Interview

Nonprofit Global Alliance for Textile Sustainability Council (GATS) is a collaborative platform for recyclers, manufacturers, brands, policymakers, academic institutions and industry experts to address challenges related to circular economy practices. Founder-Director Parvinder Singh talks about the GATS mission to make the Indian textile and fashion industry more sustainable, competitive, and future-ready.

A couple of friends and a stated goal — to fuse nature, technology, and science to redefine how materials are produced and used globally. The sophomore project was an “indignant” reaction at the colossal fashion waste during an internship which has since gone commercial with clients in the fashion, automotive and packaging industries. Revoltech’s hemp-based and biodegradable LOVR works as an ingredient brand for sustainable leather alternatives. texfash.com talks to its CEO and one of the Co-Founders Lucas Fuhrmann to know more.

A just-published Apparel Impact Institute (AII) report named India as a crucial region for impactful decarbonisation interventions and outlined solutions for mobilising sustainable financing, stating that with the right monies, manufacturing can play a key role in meeting the country’s climate targets, especially the emissions-intensity target of 45% below 2005 levels by 2030. texfash talks to AII President Lewis Perkins to learn how India’s apparel manufacturers are pursuing decarbonisation and how it can be financed at scale.

Designing for death! You read it right. And then an exhibition that encourages visitors to consider end-of-life decisions and how their choices can impact human and environmental well-being. Dr Sherry Haar, a natural dye and design scholar, investigates all of this and more to generate awareness about green burial through her fibre art.

Most environmental issues in the cotton industry are being discussed and addressed, but the question remains: is enough being done? Award-winning innovation and sustainability leader, Michela Puddu, touches on a diverse range of subjects, from the cotton production and recycling landscape to its huge and fragmented supply chain, the role of standards & certifications, traceability, impact of global climate change, water challenges, livelihoods and more.

Why does a designer have to lie? Why don’t we give the master craftsperson his/her due? Master embroiderer, craft exponent and revivalist Asif Sheikh answers these questions and more on the whats and whys that plague the handcrafted handloom industry.

More than 11 million tonnes of textile waste end up in US landfills yearly. The problem is getting worse, but the apparel industry has the power to be part of the solution. It is with this thought and the urgent need to rein in the fast fashion pollution that Congresswoman Chellie Pingree launched the Congressional Slow Fashion Caucus to create climate-smart policies to reduce, repair, rewear, and recycle textiles.  She outlines her plans in this exclusive to texfash.

Japan-based fastening company YKK is focused on growth with a sharp eye on its target set for carbon neutrality by 2050. A company spokesperson engages with texfash to highlight the steps it is taking towards this goal.

Ever wondered what happens to your hair once you go for your six-monthly chop-chop at the salon? If Human Material Loop, a Dutch start-up, has its way, all of this could well be mopped up to give you an all-new ethical, traceable and high-performing textile fibre, prototypes of which have been developed and the immediate plan is to go commercial. Founder-CEO Zsofia Kollar in conversation with texfash.

A consulting firm in 2020 that transitioned into a membership-based supplier-driven and brand support organisation, Sourcery has since shifted its goal post, evolving into a digital trading platform that empowers supply chain stakeholders to secure cotton fibre with access to assurance and impact data. texfash.com talks to Co-Founder Imran Asghar to learn how their innovative sourcing solution is aiding deeper collaboration between growers and fashion brands.