Tim Cross, who founded the Circular Textiles Foundation (CTF), has been on a mission to deliver large-scale post-consumer polyester recycling, and to get as many brands and retailers as possible to engage with designing for circularity. Through his…
A huge amount of campaigning and activism in relation to the business practices of fashion brands now takes place on social media, with new tools frequently emerging to hold companies to account. One such mechanism with increasing potency is the…
Australia’s environment minister Tanya Plibersek has formally unveiled Seamless, a new product stewardship scheme for clothing, will begin on 1 July 2024 and see signatory brands contribute a four cents per garment levy to a nationwide circularity…
Reflecting on a 2023 University of Leeds study into the durability of garments ranging in retail price from a few pounds to almost £100, Dr Mark Sumner, who played a central role in conducting the research, is keen that lessons are learned regarding…
A new online portal from the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre will continually update users with the latest information gathered on apparel supply chains, with a particular focus on purchasing practices and worker rights. Rather than zeroing…
Senator Josh Newman last year brought bill SB-707 to the California State Senate, seeking to implement an extended producer responsibility (EPR) framework and ramp up textile recycling. The proposed legislation has been through several stages of…
Zurich-based NGO Public Eye has completed a second investigation into Shein supply chains, alleging workers at some factories supplying the company are denied certain rights and expected to complete gruelling 75-hour working weeks. Despite this,…
In the early 1990s a British PhD student became curious about the presence of unidentified marine litter in his coastal experiments. This researcher, Professor Richard Thompson OBE FRS, who now serves as director of the Marine Institute at the…
As the new 2024/25 tax year begins in the UK, so too do new reporting rules applicable to second-hand apparel resale platforms including Vinted, Depop and eBay. While frenzied media headlines earlier in the year characterised this as a ‘Side Hustle…
Supply Trace, a pilot established jointly by Sheffield Hallam University and Northeastern University, is using machine learning to develop a free-to-access, searchable online platform that enables anyone to explore tens of millions of shipping…
Austrian fibre producing specialist Lenzing Group has published its latest sustainability report today, detailing its progress in relation to key environmental targets during 2023 – and setting fresh goals for the months and years ahead. Dr Krishna…
Three years since a military coup overthrew Myanmar's civilian government, fashion brands and retailers still source from the southeast Asian nation despite persistent evidence of flagrant worker rights violations. Despite many public statements…
Predictions are particularly bleak in analysis from Cornell University's Global Labor Institute and asset management firm Schroders, forecasting that extreme weather events linked to climate change will cause transformative disruption to apparel…
Last decade, it was decided that the fashion industry and Britain's relationship with apparel consumption needed to be investigated by parliamentarians. An inquiry was established and formally began evidence gathering in the autumn of 2018, with MPs…
As the textile industry prepares for incoming legislation regarding waste management, we took a moment to speak with Amelia Eleiter, who is the CEO and co-founder of Debrand, a Canada based textile waste sorter that specialises in matching brands…
Season's Greetings to all our readers. As the year winds down we'd like to take the opportunity to look back and highlight some of the most significant stories that we published from each month of this year, including some comments from our…
Garment workers, trade unions and workers' rights campaigners recently staged a rally in Leicester, UK, in protest at job losses, factory closures and worker rights. The rally, held at the city's Spinney Hill Park, came about after local suppliers…
In October 2023, Swedish textile recycler Renewcell revealed that sales of its Circulose pulp were significantly lower than expected and that the company was set to miss its target of breaking even by the end of this year. Then, the company axed its…
High street fashion giant Inditex, which owns brands including Zara and Bershka, has pledged €70 million over three years to buy a proprietary textile-to-textile recycled fibre from LA-based tech start-up Ambercycle. The deal will, it is hoped,…
CLERMONT-FERRAND - Biotech specialist Carbios has developed a fully integrated and automated system that transforms polyester waste from used garments or cutting scraps into raw materials suitable for depolymerisation using its enzymatic…
An initiative led by Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), working alongside the European Space Agency and artificial intelligence specialist Marple, is monitoring Indian organic cotton crops from space - and assessing the potential of this type…
What does a memorandum of understanding signed between the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) and International Apparel Federation (IAF) mean for the industry at large? Matthijs Crietee, secretary general of the IAF, catches up with Ecotextile…
A devastating earthquake in Turkey earlier this year wreaked havoc and distress across an area in which an estimated 350,000 people work in fashion and textile supply chains. New analysis seeks to assess whether these workers have since been…
A campaign has been launched to replace conventional clothing labels with digital alternatives such as QR codes. Stephen Lamar, president and CEO of the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA), explains why he believes this change is…
Japan Airlines is offering its customers the opportunity to rent apparel rather than bring it in their luggage. The goal is the reduction of carbon emissions of planes weighed down with suitcases. Will consumers get on board with this new approach…
Australia’s environment minister Tanya Plibersek has given the nation’s fashion industry 12 months to commit to a voluntary four cent per garment levy or risk harsher government-imposed measures. Claire Kneller, managing director of WRAP Asia…
The State of California is seeking to blaze a trail for others to follow with landmark legislation on extended producer responsibility (EPR) for textiles. Senator Josh Newman, who introduced the SB 707 bill, explains how and why this directive came…
It’s easy to assume that buying the cheapest clothes will mean they are lower quality than pricier alternatives. But is this the case? Dr Mark Sumner tells us what he and his colleagues at the University of Leeds discovered by testing 65 garments to…
The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) has launched a multi-disciplinary project to monitor cotton crops from space. Jeffrey Thimm, who is managing the initiative, discusses why combining AI and satellite imagery can help verify organic…
A recent Cotton Campaign report has urged the fashion industry to shun cotton produced in Turkmenistan until human rights advances are made. Human rights lawyer, researcher and advocate Allison Gill shares her thoughts on why now is the time to act.…