Priyanka Khanna
Head of Asia Expansion Fashion for Good
Brands and retailers have the onus of transforming their supply chains
Fashion for Good is a global initiative to inspire change and drive the collective movement to make fashion a force for good. The organisation works directly with the fashion industry to innovate towards solutions that are better for people and the planet, and empower behaviour change through its sustainable fashion museum. In an interview with Fibre2Fashion, Fashion for Good’s Head of Asia Expansion Priyanka Khanna explains how the organisation helps companies scale up with their sustainability innovations.
As the sustainability narrative helped slow fast fashion? What needs to be done by brands and retailers?
From a consumer perspective, communication about the sustainability challenges in the fashion industry has increased the number of aware consumers who not only are changing their buying behaviours but are also being ambassadors and educating others to do the same. The momentum continues as newer consumers switch to being more mindful in their fashion behaviour. However, to really change the industry, it will take a critical mass of consumers asking questions, demanding transparency and verifying claims.
Brands and retailers have the onus of transforming their supply chains to a more sustainable one, and a great tool for this is ‘innovation’. Driving innovation in the fashion industry is about considering all aspects of the supply chain, designing products for the end-of-use in mind, using materials with a lower footprint, creating an ecosystem that enables these materials to be recycled and reused, as well as extending the life of these products. Industry leaders need to collaborate with other industry players and the supply chain to mainstream these innovations.
Have consumer preferences evolved? Do you see more fashion consciousness growing in certain regions?
We do see an increasing interest in sustainability throughout—think climate marches, SDGs, the latest Netflix documentaries such as the booming ‘Our Planet’. Consumers are also demanding sustainability more and more clearly. Mentions of sustainability in social media increased a third faster than overall social media growth between 2015 and 2018.
While we see more and more aware consumers in the European countries, India is fast gaining momentum, as witnessed by the growing sustainable fashion advocates, new niche brands such as Doodlage, Beej and so many more catering to aware consumers and working with textile waste and other sustainable materials. A good indicator is also the Lakme Fashion Week’s now incorporating a day on sustainability and showcasing initiatives in sustainable fashion. While not everyone has access to these brands and platforms, social media carries the messaging on the changing consumer interest.
Please tell us in brief about the innovation and scaling programmes at Fashion for Good.
Fashion for Good programmes are bespoke by nature, supporting innovators across a variety of areas with the objective to accelerate their growth with the industry actors. The support includes but is not limited to brands and manufacturer connections, testing and piloting, implementation support in case of mature innovations, investments, and links to a strong ecosystem that can support their development.
Can you share a few details about a few interesting entries you have received this year?
The Fashion for Good programme is focused on actively scouting the most promising innovators and technologies across the globe. Through research and due diligence, our innovation experts identify the leading innovators which are then presented to and selected into the programme by our corporate partners.
Instead of interesting entries, I would like to talk about two innovators that were selected into our 2022 programme: PICVISA and Kintra.
Founded in 2000, PICVISA is an innovative technology-based company that designs, manufactures and supplies optical sorting and separation equipment to recover and grade textiles and can be fully customised to the clients’ needs, by its composition and colour. They add value by automating the entire process of sorting using artificial intelligence, conveyer belts and robotics to eliminate human error and delay.
Founded in 2018, Kintra has developed a biodegradable and recyclable polyester alternative from a novel, proprietary version of poly butylene succinate (PBS) derived from renewable feedstocks. The fibres are designed to be digested to CO2 and water within a wastewater facility, and fit recycling schemes or industrial compost at their end of use.
What kind of support does Fashion for Good provide?
Our real value proposition lies in our corporate partner base, a curated set of brands and manufacturers who have come together to work collaboratively to identify innovations of the future, validate their projects and services, and support the industry-wide adoption of such technologies. With this adoption as the goal, we work with the innovators on the roadmap to get there and identify areas of support to make progress along this journey. It’s important to mention that this support is not limited to the programme duration, while we provide active support during the programme, post programme as innovators develop their businesses, we provide support through our Alumni programme. The support can include curating pilots and projects that support the validation and development of the innovator, investment support, driving technical and expert support wherever required.
What is the process followed for the selection of the participants for the programme?
The selection process is conducted alongside our corporate partners, and we evaluate applications on several objective criteria such as: technology evaluation, impact, scalability, team, and business viability. Each year, we work closely with our 22+ corporate partners (brands and manufacturers) to define particular focus areas for the coming year. The focus areas are decided based on the combined innovation priorities of our corporate partners. Over the last five years, we have scouted for over 2,800 technologies and have a good understanding of the technology landscape. Now, we look to focus on newer disruptions and best-in-class innovations.
What are some of the key trends you are seeing in terms of the usage of new materials/fibres, recycling, and upcycling?
There is a lot more focus on bringing more recycled content into the final product. So far, we have seen many industry players adopt mechanically recycled cotton made from pre-consumer waste as well as recycled polyester (rPET) – the Fashion for Good Full Circle Textiles Project (focusing on cellulosic fibres and polyester) is exploring this space and the opportunities to scale technologies, while upcycling has been mainly popular in the smaller less organised sector.
As chemical recycling technology becomes more accessible and newer recycling technologies develop, we expect to see a lot more chemically recycled pre- and post-consumer textile waste in the final products. There is indication and a few industry partners have launched capsule collections and have made large commitments for offtake from such technologies. The next challenges are a) to produce products with 100 per cent recycled materials, and b) to be able to create access to and maximise the use of the post- and pre-consumer materials. Currently, a lot of post-consumer materials cannot be recycled by any technology such as prints and certain types of blends. This is where other alternative methods of using this resource are being explored. The Fashion for Good Sorting for Circularity project (the first of which are focused on Europe and India), is also exploring the opportunities here and the solutions to increase harmonisation between the sorting and recycling industry and stimulate a recycling market for unwanted textiles that can generate new revenue streams for sorters.
Please brief us about the fashion museum and the objective behind it.
The Fashion for Good Museum is the world’s first technology forward museum for sustainable fashion innovation. It is an interactive, public-facing museum where we inspire, educate and engage people from across the world. Visitors learn about the past, present and future of the fashion industry, and with the digitally-enabled Good Fashion Journey and an RFID bracelet they can discover and commit to ways that they can make a difference. At the end, they take home a personalised Good Fashion Action Plan, a digital guide filled with tips for extending what they learned in the museum into their daily lives.
Additionally, the museum hosts thought-provoking exhibitions around the challenges faced in the industry. Our most recent focusing was on the untold stories behind cotton in Knowing Cotton Otherwise. We host workshops, documentary screenings and lectures around each theme to educate, empower and equip visitors to incorporate Good Fashion thinking into their lives and join our global movement.
The aim is to change the hearts and minds of the visitors by telling stories behind the clothes they wear, showing them how to take action and have a positive impact on the fashion industry.
What is next on the agenda at Fashion for Good?
Continuing our mission to accelerate and scale technologies, we have now piloted and built over 100 implementation cases. Our mission is to continue this momentum and support the implementation of our innovations in the supply chain of the fashion industry, while also identifying and supporting new innovations that are a class apart.
Published on: 03/11/2022
DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of Fibre2Fashion.com.
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