The fashion industry needs a major makeover to improve its environmental street cred. With more than 80% of used textiles in America alone ending up in landfill, and a textile industry globally which is responsible for 10% of greenhouse gas emissions, the numbers across the board are damning.
There has been a step change in recent times though, with the likes of Fashion For Good making the headlines for its work in supporting the acceleration of sustainable practices and products. A trend which grew this week with the launch of One X One: The Conscious Design Initiative.
Project pairings have been curated around the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Swarovski and the Slow Factory Foundation, supported by the United Nations Office for Partnerships, are spearheading this new programme focussed on outcomes that are Good for the Earth, Good for the People.
An international initiative, One X One is designed to inspire collaboration between industry stakeholders and frontier tech and science professionals. By pairing them and providing grant support, One X One is set up to quickly scale sustainable innovations.
Tuesday’s launch is emblematic of an industry beginning to embrace transformative change to shape its response to the demands of planet and consumer. It is a revolution which is very much underway, with startups across the world pioneering disruptive solutions; and game-changing projects like the Organic Cotton Traceability Pilot, which is using blockchain to shake things up from top to bottom, defining the future of fashion and offering investors a multi-billion dollar opportunity into the bargain. If you want to see some of the most cutting edge sustainability trends up close, I recommend visiting the Fashion For Good Experience in Amsterdam, the world’s first interactive museum showcasing the latest innovations.
