Sustainability
How fashion can do better for people and the planet.
Highlights

On Labour Rights, You Get What You Pay For

With purchasing practices that undercut the cost of production, big brands are shortchanging workers and undermining their own commitments to operate more responsibly, according to a new study.

Case Studies & Reports

Analysis

Widespread Inaction on Sustainability Eclipses Progress at Fashion’s Biggest Companies

Case Study

Case Study: How to Talk to Customers About Fashion’s Dirty Secrets

Case Study

Fashion’s Race for New Materials — Download the Case Study

Latest News & Analysis

H&M Aims for Faster, Stronger, Circular Business

The Swedish fast fashion giant posted a surprise profit in the first quarter, in part due to its increased stake in resale platform Sellpy. It offers a glimpse at how the company hopes to decouple its growth from impact.

Tapestry Invests in Alternative Leather Company Gen Phoenix

The startup is known for a material that combines recycled leather with polyester fibres.

The EU’s New Greenwashing Rules, Explained

Fashion brands will need to back up ‘green’ claims or risk fines of at least 4 percent of annual revenue in the offending market. But the regulations still leave a lot open to interpretation.

Can a Zero-Carbon Sneaker Make Allbirds Cool Again?

The footwear company says it has cracked its holy-grail goal to develop a net-zero carbon shoe. All investors want is a path to profitability.

Kering Sets Goal to Decouple Growth From Climate Impact

The French luxury giant is betting on higher prices and a suite of emerging supply-chain initiatives to help keep growing its business while cutting total greenhouse gas emissions.

Fashion’s Animal Welfare Taboo

While most brands have banned fur, animal welfare is rarely discussed when it comes to more mainstream and lucrative fabrics like leather.

Can Pangaia Be More Than a Loungewear Brand?

After swinging to an operating loss of $41 million in 2021, the buzzy fashion startup has stabilised and remains focused on its ambition to build a materials science business.

Op-Ed | Demna’s Right, Fashion Entertainment Is a Problem

Clothes have become more like memes than physical goods, moments to take part in online, with catastrophic consequences for the environment, writes Alec Leach.

Cate Blanchett Takes On the Red Carpet System

The Oscar-nominated actress spoke with BoF about how her re-worn and reworked awards show looks push back against the churn of the modern fashion industry.

At the Home of Zara, Fast and Slow Fashion Collide

A Coruna, Spain is the unlikely headquarters of the world’s biggest fast-fashion retailer, but also where a host of small boutiques pitch themselves as the antidote to constant growth and newness.

Garment Workers Demanding Unpaid Wages From Nike Take Their Fight to the World Stage

A group of 20 garment-worker unions and two labour-rights groups have filed a complaint alleging the sportswear giant’s treatment of workers and unpaid wages violate OECD guidelines for responsible business conduct.

Shoes Collected by Dow for Recycling Are Being Resold

A Reuters investigation found some shoes meant for recycling in Singapore ended up in shops in Indonesia, where it is illegal to import second-hand clothing.

THE NEWS IN BRIEF

EU Starts Planning for 2040 Goals On Way to Climate Neutrality

The European Union started work on setting its 2040 climate goals, signaling future policies would require greener consumer lifestyles and more effort from businesses across the economy to meet climate neutrality by the middle of the century.

Kering’s Emissions Increased 12 Percent in 2022

Last week, the French luxury group set a target to nearly halve its greenhouse gas emissions by 2035, for the first time setting absolute targets that would require it to decouple sales growth from environmental impact. 2022 proved how challenging this may be.

EU Proposes Clampdown on ‘Green’ Claims

The European Commission proposed rules on Wednesday that would require companies in Europe to back up climate-friendly claims about their products with evidence.

Activist Investment Platform Pens Letter to Nike Board Over Worker Rights Concerns

Tulipshare, a London-based platform representing investors’ interests on social and environmental causes, sent a letter to Nike’s board of directors Monday reiterating calls for improved transparency and respect for human rights in its supply chain and expressing “grave concern” for the sportswear giant’s lack of response to previous outreach attempts.