Shopping and purchasing trends among global fashion consumers are set to move sharply towards favouring more sustainable practices in the coming years, creating important new opportunities as well as challenges for fashion brands. New research by Bain & Company and the WWF Italy also finds there are five types of global fashion consumers who will be determining the course of things.

A new industry alliance has argued that mandatory due diligence needs to be well-designed to promote the creation of an EU-wide level-playing field, and should capture the responsibility of companies to respect human rights and the environment in their supply chain as formulated in the OECD Guidelines.

The Global Change Award (GCA), which seeks to transform fashion and turn the entire industry planet-positive, has started accepting applications for the 2022 edition. For GCA 2023, the organisers have updated the scope to cover more ground, raise the bar on innovation and help shift the industry into a planet positive one.

A new research paper estimates how Brexit has affected goods trade between the United Kingdom and European Union. Using product-level trade flows between the EU and all other countries in the world as a comparison group, the study finds a sharp decline in trade from the UK to the EU and significant but smaller reductions in trade from the EU to the UK.

Better Cotton is readying up a new Chain of Custody feature that will introduce 'full traceability' in the way the system works. The public consultation on the new standard is currently live, with the new benchmarks set to be launched later this year itself.

Cotton made in Africa (CmiA), the standard for sustainably produced cotton from Africa, has got the nod from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), which administers Green Button, and also the Cradle to Cradle Certified for products that are safe, circular, and responsibly made.

A new guide anchored on five principles—a high bar transition, creation of decent jobs, social dialogue, creation of permanent institutions for a Just Transition, and affordable energy—has been launched to aid trade unions in planning for workers who will be adversely impacted by the transition not only from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources but by the introduction of new technologies.

A recent study makes it clear that the whole textiles business model in South Africa is unsustainable and requires a significant shift to transition it to one that is low-carbon and less environmentally impactful. The study has suggested a number of interventions which are currently being explored with key stakeholders and, ultimately, if adopted, would form part of the Retail-Clothing, Textile, Footwear and Leather (R-CTFL) Master Plan.

New global research from South Pole has found that one in four of surveyed companies with science-based targets will not be publicising them.

A study that examined the impact of the Better Cotton programme in India has found significant benefits for farmers in the region. Better Cotton Farmers were able to reduce costs, improve overall profitability, and safeguard the environment more effectively, compared with other farmers.