Sourcing Journal Radio

Outland Denim founder James Bartle dishes about his decision to dabble in crowdfunding. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Denham, founder of Denham, talks quality, premium jeans and preparing for pandemics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fashion needs to rethink its take-make-dispose model. With the COVID-19-stalled supply chains exacerbating the millions of tons of of textile waste produced every year, keeping clothing out of the landfill has become more vital than ever. In the this episode of the Sustaining Voices podcast, Sourcing Journal reporter Jasmin Malik Chua speaks with Gwen Cunningham, lead of the Circle Textiles program at Circle Economy, andJonas Eder-Hansen, public affairs director at Global Fashion Agenda, about what the industry needs to do to prevent textiles from becoming waste, the close interrelationship between consumption and disposal practices and why investing in recycling alone isn’t the answer. “We’ve seen the consumer, between 2007 and 2014, buying 60 percent more and keeping the clothing for half as long as they used to,” Cunningham said. “And so these materials are becoming post consumer quicker than ever before.” While textile waste can be broadly categorized into two streams—pre-consumer and post-consumer—tackling the problem requires multi-pronged approach. Waste is a symptom of an issue that requires new design approaches, life-extending business models such as repair and resale, and beefed-up infrastructure for end-of-life management. Policy, too, isn’t emphasized in discussions nearly enough. “I think the role of policymakers in actually addressing textile waste is something that hasn't really been accounted for,” Eder-Hansen said. "The ability to actually engage in constructive dialogue with policymakers is something that many brands and retailers have shied away from because policymakers are seen as to impose further regulation. But if you turn that around, policymakers can also help accelerate and shift the transition to the circular economy, including also scaling up some of those technologies that are necessary to address textile waste.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sustainability has moved from the sidelines to the center of the conversation but even so, the apparel industry is facing so many headwinds, it’s fair to wonder how and if the C-suite can and will prioritize true change in this area. In this episode, Karl-Hendrik Magnus and Sara Kappelmark, apparel industry experts from McKinsey & Company, discuss the McKinsey Apparel CPO Survey, which revealed purchasing officers’ plans for creating sustainable sourcing at scale. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Talking about the state of today’s apparel industry without focusing on sustainability is impossible. After years of poor, inefficient practices, marked by the rise of fast fashion, the industry is now struggling with nearly every aspect of sustainability—how to make less, what to consider while making it, what to do with it at the end of its life, and how to even define what sustainability should look like. And although we’re seeing more technologies that promise to improve things, advancing sustainability is more than just installing new tech or even fixing legacy production processes. In this episode, we’re going to talk with the co-founder of a tech company who believes sustainability is really a holistic mindset that companies need to adopt throughout their entire operations—starting with the very top of the C Suite. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the past year, the apparel and footwear industries have been on edge as tranche after tranche of tariffs have been placed on goods coming out of China. And while our industries had largely been spared, consumers are likely to feel the full brunt of the impact starting with Spring ’20 goods. In response to the uncertainty and hit to the bottom line, brands and retailers have been searching for production alternatives around the globe. And while many are trying out new destinations, most would agree that nowhere compares to China. In this episode, which is sponsored by Texworld USA, Ron Sorini, principal at the Sorini, Samet & Associates law firm, and Jonathan Gold, vice president for supply chain and customs policy for the National Retail Federation, discuss how apparel firms are adapting to this new normal, the ways in which they could potentially mitigate the tariff impacts and whether it's possible to create a tariff-proof sourcing strategy today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Blockchain is—finally!—evolving from buzzword to mainstream terminology, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t saddled with confusion. In the latest episode of Sourcing Journal Radio, SJ founder and president Edward Hertzman sits down with Amit Guatam of TextileGenesis to learn how the technology can be used to authenticate fibers, which—for as long as clothing has been sold—has been nearly impossible to do. TextileGenesis’s traceability platform was designed specifically for the apparel industry. It intends to provide transparency into the entire supply chain—from fiber to finished product—thereby helping companies advance their sustainability goals. In his chat, Guatam breaks down, in the simplest terms as possible, exactly what blockchain is and why the digital ledger technology is so valuable for fiber authenticity. It’s so meaningful, in fact, that Guatam believes that it will change the way supply chain partners interact and the level of trust that exists between them. “I fundamentally believe that the biggest impact of blockchain will be in the supply chain [and] will be in the authentication of the ingredients across the supply chain,” he said. “Lot of transaction certificates are being used in this industry with a PDF file, and it takes one minute to convert a PDF file into a Word document, change all the data, and [change it] back to PDF. … The entire industry trusts these transaction certificates based on PDFs to drive authentication, and that's where blockchain can make a huge leap forward.” Listen to learn: How blockchain can solve the issue of counterfeit fibers in ways other tools can’t Why it’s safer than existing technology What’s holding it back What Fibercoins are and how they’re used (Hint: They’re not bitcoins) How consumers can use blockchain to trace clothing right in the store (and whether this will translate into higher sales) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Menno van Meurs, CEO of Tenue de Nîmes, talks about sourcing premium denim and building a sense of community in denim. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Whether they’re jumping into a spin class or running to the office, consumers today expect the same thing from their clothes. They want them to look great, feel even better—and have a positive impact on the planet. And DuPont™ Sorona® offers exactly that. The 37 percent plant-based polymer can be used to add comfort and durability to formal wear, workout clothes and everything in between. Renee Henze, global marketing director for DuPont Biomaterials at DuPont Industrial Biosciences, spoke with Sourcing Journal’s publisher Caletha Crawford to discuss the demands on clothing today and how DuPont™ Sorona® meets those expectations. “Because of the capability to add softness and to add stretch properties to everything from pants to suiting to even some high-end fashion, we really have been able to make clothes a lot more comfortable and a lot more friendly to the wearer,” she said. “And that is absolutely what our brand partners are looking for.” And it’s not just clothing, the Sorona® fiber’s ability to not only stretch but also recover makes it a natural fit for footwear as well. “If you have an athletic shoe, and you're expecting it to hold up and it's holding your foot or you're doing some type of athletic event, you really want that shoe to have the right structural characteristics, to stretch and feel comfortable, but then recover when you need it to recover,” Henze said. Listen to the podcast to learn about: •How Sorona® allows clothing and footwear to hold its shape •How it stacks up against Spandex •The sustainable aspects of the polymer •How brand partners are using Sorona® to differentiate themselves in the market Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Isko product manager Baris Ozden discusses trends, street style and why the future of sustainability relies on “responsible innovation.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices