Textile Insight

he drumbeat for greater industry alignments and stronger collaborative partnerships has grown louder and the engines of eco- innovation are making noise on many fronts within the industry. We're seeing successes in cutting edge technology and integration of forward-thinking design principles. Positive changes are happening locally, and globally, as textile communities work together to elimi- nate waste in textile production. Combatting greenwashing claims and new rules regarding eco certification mandates are also on the rise. This call to action extends from industry to individuals, as consumer engagement is key for circularity success. Liz Lipton-McCombe, global sustainability director at Levi Strauss & Company sees a tidal shift happening in sustainable practices and products on the horizon. "Today there is a different perception when it comes to consumption," explained Lipton-McCombe in her talk, "The New Wave of Sustainability: Increasing Consumer Expectations & Transparency" presented during the Southern Textile Association Summer Marketing Forum. "To meet today's demand, companies need to be clear about their sustainability attributes to build trust with customers." To make her point Lipton-McCombe cited Globescan 2020 market research: 91 percent of Gen Z would like to be more environmentally- friendly, and 87 percent of consumers try to support brands making a positive difference, up 68 percent from 2016. She encouraged brands to "lift the hood" and show what your company is doing about sustainability. For example, Levi Strauss has published its first Corporate Sustainability Report, leaned into third party certifications, and amplified consumer-friendly and social-friendly educa- tion around its stable of sustainable fabrics. "This change in consumer behavior is not going away," said McCombe. "We all need to move in this direction." The Role of Technology A new partnership between YKK and EON highlights this modern-day, circularity-driven approach with consumer connection top of mind. Houdini's digitized One Parka is the first product to feature YKK's new Touchlink NFC zipper pull, and the first parka to be con- nected end-to-end by the EON Product Cloud. The launch draws attention to how con- nected garments lower the threshold to circular business models such as resale, rental, subscription and recycling. It also changes the customer/brand relationship, moving away from being simply transactional to something more substantive for both parties. For example, by touching their mobile phone to the tech-enabled YKK zipper, users can not only access Houdini product information and get support, but establish direct two-way conversation to learn about how to keep their garment in circulation at the end of life. This takes consumer engagement beyond a QR code to a new channel of communication suited for circular economies. "This is a new chapter in garment tech- nology because it looks beyond product creation and serves as a portal into design systems for circularity," explained Jesper Danielsson, Houdini's head of product during a webinar that introduced the product to a global audience. Danielsson added that the Swedish sportswear company is committing to digitizing and connecting all its garments to the cloud by 2023 as part of Houdini's pledge to transition its entire ecosystem to 100 percent circular by 2030. Natasha Franck, EON founder & CEO, said that this innovation offers two streams of new solutions — the evolution of hardware is improving and software network capabil- ity is expanding for brands beyond their own enterprises. EON is the first platform to connect products from new to re-new, and pioneered industry's CircularID Protocol to facilitate data-exchange across the circular economy. Franck explained, "Today when the prod- uct is sold its product ID is removed. But by giving a product a digital identity, we give the product a voice. A voice that can connect with customers, with one user, or a reseller or recycler. As well as other participants throughout the product's life cycle." YKK's sustainability director Brian LaPlante highlights the simplicity and performance of the technology. No power source is needed, and the NFC chips are molded into the zipper pull, making it highly moisture-resistant and durable. "We could employ this in different hardware, and employ this across product lines and industries," said LaPlante. The Role of the Designer Copenhagen Fashion Week headlined the launch of its Sustainability in Design white paper that puts forth new design tenets to inspire and disrupt how design can be used as a tool to build a more sustainable way for- ward for industry. Principles focus on design for circularity, data-driven responsibility and collectively spark systematic industry change. Early stage design is not often recognized, but it is responsible for over 80 percent of all product related impacts, according to Ulla Ræbild, associate professor, Kolding Design School, who participated in a Copenhagen Fashion Week panel discussion."In view of the new UN Climate Report, we can't keep shuffling materials around, we have to reduce the production of new stuff by a minimum of 75 percent — which means we have to design WELCOME CIRCULAR GOODBYE TAKE, MAKE & DISPOSE T NEW MINDSETS AND PRACTICES RESHAPE MODERN ECOSYSTEMS TO CLOSE THE LOOP. BY EMILY WALZER textileinsight.com September/October 2021 ~ Textile Insight • 20

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