The Sustainable Apparel and Textiles Conference took place in Amsterdam on April 23rd and 24th. The focus of the conversation was From alignment to action: how brands can transform supply chains, scale circularity, and raise standards in the new legislative landscape. The conference consisted of more than 30 practical sessions and was attended by over 60 speakers and 350 attendees.
Brands must align to new legislations and stakeholder expectations
Incoming legislation and evolving stakeholder expectations will compel brands to align and adapt their practices. This was the pivotal topic addressed in the two-day conference, which was split into different sessions to discuss various themes:
- Responsible sourcing and ethical trade: implementing responsible procurement to address the challenges of ensuring an ethical supply chain and a positive impact on its workers
- Climate action and nature-positive production: important practices toward regenerative agriculture, supply chain decarbonization for the zero-net goal achievement, and biodiversity protection
- Factory engagement and manufacturing: perspectives of brands and factories on evolving production processes for a sustainable and ethical supply chain
- Circularity, sustainable design, and material innovation: best practices to build circular business models, scale circular design, and implement the use of low-impact materials
- Consumer trust and expectations: credible communication of sustainable efforts and achievements, consumer empowerment through better information, and transparency along the supply chain to build trust
Candiani Denim participated in the panel about circularity
The agenda broke down these macro-themes to investigate them even further, resulting in a series of questions to fuel conversation:
- Has the industry aligned on sustainable fashion standards, and how is this alignment progressing to be turned into action?
- How are leading brands doing to reach net-zero targets and mitigate climate change?
- How must purchasing practices progress towards better social standards in the supply chains?
- How can credible data on the impact of the different materials be obtained to influence the relative decisions?
- How can regenerative practices be scaled across sourcing materials such as fuel, food, and fibers?
- How can companies integrate biodiversity and nature protection into their climate actions?
- How can brands reduce the environmental impact of their logistics?
- How are EU policies evolving? Will new legislation end fast fashion? And what can companies do to guarantee a positive impact?
- How can companies navigate politics and economics in ethical supply chains?
- How will evolving legislation impact due diligence practices and ensure an improvement in worker’s conditions?
- How can designers integrate sustainability and circularity without compromising style?
- How can the impact of new business models involving rental, resale, and repair services be assessed?
- How can brands engage consumers in making conscious choices for a circular and sustainable fashion?
- How can green claims be verified to guarantee they are credible, authentic, and really sustainable and to demonstrate progress?
Simon Giuliani, Global Marketing Director at Candiani Denim, participated in the panel Keep it in the loop: how to design for durability, upcycling, and recycling, which was part of the macro-theme about circularity, sustainable design, and material innovation.
