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The Hidden Environmental Cost of Luxury: How Fashion Brands Fail Their Artisans

A groundbreaking study reveals that luxury fashion brands score just 37% on average for transparency around artisan production impacts. The first-ever Artisans' Index exposes how brands from Gucci to Wayfair fail to monitor environmental and social conditions for millions of craftspeople creating embroidered handbags and apparel, block-printed textiles, and handwoven homeware.

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CIRCULARITY / RECYCLING / SECONDS / WASTE

How CircularFabrics is Redefining Nylon Recycling Through Low-Impact Chemistry

CircularFabrics is tackling one of synthetic fashion’s toughest challenges—recycling nylon from blended waste—through its pioneering Nyloop technology. Unlike conventional methods, Nyloop preserves polymer integrity without high energy input, offering a sustainable and cost-effective alternative. CEO and Co-Founder Josephine Mayer explains how this process could help brands meet EU circularity goals while building scalable, decentralised recycling systems.

 
FLASHPOINT: CLIMATE
Climate Action / Top Companies

A new 2025 analysis of fashion industry climate strategies has found that leading brands like Adidas, H&M Group, and Shein continue to fall short of meaningful action. The report by NewClimate Institute  cited weak electrification plans, overreliance on fossil gas and biomass, and a refusal to move away from the fast fashion model.

Footwear Footprint / Nwe Study

The footwear industry is finally kicking back against outdated data and misinformed comparisons with apparel. A new report busts myths around the industry's carbon impact, revealing major emission cuts and outlining clear paths for progress. With better materials, smarter factories, and accurate research, footwear can lead the way in fashion’s sustainability race.

 
 
 
FOCUS: COTTON

Textile Standard Falls Short: GOTS "Partially Aligned" with OECD Due Diligence

A new OECD assessment raises concerns about the effectiveness of the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) Version 7.0 in addressing supply chain risks. Despite covering key due diligence areas, the standard falls short of full alignment with OECD expectations, exposing gaps in grievance mechanisms, purchasing practices, and the consistency of its guidance documents.

 
 
SPOTLIGHT EDITIONS: SELECT 4
 

"Quote Unquote"

Kim Hellström
Kim Hellström
Senior Sustainability Manager, Climate
H&M Group
If a brand waits for ideal conditions before acting, it risks missing one of the most accessible levers for reducing emissions now. The value for a company, both from an attitude approach and from a behaviour approach to integrate the cost of RE (or, renewable electricity) into their product cost cannot be overestimated. By setting renewable electricity as a hygiene factor for suppliers, we can normalise it across our operations.

"Quote Unquote"

Stefan Mueller
Stefan Mueller
Head, Business Unit Textile Additives
Sanitized AG
The demand for antimicrobial textiles is driven by both brands/retailers and end-consumers, with each influencing the other. Brands and retailers seek antimicrobial solutions to differentiate their products and respond to growing health-conscious trends. End-consumers are increasingly aware of and demanding products that offer added hygiene benefits.
 
FOCUS: LEATHER

The Hidden Price of Luxury: Coach Handbags Linked to Amazon Deforestation

Coach luxury handbags have been linked to illegal Amazon deforestation through Brazilian leather supply chains connected to cattle ranching on stolen indigenous land, new investigation reveals. European fashion brands risk complicity in environmental crimes whilst marketing sustainable products to consumers seeking ethical luxury goods.