Fashion for Good is a multi-layered company that aims to make the fashion industry more sustainable – firstly, through a wide range of training programs to promote the transition to a more sustainable fashion world; secondly, Fashion for Good connects promising companies and start-ups to form a network of experts in this sector and to find innovative, sustainable solutions for the future through interdisciplinary projects.

You can learn more about the diverse approaches and initiatives of Fashion for Good in an interview we conducted with Katrin Ley (Managing Director).

‍

FCG: What measures have you taken to contribute to a more sustainable fashion business?

Fashion for Good: Fashion for Good is a global initiative that aims to make fashion 'good,' meaning to integrate a circular supply chain that considers all elements from design to end-of-life use. The challenge of achieving this is made possible through collaboration and community. At the heart of Fashion for Good is our innovation platform, where we support innovative startups and help them establish their concepts within the fashion supply chain. We select the world's most promising startups and bring them together with major companies in joint pilot projects. Fashion for Good actively supports these joint pilot projects, offering coaching, tailored fundraising support, and, in some cases, financial assistance for manufacturers through the Good Fashion Fund.

In our co-working space we host the so-called Circular Apparel Community - a community of like-minded organizations and other experts with the shared mission of making the fashion industry more sustainable.

The interactive Fashion for Good Museum is a publicly accessible museum where we inspire people from all over the world and educate them about the impact of the fashion industry. Visitors learn about the past, present, and future of the fashion industry. Using the digital Good Fashion Journey and an RFID wristband, they discover ways to contribute to greater sustainability in their daily lives and get involved to make a difference. We host workshops, screen documentaries, and give talks on each topic to inform and empower visitors to integrate the concept of good fashion into their lives.

In addition, we offer educational materials and develop toolkits, papers, reports, guides and other resources, which we make accessible to everyone on our website.

FCG: You've launched a relatively new project that deals with a new method of cotton cultivation. In what ways were previous cotton cultivation methods unsustainable, and how do you intend to change that with your project?

‍

Fashion for Good: Cotton accounts for almost 30% of global textile production, yet it is responsible for 24% of global insecticide use and, as a water-intensive crop, can consume up to 10,000 liters of water per kilogram. More than 60% of global cotton production is generated by smallholder farmers. Approximately 90% of these estimated 100 million smallholder farmers live in developing countries and cultivate the crop on less than two hectares. Poor farming practices can contribute to the excessive consumption of water, fertilizers, and pesticides in cotton cultivation. Innovative farming methods, such as precision agriculture, improve the resource efficiency and resilience of cotton farming and are urgently needed to reduce the use of pesticides, land, and water.

Fashion for Good, in collaboration with leading brands Kering and PVH Corp., as well as the world's leading textile manufacturer Arvind Limited, has launched a two-year pilot project to test a radically resource-efficient cotton farming technology from Fashion for Good innovator Materra (formerly hydroCotton). Materra's innovative combination of precision agriculture, environmental control, and real-time data tracking facilitates cotton cultivation in developing regions where climate and resources pose challenges. Materra's approach to cotton farming combines precision agriculture and controlled environments to create radically resource-efficient cotton farms. Efficient irrigation, which prevents excessive water loss, delivers agricultural inputs directly to the plant's root system, where they can be efficiently absorbed, and is pesticide-free, utilizing biological pest control. The fields are equipped with a network of smart sensors that collect data in real time, ensuring better environmental and social safeguards.

FCG: You talk about bio-based materials being the future for replacing synthetic materials, and this seems to be one of your current priorities. Could you please elaborate on the initiatives and measures you are taking in this regard, and explain why this could be the future of fashion?

‍

Fashion for Good: Bio-based materials are natural materials, meaning materials of biological origin that come wholly or partially from living organisms. Our current exhibition, GROW, showcases the current state and future of these materials. Because it takes time for such technologies to become scalable and market-ready, we launched the GROW Talent Project, a three-month program in which young designers work with biomaterials to create garments of the future. These garments will be presented in the GROW 2.0 exhibition, which opens in October 2021.

This is truly just the beginning of the next generation of materials that will unfold over the coming decades. Biologically produced or bio-composed materials can be used as replacements for existing materials such as polyester, nylon, or leather. Companies like AMSilk, Bolt Threads, Ecovative, Modern Meadow, MycoWorks, Spiber, and others represent a new generation of material innovations that combine expertise in organism design (GMO) and engineering, fermentation and textiles, and materials science. Such a convergence of disciplines would previously have been possible only for large chemical companies.

The promise of these technologies is that engineered biology offers access to all the performance, aesthetic, and comfort benefits of nature and beyond, but without the same ecological footprint. Currently, the demand for new biomaterial innovations far exceeds the supply.

Some of our recent pilot projects explore the potential of these new technologies; the "Renewable Carbon Textiles Project," for example, is a consortium to promote the development of polyhydroxyalkanoates or PHA polymer fibers, a promising biosynthetic alternative to fossil-based fibers that has the potential to reduce carbon emissions in the fashion supply chain.

FCG: Do you believe that, in addition to all its negative aspects, the pandemic has also contributed to people developing a better understanding of sustainability? Have you noticed an increased interest in sustainable fashion from both the manufacturers' and consumers' perspectives?

‍

Fashion for Good: Sustainable innovations have repeatedly proven their importance, especially in challenging times, for reviving normal business operations and supporting corporate goals. We are seeing promising signs of a structural shift in the fashion industry. The current situation offers an opportunity to reassess approaches and accelerate positive changes that are already underway, for example, in logistics and transportation. A growing number of industry leaders recognize the urgent need for responsible practices, as demanded by consumers and investors, and as regulatory pressure increases.

Clear signs of a shift in consumer thinking were already apparent before the pandemic. Renowned trend researcher Li Edelkoort spoke of a "quarantine of consumption" with profound cultural and economic repercussions. This could accelerate expectations for purposeful, sustainable practices and resistance to wasteful business models.

We are seeing that consumers are increasingly holding brands accountable and asking questions about how and by whom their clothing was produced. 90% of Gen Z consumers report having made changes to live more sustainably. Brands that are able to innovate and transition to more sustainable practices and business models will be able to reach and win over an informed audience.