12th October 2018
Environment
'We need some fire': climate change activists issue call to arms for voters
15 million people who consider the environment a top-tier issue did not vote in the 2014 midterm election, campaigners say. This year, campaigners are aiming to reach 2.4 million of those voters in a large turnout effort that includes door-to-door visits, phone calls, and mail outs. Environmental politics are now becoming more and more influential, with 7 in 10 Americans now understanding that climate change is happening.
Read the full story on theguardian.com
‘Wildlife crime makes us all poorer', says Theresa May
Leaders from 80 nations gathered in London this week for the Illegal Wildlife Trade conference. They said that the ongoing mass trafficking of wildlife and animal slaughter must be treated with same severity as drug and people trafficking.
Read the full story on theguardian.com
Low-emission cows: farming responds to climate warning
The National Farmers’ Union this week said that the farming industry will need to explore new approaches such as low-emission cows or robotic soil management following the UN warning that the world needs to cut meat consumption or face more issues due to climate change.
Read the full story on theguardian.com
Health
More than a million UK residents live in 'food deserts', says study
A study by the Social Market Foundation, thinktank and food company Kellogg’s claims that more than a million people in the UK are living in ‘food deserts’ - areas where access to affordable fresh fruit and vegetables is severely limited due to poverty, old age and a dearth of large supermarkets - and this fuelling health problems. Poor, elderly and disabled people are most affected.
Read the full story on theguardian.com
Fashion & Textiles
Is this the end for real fur?
London Fashion Week is the first global fashion week to completely ban fur, with the city of Los Angeles closely following with a ban of its own to prohibit the manufacture and sale of fur within its city limits. Large brands like Gucci have swayed the masses with faux-fur brands on the rise. However, with an understanding that faux-fur is plastic, eco-conscious brands are also gaining credibility, with people such as Ashleigh Chambers who is working on a biodegradable faux-fur made from rose bushes.
Read the full story on bbc.com
The Asian Market, Inclusivity and Sustainability are key for Next-Gen Designers
Yesterday in New York, the Vogue Forces of Fashion had Verbal and Yoon of Ambush, Glenn Martins of Y/Project, Rio Uribe of Gypsy Sport, and Martine Rose sit on a panel and talk about the future of fashion. They mentioned a key part of sustainability was making less product, and doing so by creating one-off pieces rather than mass produced. They also spoke about their customers being increasingly interested in the idea of limited-edition drops, which also cuts down on waste.
Read the full story on fashionista.com
Allbirds Raises Series C Funding, Plots U.K. Expansion
Allbirds, the sustainable footwear label, has gained more than $50 million in its latest round of C funding. The company says it will put its new funding towards finding new sustainable materials, adding to its current roster of merino wool, TENCEL Lyocell (a tree fiber), sugarcane, recycled paper, castor oil, and recycled bottles.
Read the full story on bizjournals.com
Sustainable brands have a way to go to connect with customers
There is an increase in shoppers looking for sustainable goods, with young adult consumers most likely to spend more on sustainable clothing. 33% of women say they would pay more for apparel that is ethical, eco-friendly, sustainable or organic. One third of consumers say that sustainability is important to their buying decision, while the other two-thirds say that they are not willing to pay more and that it should be part of the brand's social responsibility.
Read the full story on fashionunited.uk
11th October 2018
Fashion & Textiles
Organic Cotton has a long way to go in Latin America
Organic cotton makes sure that the farmers follow an organic farming method which protects the land, by maintaining fertility and avoiding using toxic chemicals which can harm the ecosystem. Several studies by SOCiLA show that production of organic cotton has increased from 7,482 tons to 140,00 tons per year, but in Latin America is only increased 1,046 to 1,233 tons.
Read the full story on fashionunited.uk
First garments launched containing RWS certified wool
The first garments made from wool from farms that are Responsible Wool Standard certified are now sold in stores such as Eileen Fisher and Marks & Spencer. The RWS is a voluntary global standard that monitors the welfare of the sheep, as well as their grazing habitats.
Read the full story on apparelinsider.com
The ancient craft of bark cloth finds new uses
The Baganda people in Southern Uganda create a sustainable textile called bark cloth from the outer bark of the banana tree. Using a special knife and resin so it will not harm the tree, the bark is then boiled and pounded flat with a mallet, and then sun-dried.
Read the full story on nationalgeographic.com
Beauty
New beauty products’ secret ingredient? Marijuana
Hemp and CBD oils help improve complexions, blot up excess oils, and soften lines and wrinkles. It's also proven to help with inflammation and pain. Milk Make-up co-founder Dianna Ruth thinks "it will have staying power, and will turn into a classic oil, like Argan or Marula."
Read the full story on nypost.com
I only used natural beauty brands for a week. But did I notice a difference?
50% of UK customers now look for beauty products made with natural ingredients. Brands such as Nude by Nature, Kjaer Weis, RMS Beauty, Ilia, and NailBerry are natural brands that perform as well as help the planet.
Read the full story on telegraph.co.uk
Environment
Huge reduction in meat-eating ‘essential’ to avoid climate breakdown
New research, published by the journal Nature, shows that significant reductions in meat consumption (90% in Western countries) are essential to the fight against climate change.
Read the full story on theguardian.com
'Alarming' level of microplastics found in a major U.S. river
Scientists call the Tennessee River an ‘underwater forest’ because of its biodiversity - but microplastics from beauty products, such as exfoliants, are threatening its ecosystem.
Read the full story on nationalgeographic.com
Fashion & Textiles
Why Is No One Questioning the Plastic Fashion Trend?
According to Greenpeace Oceans Campaigner Trisha Brown, PVC is the most environmentally damaging plastic, with the virgin plastic creating by-product of chlorinated waste, which sometimes is released into the surrounding environment. With the synthetic fabrics widely used in the fashion industry leaking micro-plastics into our oceans, as well as all the packaging our clothing (billions of items yearly) comes in, the PVC trend is worryingly trickling down into fast-fashion brands - creating yet more plastic waste.
Read the full story on www.whowhatwear.co.uk
Reflecting on 20 years of impact with Fair Trade USA President and CEO Paul Rice
The attitude towards Fair Trade and the social and environmental aspects to our products has changed over the last 20 years for the better. 20-50% of American shoppers are looking for products with social and environmental attributes, with Millennials and Gen Zs asking a lot more of the companies that supply their products. 20 years ago, companies were skeptical that consumers wanted to pay more for something like Fair Trade, and now we have million-dollar companies like Patagonia that are more than 50% Fair Trade.
Read the full story on fashionista.com
Instagram users are clogging landfills with fast-fashion looks
A survey conducted by Method shows that 1 in 10 would dump their items of clothing after appearing 3 times in any social media post such as on Instagram or Facebook. It also shows that 1 respondent in 5 would throw their unwanted clothes in the rubbish rather than recycle them.
Read the full story on nypost.com
National Geographic art in sustainable fashion exhibition
Isabel Varela, a sustainable fashion activist, and Asher Jay, a National Geographic artist, have teamed up to created an exhibition called Clothes Minded. The four-day event at the Caelum Gallery in New York will help to build consumer awareness through multi-media art and sustainable fashion by representing the mental and physical burden that the fashion industry has on its workers and its consumers.
Read the full story on ecotextile.com
ThredUp, Reformation Launch Program That Rewards Clothing Resale
ThredUp is collaborating with Reformation to launch UpCycle, which is a new platform to include consumers and retailers in the idea of a circular fashion economy. Participants send in their unwanted clothing for free, and then earn credits for the items that meet the company's requirements, which they can then spend on Reformation.
Read the full story on sourcingjournal.com
Beauty
The best shampoo bars to kickstart your plastic-free shower collection
Shampoo bars (as well as cleansing bars) are the new up-and-coming product in the beauty industry with brands such as Lush, Drunken Elephant, and Christopher Robin joining the trend. Shampoo bars not only save the plastic waste that you would normally have with shampoo bottles (and probably doesn't end up being recycled), but also lasts up to 80 washes - the equivalent of 3 bottles of shampoo - saving you plastic and money.
Read the full story on glamourmagazine.co.uk
Health & Wellbeing
A third of under-25s now drink no alcohol
29% of youths do not actively drink alcohol, with 17% of under-25s having never tried alcohol in their lives. This is almost double the statistics in comparison to the last decade. If this trend continues, we may see a huge decrease in alcohol related diseases in 20-30 years.
Read the full story on thetimes.co.uk
Environment
Poor countries urge Australia to honour Green Climate Fund commitments
Following the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s statement that the country would not be ‘throwing money’ into a key global climate fund, a UN grouping of 47 of the world’s poorest countries - which are “specially vulnerable to climate change but have done the least to cause the problem” - has urged Australia to honour its international commitments.
Read the full story on theguardian.com
Fashion & Textiles
One in 10 throw an outfit away after three photos wearing it
A new study of 2,000 people has found that one in 10 would throw away an item of clothing after being seen in it three times on social media - revealing how social media is fuelling fast fashion in the UK. The survey also found that rather than giving old clothes to charity, one in five people throw unwanted garments in the bin.
Read the full story on standard.co.uk
Burberry launches a new educational charity initiative
Burberry’s independent charity The Burberry Foundation has announced a new four-year educational initiative for schools in Yorkshire. Alongside King's College London, the initiative will work with 8 participating schools to measure the impact of creative learning on young students’ lives.
Read the full story on harpersbazaar.com
Cambodia Raises Minimum Wage for Garment Workers
On Friday, Cambodian garment workers got a $12 monthly increase, making the total monthly minimum wage $182.
Read the full story on sourcingjournal.com
‘War for Talent’ as Apparel Supply Chain Faces Skills Shortage
A recent survey by innovation firm Alvanon revealed that more than 60% of fashion companies are struggling to fill specialised skills, as professionals with hands-on experience will age risking a gap in knowledge transfer.
Read the full story on sourcingjournal.com
Renting is the New Black with Express’ Clothing Subscription Service
CEO of Express, Jim Hilt says consumers are less interested in ownership and will happily rent clothing instead.
Read the full story on sourcingjournal.com
Beauty
Unilever Ramps Up War on Animal Testing, Dove Wins Kudos From PETA
Unilever will announce it’s support to globally ban animal testing for cosmetics after it’s largest beauty brand Dove has received PETA’s cruelty-free accreditation through a partnership with Humane Society International.
Read the full story on wwd.com
Environment
'Tipping points' could exacerbate climate crisis, scientists fear
Scientists are worried that the IPCC report on 1.5C of global warming released on Sunday ‘underestimates potential of these key dangers to send Earth into spiral of runaway climate change’. Many scientists are increasingly worried about the tipping points, "known unknowns", of climate change - which if passed 'could send the Earth into a spiral of runaway climate change.'
Read the full story on theguardian.com
Read more about this story on nationalgeographic.com and theguardian.com
Households face higher energy bills in bid to avoid climate catastrophe
Proposals being considered by the government may mean that households face higher energy bills to meet a far tougher greenhouse gas emissions reduction target following the IPCC's dire warnings about the impact of exceeding1.5C of global warming.
Read the full story on thetimes.co.uk
Plastic bottle washes up looking 'almost new' after nearly 50 years at sea
A coastguard warden at a beach in Somerset discovered a like ‘new’ plastic washing-up bottle that is at least 47 years old washed up on the sand. The bottle’s still legible advertising messaging helped to date the bottle as pre-1971, when decimalisation was introduced in Britain. Plastic bottles can take up to 450 years to break down.
Read the full story on theguardian.com
Venomous sea creatures on the rise thanks to climate change
Human beings might have to cope with an increasing amount of venomous bites, stings, and other brush ups with poison due to climate change. That’s according to a new study, coming at the same time that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report warning that negative impacts from a warming world are coming faster than expected.
Read the full story on nationalgeographic.com
Environment
Huge risk if global warming exceeds 1.5C, warns landmark UN report
Leading scientists have warned that there is only a dozen years left for climate change to be kept at 1.5C, beyond that the issue will significantly worsen and threaten the existence of millions of people through extreme heat, drought, floods and poverty.
Read the full story on theguardian.com
Read more about this story on thetimes.co.uk and on the nytimes.com
Australia’s Other Great (and Threatened) Coral Reefs
Warming waters have bleached more than two-thirds of the Great Barrier Reef corals - today the UN have issued an urgent alert warning that more reefs will die as soon as 2040 due to climate change.
Read the full story on nytimes.com
Clothing microfibres contaminating sea salts
Researches in India have found contamination of synthetic microfibres from clothing in all eight tested sea salt brands, providing further evidence to show that microfibres are finding their way into human food chains.
Read the full story on apparelinsider.com
Sustainable Fashion
Fast fashion is harming the planet, MPs say
MPs have written to leading UK retailers and brands, expressing their worry about the environmental impact of their production.
Read the full story on bbc.co.uk
Read more about the story on sourcingjournal.com and on the telegraph.co.uk
Influencers can combat fast fashion’s toxic trend
A survey by eco-friendly cleaning company Method has shown that influencers don’t wear the same item more than one to three times on social media before discarding it - but with the power of their platforms, they have a responsibility to drive and demand change, Lucy Siegle says.
Read the full story on theguardian.com
Read more about Influencer's role in fighting fast fashion theguardian.com
Can you be sustainable if you're into fast fashion online?
Young generations feel pressured to update their wardrobes after posting on social media, making online fast fashion retailers boom. Buying less and only items you really love can already make a huge difference.
Read the full story on bbc.co.uk
Reformation And By Far Collaborate On A Capsule Collection Of Sustainable Shoes
Sustainable fashion brand Reformation and ethical footwear brand By Far have collaborated on six styles made from deadstock leather.
Read the full story on vogue.co.uk
Feminism
Tone Deaf Topshop Bins Feminist Book Collab As Other Brands Bank On Female Empowerment
British retail mogul Sir Philip Green shut down a feminist pop-up at Topshop that was celebrating Scarlett Curtis’ book launch Feminist Don’t Wear Pink (And Other Lies), 20 minutes before opening. Topshop representatives said the decision was taken from a 'production and creative standpoint.'
Read the full story on www.forbes.com
Read more about this story on theguardian.com
