Sustainable Supply Chains Versus Covid-19
IPSERA is hosting ‘Sustainable Supply Chains Versus Covid-19’ Workshop on Mon, Nov 30, 4:00pm CET.
This workshop will bring together academics and practitioners to discuss the actions taken during the pandemic and understand how Covid 19 has impacted the sustainability agenda. Registration can be processed here.
The speakers:
Thomas Udesen from Bayer, Oliver Hurrey from The Sustainable Procurement Pledge, Mellie Pullman from Portland State University, Lucy McCarthy from University of Bristol, Annachiara Longoni from ESADE, Davide Luzzini from EADA Business School, Hakan Karaosman from University College Dublin, Donna Marshall from University College Dublin and Leonardo Marques from COPPEAD UFRJ
Radio Interview to Block Black Friday
Hakan was hosted by Modapunto.it for their show at Cube Radio. The host, Francesca Bonotto and Hakan had a conversation about how consumers can act upon the solution and what the future of fashion should look like.
The conversation (in Italian) can be watched here.
RESPONSIBLE LUXURY RADAR
Technical, relational and financial resources must be developed and deployed across fashion supply chains to spread sustainability further upstream. We designed the Responsible Luxury Radar, through interactions with responsible luxury companies and their senior management. The radar and the practices are determined by the strategic outcomes the companies are trying to achieve: innovation, exclusivity or consciousness; the production stage that the companies focus on: end product or production processes; and the companies’ key capability: technology or people. When these are taken together, the radar is founded on four essential pillars: Materials Innovation, Clean Production, Ethical Leadership and Supply Chain Transparency. Using the Responsible Luxury Radar, companies can not only examine their current practices but can also look for future sustainability and advantage opportunities.
The study can be read here.
RIO ETHICAL FASHION 2020
Hakan Karaosman and Livia Firth had an honest and insightful conversation at Rio Ethical Fashion 2020 to explore how we should be redefining fashion to ensure fairness and justice for all in and across fashion supply chains.
From living wage regulation and raw material processing to red carpet business model transformation and supply chain inclusivity, we uncover a number of pivotal topics to explain how we all must act upon the solution.
INDEPENDENT.IE ARTICLE ON CLIMATE CHANGE
Scientific evidence in terms of climate change modelling shows that the worst-case scenarios are much more critical than what was previously thought. Prof. Donna Marshall was featured by Independent.ie in an article where she explained how on how companies must get prepared for climate change.
“We’ve got to, at a very deep and embedded level, be putting in ideas around environmental decision making and social decision making into every procurement decision within the organisation.” – Donna.
The article can be read here.
PwC IRELAND COVID-19 WEBCAST SERIES
Prof. Donna Marshall joined the webinar series developed by PwC Ireland to share her insights about the importance of resilience and transparency in supply chain models after the coronavirus crisis. The full conversation can be listened here.
”Strategic supply chain alignment is needed. Businesses need to cascade purpose and values down their supply chains” – Donna.
VOGUE ITALIA
FReSCH has been featured by Vogue Italia.
“The fashion industry is taking steps to become more environmentally friendly. However, ensuring sustainability is difficult because fashion has long, dispersed, fragmented supply chains and is notoriously secretive. A number of fashion brands have improved their environmental sustainability, for example the use of organic materials; but, geographical distance between buyers and suppliers and lack of transparency prevent environmental and social sustainability across supply chains. Even though many companies claim to focus on sustainability, their focus is on environmental issues, with social issues relatively ignored. We need to know more about the social outcomes of environmental sustainability demands by fashion companies. Economic pressure and power disparities in the supply chain have led to multiple scandals and issues.”
The full article (in Italian) can be read here. Please get in touch for the translation in English.
FASHINNOVATION
Dr. Hakan Karaosman curated and moderated a panel on Circular Economy and Climate Change during the second edition of Fashinnovation Worldwide Talks on June 8th. The panel involving Francois Souchet (Ellen MacArthur Foundation), Matteo Ward (WRAD), and Antoinette Fionda-Douglas (Beira) discussed how to build a new fashion system to ensure environmental and social justice for everyone in and across fashion supply chains. It was concluded that a clear vision, a common language, representation, inclusivity and transparency are antecedents to systemic changes for making radical transformation happen in the fashion industry.
The panel discussion can be watched below.
KEYNOTE SPEECH: FINANCIAL TIMES x THE NEXT WEB CHECKOUT COUCH CONFERENCE
Hakan Karaosman and Donna Marshall gave a joint keynote speech on ‘Crafting a more resilient, effective and responsible supply chain culture’ at the FT/TNW online conference on Thursday 18th June. Their speech focused on the steps the fashion industry is taking steps to transition to a more inclusive circular system. However, this transition is proving to be difficult as fashion has long, dispersed, fragmented supply chains and is notoriously secretive. Even though many companies claim to focus on sustainability, this focus is usually on waste, pollution and environmental issues, with the more difficult social issues regularly ignored. There are also trade-offs between business goals and sustainability but also between environmental and social sustainability practices. As an inclusive transition can only happen by including people at all supply chain levels, supply chain actors and workers at multiple stages must be included and represented. Their keynote speech aimed to identify dysfunctional cultures embedded within the fashion industry. Starting from the effects of Covid-19 on fashion supply chains, they explained how to restructure the fashion system to be more resilient, effective and responsible. By focusing on radical transparency, the keynote clarified the principles that underpin supply chain resilience. Please get in touch for the full video.
CONSCIOUS CHATTER PODCAST: BUILDING RESILIENT, EFFICIENT + SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAINS AMIDST AND BEYOND COVID-19
FReSCH made its debut at The Conscious Chatter Podcast. We discussed how to build resilient, efficient and responsible supply chains amidst and beyond Covid-19.
“In times of uncertainty, bureaucracy doesn’t work, hierarchy doesn’t work — and we need to have these much more flat network systems, which seem to be much more innovative, much more agile — and that’s really about tearing down some of the cultures that are really embedded within the fashion industry at the moment.” – Donna .
“Unfortunately, fashion betrayed its own values. To me, the future will be something in which growth will not be measured only by financial terms — it will be really about a system that is socially just, economically inclusive, and environmentally regenerative.” -Hakan
The full show can be listened here.
FORBES ARTICLE ON THE EFFECTS OF COVID-19 ON THE FASHION INDUSTRY
Hakan shared his thoughts about social sustainability, fashion supply networks and what needs to radically change amidst and beyond the Covid-19 pandemic in an article written by Brooke Roberts-Islam and published by Forbes.
“Sustainability as a marketing tool will go— inherent sustainability will stay.” – Hakan
LOVE STORIES FOR OLD CLOTHES – THE GUARDIAN
Hakan was featured by the Guardian in an article dedicated to long-lasting love for owned clothing to mark the Fashion Revolution Week 2020.
The fashion system needs to be rebuilt by using social, natural and creative resources constructively.
“This is my #LoveStory for vintage and longevity. The shirt that I am wearing is from the 1970s. I inherited this custom-made silk shirt from my father and have been cherishing it with love. The silk Gucci scarf is a loving gift from my mother-in-law who has treasured this iconic piece in her wardrobe since the 1970s. Last but not least, I keep on proudly using and loving this jeans that I purchased back in 2002. These are some of my empowering pieces that remind me of my values and that inspire me to work harder in order to help the fashion system become more than less unsustainable.” – Hakan
The article can be read here.
WWD ARTICLE ON SUSTAINABILITY AND POST-COVID
Hakan was featured by an article published by WWD that elaborates the the fashion industry’s future.
“Climate change and social justice are fundamental issues that we cannot ignore. We now need to build a new system that is fairer and that puts people and planet before profit. Therefore, we should move from ‘sustainability: a risk mitigation tool’ toward ‘sustainability: a supply chain culture’.” – Hakan
The article can be found here.
LA REPUBBLICA ARTICLES ON SUSTAINABILITY IN AND ACROSS FASHION SUPPLY CHAINS
La Repubblica, one of the most influential Italian newspaper, featured Hakan in two articles.
The first article elaborating the importance of supply chain transparency can be found here.
The second article discussing health & safety, working conditions and human rights in low cost production countries can be read here.
UNECE PROJECT ON TRANSPARENCY AND TRACEABILITY
The International Trade Centre (ITC, an agency of the WTO/UN) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) with its Centre for Trade Facilitation and e-Business (UN/CEFACT), have launched a project for enhancing transparency and traceability of sustainable value chains in the garment and footwear sector, from raw material production to retail. It builds on their vast experience and expertise in supporting policies, regulations, standards and tools, which guide value chains towards more responsible production and consumption patterns, in line with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12 of the UN Agenda 2030. The project is implemented over the period from 2019 to 2021.
Both Donna and Hakan have been acting as knowledge experts within this project.
A NEW AWARENESS
A New Awareness: an inclusive and proactive change agent for responsible fashion
A New Awareness conceived by Sara Sozzani Maino and jointly developed by fashion thinkers Marina Spadafora, Matteo Ward and Hakan Karaosman is a unique, inclusive and diverse platform promoting ethical and responsible fashion. Starting from September 2019, A New Awareness channels non-profit leadership. Through a multi-actor collaboration involving academia, media, non-governmental organizations, industry and civil society, A New Awareness is one of the focal points in Milano to accelerate sustainable transformation in the fashion context.
Please get in touch for further information.
UNLOCKING RESPONSIBLE LUXURY: THE MANIFESTO SERIES
The Manifesto: Unlocking Responsible Luxury is a comprehensive knowledge series having two issues developed and promoted by Sustainable Luxury Academy – an observatory project jointly funded by Mazars and Politecnico di Milano School of Management. From a multidisciplinary background, each issue aims at exploring and explaining how to integrate environmental and social sustainability at design, process and supply chain stages in the luxury fashion industry.
Hakan was the coordinator and Donna was one of the main advisors of the project. Please get in touch to have an access to the issues.
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