To coincide with the week of World Soil Day 2023, our third and final episode of our Threaded Together: cotton and sustainability podcast series, sponsored by Cotton Incorporated, looks at the US Climate Smart Cotton Program- a bold, new and exciting initiative in the US, which aims to measure and improve the country’s cottons’ carbon footprint. We look at what it is, how it works, who can take part, why it's needed, who benefits from it and why it's of interest to the whole value chain in the textile industry. To answer these questions, host Philip Berman is joined by: Daren Abney, the E ..read more

In the second of this three-part podcast series: 'Threaded Together' about cotton sustainability, host Philip Berman talks to Dr Jesse Daystar, from Cotton Incorporated and Joel Mertens from the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, about the best way(s) to measure sustainability in the cotton industry and how it can drive change. Jesse and Joel discuss the purpose of a life cycle assessment (LCA), the different types and, in light of  the recent KMPG review of the SAC's Higg Product Module, how they should be used, how they can get misused and their limitations.   Cotton Incorpor ..read more

Many fashion brands and retailers talk a good game on circularity, but will they ever consistently pay a premium for materials made using 100% textile-to-textile recycling? Acting CEO of Renewcell Magnus Håkansson joins Ecotextile Talks to discuss the company's current challenges in receiving a higher price for a product offering the circularity so often discussed at textile sustainability conferences. Despite great industry excitement when Renewcell moved to a full-scale production facility earlier this year, in readiness for full commercialisation, the Swedish innovator has encountered a dif ..read more

In a new three-part sponsored series entitled, Threaded Together, podcast host Philip Berman looks at Cotton Incorporated's role in improving the sustainability of cotton in the textile industry.    Cotton Incorporated a US-based, not-for-profit company, provides resources and research to help companies develop and market innovative, and profitable cotton products.    It’s probably best known for its Seal of Cotton trademark which was created 50 years ago, in 1973, and has become an iconic symbol to consumers and is globally recognized by the textile industry.    ..read more

Following a report outlining the potential benefits for fashion brands looking to integrate resale into their business model, Ecotextile Talks hears from Andy Ruben, founder of recommerce specialist Trove, who shares his insights on where the greatest opportunities lie. In a conversation dominated by statistics rather than rhetoric, Ruben speaks to Ecotextile News editor John Mowbray at an industry event in Boston to discuss how Trove worked with sustainable tech platform Worldly to identify the fields in which second-hand apparel can directly improve the economic and environmental output ..read more

As a formal partnership between the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) and International Apparel Federation (IAF) is signed, a key figure involved in the collaborative process speaks to Ecotextile Talks about what the duo hope to achieve. Andrew Martin, executive vice president of the SAC, sits down with podcast host David Styles to discuss what a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two organisations might mean for the fashion and textile industries at large. When asked about the purpose of the partnership and how the SAC and IAF will quantify success, Martin stated: “It has to be b ..read more

In an extended episode of Ecotextile Talks, the way in which the apparel sector responds to natural disasters is placed under the microscope. Podcast host David Styles is this week joined by two guests to discuss reports which respectively shine a light on the past, present and potential future of the industry’s collective response to crises caused by catastrophes such as earthquakes or extreme weather events. First, Penelope Kyritsis from the Worker Rights Consortium discusses the findings of a white paper exploring the responses of major apparel brands to the devastating earthquake in Turkey ..read more

The latest instalment of the Ecotextile Talks podcast series explores the motivations behind a campaign calling on the fashion industry to move away from conventional care and content labels in favour of digital alternatives.  Steve Lamar, president and CEO of the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA), who is one of the most prominent industry voices behind the #CutTheTape campaign, sits down with Tom Bithell to share his views on why digital solutions such as QR codes ought to be implemented as soon as possible. The current “extraordinary” situation cannot be perpetuated, he a ..read more

Earlier this summer host Phil Berman sat down with Carolina Ledl, Lenzing’s head of product and application management, to discuss the company's ambitious plans to start producing its Ecovero-branded viscose in its manufacturing plant in Indonesia.    Lenzing first launched its ‘EcoVero’ branded viscose in 2017, in response to growing a demand for more transparent viscose fibres. And with the expansion of its dope-dyed ‘Black’ version now imminent, Carolina explains what the company’s €100m expansion plans in South Asia will mean for sourcing both raw materials and reducing energy co ..read more

In the latest episode of Ecotextile Talks, Jeffrey Thimm from Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) discusses an initiative exploring the potential of combining artificial intelligence and satellite technologies to monitor organic cotton production. Podcast host David Styles discusses with Thimm how GOTS reached the point at which, with project partners the European Space Agency and tech firm Marple, it is watching over cotton production in India from space. Despite what may seem like a futuristic endeavour, Thimm is adamant that this type of project is a much-needed breakthrough capable ..read more