Recently the project "Green Fashion" got started. Managed by Cartesius Institute for Sustainable Innovation and funded by Senter Novem, the project partners Material Sense, Van Marcoviec and Econcept teamed up to investigate on challenges to make fashion more sustainable.

One aim of this project is to set up a network of actors in GREEN FASHION. The network is open to Researchers, Designers, Producers, Material developers, NGOs etc. working in the field and interested in becoming active, offering a nice sustainable material, or searching for a more sustainable fabric or a sustainable designer.

The average European consumer consumes around 25 kg of textiles each year (around half of this is clothing, the other half home textiles etc.). Production of textiles is responsible for tremendous negative environmental impacts and consumption of resources, e.g. conventional cotton production consumes around 27.000 l of water per 1 kilogram of cotton and is responsible for 50% of the global use of pesticides. Also a lot of negative socio-economic impacts are connected to production of textiles and clothing. While there are already several eco-efficiency and fair trade activities on the way, the fashion industry is far away from being sustainable.

This problematic situation as well as best practice and positive cases will be critically analysed by the GREEN FASHION project.The aim of the project is to revolutionise the Sustainability of fashion value chains and life cycles. Fashion shall be attractive, resource efficient, produced in a fair way, and deliver good value for the producers and consumer alike. The project does not only focus on fashion and textiles, but all raw materials like zippers, buttons and accessories, thus everything that one needs to complete a fashion outfit, the way we transport and distribute fashion, and the end of its life, re-use and recycling ...

The next big event of the project is the expert workshop on 21st September 2009 (program and location to be announced). In this workshop a concept for a larger European Sustainable Fashion Project will be developed, open to a larger group of actors.

As a GREEN FASHION member you will have access to the discussion forum, you can register for events, and get informed by regular newsletters about all activities.

Watch out for the developments, register for the event in September, and become a member of the expert network.check more at: www.greenfashion.eu

 

2nd of December 2009

the Green Fashion Expert workshops took place at the World Fashion Centre in Amsterdam organised by the Green Fashion team; Cartesius Institute, Econcept, Material sense Van Markoviec and TU Delft.

The purpose of this high level expert workshop was to formulate a proposal for a larger Green Fashion Project, which shall take place from 2010 to 2013.

50 participants from companies, NGOs, educational institutes and research discussed in a very constructive and creative atmosphere the state of the art of sustainability in the fashion sector, the most important obstacles and drivers, problems and opportunities, and the fields to be covered and partners to be involved in the next phase of the Green Fashion project.

In the afternoon the expert group worked in 5 sub-groups on the themes of Business to Business Fashion, New Materials and Technologies, Re-Use and Re-Cycling of Fashion, Labelling and Communication, Small Fashion Labels and How to Co-operate.

At the end of the workshop all results were brought together leading to a good understanding about challenges and scope of the follow up project. Already several experts expressed their strong commitment to be involved, and next steps were agreed on to formulate the follow up proposal.

The Green Fashion Team thanks all participants for their excellent inputs, the high level discussion, and the great enthusiasm that they brought to the event, and the World Fashion Centre for their support.