Maria Manuela Ribeiro’s Post

🌍 Sustainability Challenges Facing the Fashion Industry 🧵 The fashion industry is one of the most environmentally taxing sectors, with high water consumption, chemical pollution, and carbon emissions throughout its value chain. Yet, the industry has been slow to address these sustainability challenges. Key questions the fashion industry must solve to reach true sustainability: 🤔 Is the industry aiming for genuine sustainability or just compliance? Regulations are becoming more stringent, but many firms are merely doing the minimum to comply rather than driving transformative change. 💼 How can brands make sustainability more attractive and accessible to consumers? Sustainability is often seen as dry or threatening - brands need to inspire customers through positive messaging, fair pricing, and innovative engagement. 🌱 Where can fashion look for inspiration? Young, sustainability-first brands are embracing eco-design, new materials, and innovative business models that treat customers as partners in the transition. Overall, the industry must move beyond "doing less bad" to actively regenerating the environment and communities. This will require rethinking growth, consumption, and value - a challenge many established players are still reluctant to embrace. 💪 The window to address fashion's environmental impact is quickly closing. Bolder, systemic change is needed to protect our planet for future generations. 🌳 #SustainableFashion #CircularEconomy #ClimateAction https://lnkd.in/es5gd5-t

https://lnkd.in/gpW4NHDX Despite significant strides in sustainable practices, the fashion industry faced a harsh reality in 2023 - a 60% surge in fashion consumption, reaching an alarming 102 million tonnes. The blame game between industry and consumers arises. While consumers bear the end responsibility, the industry must reflect on why sustainability messaging isn't resonating. Isaac Lacrose, founder of Eden Power Corp, emphasizes the need for systemic changes, shifting the burden from consumers to the industry. He notes the challenges of accessing affordable responsible options. Alan Lugo of Natural Fiber Welding highlights a disconnect: industry progress cancels out gains as it continues to grow. Are brands truly committed to systemic change, or is it more about sales than sustainability? The prevalence of "greenwashing" muddles the message. Brands' conscious lines often coexist with unsustainable offerings, tempting consumers into a cycle of unsustainable consumption. Paul Foulkes-Arellano, a circularity specialist, emphasizes the urgency of curbing overpromotion and massive unsaleable inventory dumping to truly advance sustainable fashion. Eric Liedtke, co-founder of UNLESS, urges the industry to provide better options, making sustainability appealing without compromising consumer tastes and needs. Are we at "Peak Sustainability"? Industry experts weigh in, pointing out an image problem, consumer fatigue, and the need for simplicity in sustainable messaging. The path forward involves transparency and conscious consumer choices. Joey Pringle of Veshin Factory calls for a shift away from tick-box capitalism, urging brands to slow down, adopt circular practices, and foster a genuine human connection. The industry must self-reflect, admit its shortcomings, and address the Sustainability Saturation Point for a meaningful shift toward a truly sustainable future. #SustainableFashion #FashionConsumption #Greenwashing #SystemicChange #CircularFashion #ConsumerChoices #FashionIndustry #SustainabilityChallenge #IndustryReflection #ClimateAction #FashionRevolution #EarthFriendlyFashion

The fashion industry is failing to meet its decarbonization commitments. According to a recent McKinsey & Company analysis, fashion companies are behind on their own decarbonization schedules, with 40 percent of companies seeing their emissions output increase since making their sustainability commitments. While the commitments are welcome, work needs to be done if they are to meet the obligations set. We're in a time when customers are expecting fashion brands to be ethical and ensure that their items are sourced, created and sold in a manner that is environmentally friendly, something that is becoming a brand differentiator for specific audience groups. Here are six areas that fashion companies need to be aware of and which will shape their decarbonization journey: 1.    Keeping sustainability a core priority even when times are tough 2.    Putting sustainability at the heart of the business 3.    Charting a decarbonization path is complex 4.    The fashion industry needs more supply chain transparency 5.    Implementation is consistently underestimated 6.    The supplier landscape is fragmented Fashion companies must leverage their data and that from across their supply chain to better redesign their business so it can meet their environmental obligations. #fashionindustry #decarbonization #esg #supplychain #businesstransformation https://lnkd.in/ew7bgE9Y

I would like to share my last research published in the Journal of Cleaner Production "Sufficient consumption as a missing link towards sustainability: The case of fast fashion". ·  🔱  This work provides a three-pillar framework for sufficient consumption in fashion. ·  🏹  This work introduces 'anti-consumerist washing' as a form of greenwashing. ·  🛍  Fast fashion firms are consumerism icons far from sustainable balance despite efforts. ·  ⚓  Sufficient consumption is a missing link for a full circular economy and sustainability. ·  🌈  Despite progress after SDGs, top fast fashion firms are still far to embrace sufficiency. #work #sustainability #sustainable #circulareconomy #fashion #consumption #green #sufficient #fastfashion #industry #greenwashing #anticonsumeristwashing  #ods12 #sdgs2030 #SDG #investigacion #ods #consumo #research #clothes #innovation #COP29 #UPV

Recent insight by McKinsey highlights the pathway to fashion decarbonisation. A subject close to my heart and so I found the following statistics not encouraging but not surprising either: ⏳ 2/3 brands are behind on the decarbonisation schedules 📈 40% brands seen increase in emissions output since committing to a net zero target 🎯 Only 1/3 will be able to meet the sustainability targets by maintaining current emission reductions 🌏 Greatest impact from climate change will hit fashion's value chain directly (looking at the primary manufacturing locations) The McKinsey report charted out 6 key challenges and corresponding mitigating actions. The industry's challenges are not unique, but the vast & fragmented supplier landscape makes it difficult to measure and implement initiatives (e.g. brands are not motivated to finance production improvements that will end up benefitting competitors). Lateral thinking can be applied by referencing and/or fine-tuning best practices from other industries. The key is to do it quick, cost effective whilst increasing value. The good news is most costs and value add in fashion come from low carbon activities e.g. design work The approach makes good sense for the brands. But above all else, they need to embed a sustainable consumer mindset that will still let them maintain a healthy margin and deliver value. And embed circularity thinking into the mix. Less is definitely more. #decarbonisation #sustainablefashion #circularfashion

Dive into the intricate link between fashion and climate change. The textile industry's excesses contribute significantly to climate change, impacting the fashion supply chain and causing economic losses. Join the conversation on breaking this harmful cycle. Learn how our Sustainability Platform can navigate climate-caused supply disruptions. Read the full article now! #sustainability #fashionindustry #fashiontech #sustainablefashion

Translating fashion’s decarbonization commitments into action has proved difficult, but the industry can reach its target. In our new analysis, I had the opportunity to coauthor, the most fashion brands could reduce their GHG emissions by more than 60 percent for less than 1 to 2 percent of their revenues. The way forward is complex, but we identified six challenges fashion brands can address to become more sustainable from keeping sustainability a core priority even when times are tough to providing more supply chain transparency, among others. Check out the challenges and actions that can help accelerate decarbonization in fashion: https://lnkd.in/daqixi6z  

I would like to share my last research published in the Journal of Cleaner Production "Sufficient consumption as a missing link towards sustainability: The case of fast fashion" 💎 ·  🔱 This work provides a three-pillar framework for sufficient consumption in fashion. · 🏹 This work introduces 'anti-consumerist washing' as a form of greenwashing. ·  🛍 Fast fashion firms are consumerism icons far from sustainable balance despite efforts. ·  ⚓ Sufficient consumption is a missing link for a full circular economy and sustainability. · 🌈 Despite progress after SDGs, top fast fashion firms are still far to embrace sufficiency. https://lnkd.in/gAyjbZqu #work #sustainability #sustainable #circulareconomy #fashion #consumption #green #sufficient #fastfashion #industry #greenwashing #anticonsumeristwashing  #ods12 #sdgs2030 #SDG #investigacion #ods #consumo #research #clothes #innovation #climatechange #COP29 #UPV

🌍 Sustainability in fashion: Lessons for all industries 🌍 The fashion world continues to lead the way with innovative approaches to sustainability - an imperative that extends beyond clothing to every industry, including luxury packaging. This insightful article explores the key sustainability practices fashion brands have adopted that can help drive change across all sectors. By embracing circularity, sustainable sourcing, and transparency, we can collectively work towards a more environmentally conscious future. At Delta Global, we’re passionate about creating sustainable packaging solutions that help brands meet their environmental goals while maintaining luxury and quality. Let’s continue to learn, adapt, and take responsibility for our planet. 🌱 Get in touch today: https://lnkd.in/gvyMSB3 Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eudCKixf #WeRDeltaGlobal #Sustainability #SustainablePackaging #LuxuryPackaging #LetsMakeLessTogether #LessPackagingForMoreBrands

“While the key concepts of a circular fashion economy are worth striving for, they are neither sufficient nor perhaps even realistic. We want a fashion system that does not pollute or cause harm to the environment or people, minimises or eliminates waste, is resilient, and that regenerates and restores the environment.” The global fashion industry is failing to make any sufficient progress on sustainability, despite spending some $20-30 billion annually on tech innovations to tackle sustainability challenges. In this texfash.com article, Forum's Principal Sustainability Strategist Karen Sim explores the barriers hindering the fashion industry's sustainability efforts, and explains how system thinking and collaboration among value chain actors can help: https://ow.ly/6Y2i50SSNqL Find out about Forum’s Enabling Systemic Circularity in Fashion Programme: https://ow.ly/Itel50SSNrw Karen is also speaking at Be The Change Summit hosted by the Singapore Fashion Council on 15 August - book your place here: https://ow.ly/SlMm50SSNqO