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Debra Lam

Founding Director of the Partnership for Innovation (PIN) Georgia Institute of Technology
Debra Lam

Debra Lam is the Founding Director of the Partnership for Innovation (PIN), Georgia Institute of Technology, a statewide public-private partnership committed to investing in innovative solutions for shared economic prosperity. She continues to lead smart communities and urban innovation work at Georgia Tech. Prior to this, she served as Pittsburgh’s inaugural chief of innovation and performance where she oversaw all technology, sustainability, performance, and innovation functions of city government.

Most Popular
Worker Life / Ethiopia Resurgent / V Interview
Industrial zones are transforming nearby communities, bringing new consumer desires and widening the gap between rural and urban life.

The Human Story Inside Ethiopia’s Textile Parks: Survival, Change and Hope

  • Subir Ghosh

30 October 2025
Going Circular / Cascading Effects Feature
Every stage of cascading — from repair to reuse to recycling — extends a textile’s life, revealing how value can move through multiple hands before final recovery.

How Cascading Circularity Could Redefine the Future of the Textile Economy

  • Special Correspondent

22 October 2025
 
Latest Specials
State of Textiles / Gaurang Bhagat / I Interview
As of now every state has different incentive structures. Gujarat gives a 25% capital subsidy; Maharashtra gives 35%. Such variations create imbalance and unfair competition. Why should the same industry get different levels of support depending on where it’s located? That discourages fair competition and investment in certain regions. A national-level, uniform textile policy would make growth more equitable.

India Needs ‘One Nation, One Textile Policy’ and ‘One Product, One Slab’ GST System

  • Richa Bansal

30 October 2025
Ground Work / MANTRA Interview
Waterjet looms used for polyester or nylon saree production generate selvedge waste called chindi. Millions of metres of sarees are produced daily, and many players, specially the small ones, simply discard it or burn it in boilers as fuel. Some factories, it is said, substitute 20–30% coal with chindi, burning it at night, often between midnight and dawn, because coal is expensive. This is extremely polluting as it releases toxic emissions.

To Remain Competitive Globally, Surat Must Embrace Sustainability

  • Richa Bansal

29 October 2025
 
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Country Overview / Ethiopia Report
The basic wage that workers get simply does not cover the cost of living in a big city. At the time of the survey, the average (monthly basic salary was 1,449 Ethiopian birr (ETB) (equivalent to about €26). Ironically, about two-third of the workers surveyed had to seek support from families living in the countryside in spite of being wage-earners. There are both internal and external factors that don't make a garment job so attractive.

It’s Now or Never for Ethiopia’s Garment Industry

  • Subir Ghosh

27 November 2023
Under Scanner / Nike Wage Theft Analysis
Without binding frameworks, supply chains will continue to operate on a model of plausible deniability and race-to-the-bottom pricing.

Nike's Unpaid Wages and Erosion of Corporate Credibility in Global Supply Chains

  • Special Correspondent

8 May 2025
 
Latest Updates
Climate Action / WRAP Roadmap
Collaboration between signatories, retailers, and charities has expanded reuse and recycling networks, capturing thousands of tonnes of textiles that would otherwise have become waste.

Circular Dreams at Risk: WRAP Sounds Alarm on Textile Growth Outpacing Climate Targets

  • Staff Writer

29 October 2025
Laundry Trends / Microfibre Pollution
Household dryers release thousands of tonnes of microfibres every year, making them a major but often overlooked source of pollution from everyday domestic activity.

Household Dryers Emerge as Major Source of Microfiber Pollution, Citizen Science Study Reveals

  • Staff Writer

24 October 2025