MMGNET’s ‘Sustainability Now’ Guide Offers a Roadmap for Environmental Impact
For the fashion industry, the top-of-mind question about sustainability is no longer about why but how.
Aside from negating impacts to the planet, sustainability makes business sense. Amid headlines about record temperatures, 85 percent of consumers in a recent PwC survey said they feel disruptive impacts of climate change in their daily lives. And they are making consumption choices accordingly, with 80 percent open to paying a premium for green goods. It’s not just consumers looking at sustainability, with 77 percent of investors in a Morgan Stanley survey showing interest in sustainable investing.
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Regulations are also creating an impetus for change, requiring companies to be more transparent about their supply chains and address the urgent need for climate action. For instance, the European Union’s Green Deal established policies to make Europe “the first climate-neutral continent,” including clean energy, eco-friendly transportation and repair of goods.
While the call to action is clear, there are many different paths companies could take to reduce their impact. Since they cannot possibly tackle everything at once, they must prioritize their efforts.
To help companies plan their sustainability roadmap, B2B’s newest fashion resource MMGNET recently released its “Sustainability Now” guide that provides actionable tips for companies to help them address the most urgent needs. Through its parent company MMGNET Group’s well-known trade events such as COTERIE, PROJECT, MAGIC and SOURCING at MAGIC , MMGNET has a bird’s eye view of the industry, including the latest innovations and the main pressures pushing companies toward change.
“At our shows, we’ve seen increasing attention turning toward sustainability with brands and retailers alike expressing interest in learning more and doing more,” said Kelly Helfman, president of MMGNET Group. “The intent to be sustainable is clear, yet we also hear a real need for guidance; where to start, what to focus on and why. We created this guide to help fashion firms strategize with specific action items that will yield environmental ROI.”
The guide lays out four key action areas for the industry: Design for End of Life, Phase out Plastic, Invest in Regeneration and Think Local. Here is a closer look at two of the target tactics.
Closing the Loop
Considering circularity is quickly becoming a legal necessity as more extended producer responsibility regulations crop up that are holding companies accountable for the entire life cycle of their products. About two-thirds of consumers (65 percent) believe the onus should be on brands to pay for recycling their products, instead of individuals or municipalities, according to an Ipsos survey cited in the guide.
Writing about its proposed EPR scheme, the European Commission said this would incentivize manufacturers to create better quality products.
Bringing circular concepts back to the point of creation, MMGNET suggests companies can develop products that are more easily disassembled or that use a single material, allowing them to be recycled more easily. Another option is embracing biodegradability with products that are designed to break down and return to nature rather than languishing in landfills.
“By challenging ourselves to design for the future, we have potential to create product that is truly innovative and stands the test of time,” the report notes.
Regenerative Practices
Much of the focus in sustainability is on minimizing harm or reaching net-zero impact, but the goal should be regeneration and a positive impact. MMGNET’s guide suggests companies start literally from the ground up by protecting and improving soil health, since this will have a direct impact on the future of agriculture—including food and cotton cultivation.
Per the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), over 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change come from farming. Regenerative agriculture practices help sequester or trap carbon in soil, contributing to reductions.
Outlining some examples on the market, MMGNET notes some companies are opting for alternative agricultural materials, such as Under Armour’s use of industrial hemp, a low-till crop that uses less water than cotton, is insect resistant and regenerates the soil while it grows. Hemp’s roots also go deeper into soil, protecting dirt from erosion. Instead of relying on virgin materials, others are upcycling fashion into new garments and other products. Another tactic is to create fashion that can be composted, adding nutrients to the soil in the process. As the report states, “The survival of the industry hinges on transitioning from an extractive approach to a regenerative one.”
Today, not tomorrow
Sustainability action plans are often spoken of in terms of long-term roadmaps, including targets for dates five, 10 or more years in the future. But it’s apparent that more immediate interventions are needed as the planet continues to warm and goods pile up in landfills.
No matter where companies are in their journey, the guide offers tangible ideas for addressing some of the most pressing concerns.
“Sustainability can be complex, with constantly changing goalposts, new developments and a widening field of solutions providers,” said Helfman. “We hope this guide will provide a jumping off point for readers’ own businesses as they discover the steps that companies are successfully taking today to cut their impact on people and the planet.”
Click here to download the Sustainability Now guide to learn more about the four priorities of sustainability right now and the brands innovating across them. To see how these priorities are materializing within trends watch the FW25/26 Material Sourcing trends session here.
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