding roads and difficult terrain. If there is an obstacle, you do not just turn around but face it.' And that is good to keep in mind indeed while tackling the future. Also read: How does the fashion industry justify 15 years of Global Fashion Summit?
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Global Fashion Agenda Addresses Sustainability's Struggles: Uncertainty Looms Amid Policy Shifts, Economic Pressures and Tariffs
COPENHAGEN — Does sustainability stand a chance in a world where it is being increasingly de-prioritized amid shifting government policies, mounting tariffs and more conservative political climates? That was the question attendees grappled with at this year's Global Fashion Agenda conference in Copenhagen. Organizers acknowledged the mood was 'somber,' reflecting rising uncertainty. Attendance was lighter, as brands cut budgets and pivoted toward contingency planning in response to legislative delays and economic headwinds. More from WWD Miley Cyrus Puts Her Own Twist on a '80s Rockstar Hairstyle at the Chanel and Tribeca Film Festival Luncheon in NYC Miley Cyrus, Parker Posey, Riley Keough & More Celebrate 'Through Her Lens' With Chanel and Tribeca Lucy Liu Anchors Chanel Textured Midi Dress With Pearl-heeled Pumps at TriBeCa Through Her Lens Luncheon In Europe, the European Commission's conservative pivot has led to a rollback of key legislation, most notably the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive. The directive, which required large companies to identify and address human rights and environmental impacts across their supply chains, is now partially on hold, leaving many companies in limbo. 'The EU has given the world a political signal that we, too, are going to do things differently, and I would even call it a sort of 'Trump lite,'' said European Parliament member Lara Wolters. Though the EU's upcoming changes are being framed as simplifications, 'it's far too soon…to make a harsh policy move like this. And yet that's been done and everybody is now scrambling to try to do damage control,' said Wolters. The likely outcome will be more paperwork on imports and burdens on small businesses, with less scrutiny at the source of production. In the U.S., new tariffs under the Trump administration have further complicated sustainability strategies. Companies investing in decarbonizing their supply chains now face uncertainty around future production costs and sourcing locations. 'It's hard to convince your CFO to make that decision,' said Chelsea Murtha, senior director of sustainability at the American Apparel and Footwear Association. '[Companies are] operating in confusion.' Meanwhile, states that once led on climate action are facing rising costs and cross-border partnerships, such as U.S.-Canadian collaborations on recycling and sorting systems, are now under threat due to the new fees and increased shipping complexity. USAID had long funded many NGOs and programs that U.S. brands relied on to monitor human rights and labor conditions in sourcing countries. That support is now cut, and brands are being asked to fill the gap. 'As much as the brands would like to, they're also getting squeezed by the tariffs,' said Murtha. 'So there's this sort of paralysis happening right now where everyone's trying to figure out what on earth can we continue to hold on to?' Claus Teilmann Petersen, Bestseller's head of sustainability and human rights, urged brands to channel this uncertainty into 'productive paranoia.' He believes that while the EU battle 'is kind of lost,' legislators should regroup to implement simplified due diligence based on global OECD guidelines. GFA's vice president of public affairs María Luisa Martínez Díez added that geopolitical instability is adding to the uncertainty. 'Wars and conflicts [are] also disrupting the industry, with brands having to reassess production locations and loans due to the risky conflict zones.' Financing is also impacted, with banks less inclined to fund factory upgrades that set out to reduce carbon emissions or water use. 'The focus on sustainability has been left behind, fading into the background, to the favor of competitors,' she noted. Adding to the challenge is the compliance burden of data collection and upcoming circular economy regulations. Brands are navigating varying rules from the U.S., EU, China and pending new laws in India, South America and Mexico. Amid the gloom, some companies see a silver lining in artificial intelligence. One promising use case is to modernize the outdated wholesale model. 'The system relies on the traditional system of bulk ordering,' said MannyAI cofounder and chief executive officer Shruti Grover. AI, she suggested, could optimize inventory, reduce overstock, and cut costs. The system relies on the traditional method of bulk ordering. Brands have to front the stock then absorb the cost of any items that are returned. Revamping the system could be especially beneficial for small brands, but this would break longstanding business practices and is resisted by existing players in the industry. 'So brands need to take a really brave decision for this,' she said. But while AI has potential, so far it has not paid out, according to research from BCG. Arti Zeighami, partner and director at the consulting group's tech design division BCGX, shared that only 4 percent of CEOs implementing AI have seen measurable return on investment, highlighting a gap between hype and tangible value. Still, smaller brands see opportunity. Mudd Jeans CEO Jolanda Brink said AI could enable her 12-person team to compete at scale. 'Everybody's talking like people are scared about AI, but I'm actually thinking this can tremendously help me,' she told WWD. 'It used to be large team, large results. So now this can be small team, large results.' Brink hopes to build a product lifecycle management system and launch targeted paid ads built with AI tools, especially to reach 'light green' consumers who value style but consider sustainability a bonus. She sees this possibility as a win-win. 'That is really good for retailers also, because that means they don't have to invest a lot in us, because they can see if it sells, and then they can order from us,' she said. StyleDNA cofounder and CEO Elena Volkova echoed the hype vs. value gap in AI, this time from the consumer perspective. Her research found that while 82 percent of users want AI-assisted shopping, many haven't acted on its suggestions. It will take time for consumers to develop trust in a new system and to see any personal value in using it, she said. This disconnect between intention and action was a recurring theme. Visa Europe's vice president of impact and sustainability Katherine Brown said their Behavioral Insights Lab found 87 percent of consumers want to shop sustainably, but only 27 percent follow through. The lab partners with retailers such as Selfridges, Cos, and John Lewis to test messaging and to nudge strategies that drive more sustainable choices. For Gen Z, framing sustainability as community-driven behavior raised sales at Cos by 22 percent. Pre-purchase nudges promoting refillables were also successful in a Charlotte Tilbury case study, she told WWD. These 'nudges' are less about hard-hitting sustainability messaging and more about a few key words that appeal to style or make economic sense to consumers in a softer way. Visa is also exploring 'agentic AI,' which autonomously searches and shops for products based on a consumer's personalized preferences. Yet trust and fraud prevention remain critical, especially in resale. 'There is just so much financial fraud at this moment in time, so people really do want to know that if I'm buying something, I want to know that it's from a real source,' she said. 'Trust and security is not yet robust in the resale market.' Visa is supporting digital passports to ensure the authenticity of goods as well as ensure the payments systems behind secondhand transactions. The lab, focused on Europe, plans to expand into global markets and new sectors, including travel and home goods. 'The fashion industry has been a brilliant starting point because the industry just so vastly needs to understand how to move people away from fast fashion,' said Brown. Devon Leahy, global head of sustainability at L Catterton, stressed the business case for bridging the gap. 'Closing the consumer gap is tangible financial value,' she said, urging brands to present sustainability as a co-benefit, not the primary purchase driver. Florence Bulté, chief sustainability officer at Chalhoub Group, discussed efforts to shift secondhand perceptions in the Middle East, where the group operates. When the group launched a jewelry rental program, she knew it would appeal to expats in the region. But to her surprise, it performed better than expected with local communities. The group is working to extend this kind of change with handbags and shoes as well. GFA CEO Federica Marchionni acknowledged the global moment. 'This time was a very different feeling…we were anxious of the time and the situation we are living in, and it's hard to tackle all of these barriers that are growing every day,' she said, highlighting the event's theme of 'Barriers and Bridges.' 'I always say that sustainability can really be the uniting bond,' she said. Many attendees noted that this year's conference felt smaller, whether due to overlapping events, tighter travel budgets, or broader fatigue. SXSW London was scheduled at the same time, where one attendee was due to be a panelist before she realized the dates conflicted, and the Textiles Recycling Expo was happening in Brussels. As a result, 'all the recyclers are there and the brands are here,' the attendee said. Though fewer CEOs were visible, C-level sustainability leaders from brands like Chanel and Kering participated in closed-door roundtables. Kering even brought along its first 'sustainability futurist,' who is focused on studying long-range transformation a decade out. One returning attendee, attending for the sixth time, said they had hoped for more 'actionable' content given how 'people have backed down on messaging.' Nonetheless, the networking was strong. 'It's good to meet people we only see on Zoom,' one attendee said. 'In that aspect, it is doing its job.' A standout moment of the week was the debut of Lycra EcoMade with Qira — a corn-based stretch fiber containing 70 percent renewable content. The drop-in replacement for petroleum-based Lycra delivers the same performance, making it possible for activewear such as yoga pants to go bio-based. There's no difference in appearance or feel. Both CEOs were on hand to unveil the fiber at the event, Lycra's Gary Smith and Qira's Jon Veldhouse. The fiber has been in development for seven years, and already piloted by brands like A-Golde. The material is being produced at a factory in Iowa and will scale to 65 tons a year, with the first large-scale shipments expected this fall for inclusion in spring collections. Leather alternative pioneer Modern Meadow also revealed its newly rebranded material, Innovera, with CEO David Williamson on hand to discuss the future of bio-designed material innovations. To close the week, Refibered was awarded the GFA Trailblazer prize. 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