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

Fashion Is Spending More to Shape Regulation

Over the last decade, the industry has ratcheted up its spending on lobbying efforts in the US. Now, emerging sustainability regulations are drawing increased attention.

The Multi-Billion-Dollar Question for Sustainable Fashion

How to best spend the large sums it will take to cut the fashion industry’s carbon emissions? The Apparel Impact Institute is launching a pre-vetted portfolio of climate solutions in an effort to better direct investment.

The Marketing Challenge Behind Schiaparelli’s Fur Faux Pas

The brand’s hyperrealistic (but fake) animal heads sparked outrage this week, highlighting the increasingly delicate balance brands must strike between provocative marketing and shifting consumer values.

How Climate Change Is Transforming the Way We Shop

Shifting weather patterns are making shopping behaviour harder to predict, adding to inventory management challenges for brands and retailers.

Gucci Pulls Rabbit Felt Products

The company faced questions about how rabbit felt, which is made from the animal’s hairs, fit with its no-fur policy.

Adidas, Activism and Fake News

This week, a spoof press release claimed Adidas had appointed a co-CEO to address rights violations in its supply chain, a sign of more disruptive and confrontational tactics from advocacy groups focused on the industry.

The Problem with Sustainability Data

A new report raises questions over the validity of existing efforts to quantify the fashion industry’s record on sustainability.

A Free, Open Access Traceability Tool for Fashion’s Global Supply Chain

FibreTrace seeks to accelerate the fashion and textile industries’ sustainability efforts by democratising access to its digital transparency and traceability tool, FibreTrace Mapped, for brands, manufacturers and farmers alike. BoF learns more.

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.

Fashion Isn’t Ready for the Regulation Coming for It

New transparency requirements in France are testing big brands from Louis Vuitton to Zara as they prepare for an oncoming wave of sustainability regulation.

The Year Ahead: How to Prepare for Fashion’s Greenwashing Crackdown

The State of Fashion 2023 explores steps brands can take to help avoid greenwashing amid incoming regulatory requirements targeting misleading sustainability communications.

The BoF Podcast | Greenwashing: It’s Time to Call in the Refs

A group of sustainability experts join BoF’s Sarah Kent to discuss greenwashing in the fashion industry and how to create effective change at BoF VOICES 2022.

THE NEWS IN BRIEF

Vivienne Westwood’s Foundation Launches

The Vivienne Foundation, a non-profit company first established by the late fashion designer in 2019, is launching this week following Westwood’s death in late December.

Stella McCartney Reports £32.7 Million Loss in 2021

Post-tax losses at the brand, known for the sustainable positioning and advocacy of its eponymous founder, deepened 7 percent year-on-year, as higher sales were offset by increased administrative expenses amid a wider restructuring, according to accounts filed to UK registrar Companies House.

Kering, L’Occitane Group Launch €300 Million Nature Fund

The Climate Fund for Nature, a new investment scheme, is aiming to raise €300 million ($317 million) of funding commitments from luxury fashion and beauty companies to invest in nature conservation and restoration initiatives, largely in the countries from which the companies source their raw materials.

EU States Reach Deal on ‘Due Diligence’ Rules

European Union member states on Thursday reached a deal on rules that would force large companies to check whether their suppliers use slave or child labour, or pollute the environment, but with an optional exemption for financial services.

EU Sets Recycling, Reuse Targets to Cut Packaging Waste

Under the proposal, all 27 EU members will be required to reduce packaging waste per capita by 5 percent by 2030 and 15 percent by 2040 compared with 2018 levels. Packaging now accounts for 36 percent of municipal solid waste.