Rebecca Ballard Advisory

Happy Monday! 😊 Here's our Carbon Literacy Training course brochure, share with your fashion and retail peers: https://lnkd.in/e6aKceyD “The course is easy to understanding yet inspiring! Great for everyone involved in the fashion supply chain to attend to know what changes they could made in their roles toward saving our environment.” - Wing Chung, Ethical Sourcing Advisor, Oliver Bonas Delighted to be facilitating this training with Debbie Luffman FRSA, Millie Baker and Joey Coombs of Fashion Declares #carbonliteracy #fashion #fashionindustry #carbonemissions #carbonfootprint #carbonreduction #carbonliteracytraining

Regenerative agriculture has completely captured my heart and imagination not only because it makes sense on a practical and economical level, but it provides within my soul a peace and a wholeness. Restoration or “regeneration” of life comes not only in the soil, but in all of the human relationships in the supply chain of the cotton we are growing. How can regenerative practices restore life to the guys working on our farm, the people working at the mills, and the people manufacturing the clothing from our cotton? Ultimately, what is my relationship with the person who buys a pair of jeans made with our cotton? This may seem lofty ideas to some, but I believe that this is what people are longing for- connection to something real. How can we communicate this to the brands we are selling our cotton to, and to the customers buying their products? We’re open to ideas!!! I think if we can get the messaging right, we can shake up the fashion industry in all the right ways. Advancing Eco Agriculture Citizens of Humanity Group #regenerativeagriculture #regenerativefarming #regnerativesupplychain #traceability #farmtocloset #connectionmatters #cotton #citizensofhumanity #knowyourfarmer #checkyourtag

❗OUT NOW: Our new investigative report, “'I Came Here with So Many Dreams': Labor Rights Abuses & the Need for Change in Mauritius’ Apparel Factories.” Our report reveals evidence that many migrant workers paid exploitative and exorbitant recruitment fees to secure their jobs and, once at work in Mauritius, faced abusive living conditions, intimidation and threats, and other indicators of #forcedlabor. We brought our findings to 17 buyers who sourced their products from the implicated suppliers at the time of the investigation. Three brands—PVH Corp., Barbour, and Second Clothing—have stepped up to the plate and committed $420,593 to reimburse migrant workers at one factory for their recruitment fees and related costs, which is to be commended. Several brands declined to participate in remediation actions: Armani, ASOS, Boardriders, Foxcroft, John Lewis Partnership, Kontoor Brands, and Western Glove Works. Meanwhile, migrant workers are still at risk of exploitation. Even the fashion world is talking about these issues; our report is referenced in today's New York Times piece on the industry's backsliding on social issues: https://lnkd.in/eht88Y7J We call on buyers, suppliers, industry groups, and the government of Mauritius to take effective remediation actions, improve labor conditions and policy, and put Mauritius on the path to becoming a sustainable sourcing destination that upholds the rights of all workers. Read our full report + stakeholder recommendations here: https://lnkd.in/eH6-ftyn #supplychain #laborrights #ethicalfashion #bizhumanrights

One of the greatest untapped opportunities lies in large companies partnering with social entrepreneurs who have already created strong sustainability practices. The challenges and solutions to a regenerative model that affect a food crop may be similar to those for a fashion crop, and there can be many wonderful forms for these partnerships, says Rebecca Ballard, Sustainable Fashion Advisor at Rebecca Ballard Advisory. https://lnkd.in/d5HxYE-9 #fashion #food #agriculture #foodcrop ##sustainability #texfash #regenerativefarming #regenerativeagriculture #sustainableclothing #RegenerativeAgricultureandTextilesSummit Kisaco Research Follow texfash.com on LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/dWNRX6vM

I wasn't planning on writing this, but I felt it was necessary to say after scrolling my timeline this morning. As an industry, we talk at nauseam about the need for innovation—the need for new systems and new ideas. During industry roundtables and conferences, we're tasked with dreaming big—imagining the transformative future of fashion. There's an enthusiasm for innovation in these sessions and a collective call to re-envision what we do and how we do it. Yet, paradoxically, when people and companies step out of the ideation phase and attempt to actualize these concepts—be they novel or reinventions of past strategies—the tone shifts. Suddenly, there's a barrage of skepticism, with critiques honing in on reasons for failure rather than fostering discussions on improvement and growth. If a company is venturing into a strategy that you found unsuccessful, it's far more constructive to share the obstacles you encountered to help aid them in refining their approach (taking into account that both the economic landscape and consumer mindsets have significantly evolved since then) instead of blanket statement saying it won't work. If we genuinely want to create a "new system," why are we so quick to critique and dismiss concepts/ideas rather than leveraging our collective experiences and viewpoints to strengthen and support these emergent ideas toward achieving sustainability? Fostering a culture of innovation is not just about generating new ideas but also about how we respond to and nurture those ideas. We don't need more people saying why things won't work to build themselves as a thought leader on LinkedIn. (Yeah, I said it🙈) We need more voices offering insights and perspectives on how to refine and evolve these concepts. If you're skeptical about an idea's viability, it's important to voice your concerns, but it's equally important to be constructive. Alongside your critique, offer a potential solution or alternative. This ensures that the conversation remains forward-moving and solution-focused, not just problem-oriented. I'm calling for an industry-wide mindset shift where ideas are met with curiosity and a constructive approach. I'm calling for Thought Collaboration, which I define as a collective intellectual effort where individuals actively engage with diverse viewpoints, openly share and refine ideas, and contribute constructively to discussions, even when they have reservations or disagreements. It is a commitment to support the development and implementation of ideas by providing thoughtful feedback, resources, and encouragement, with the understanding that the success of the brand or organization is paramount. This concept emphasizes the importance of a supportive and open-minded culture where the goal is not to have unanimous agreement but to constructively build on each contribution to achieve a sustainable and innovative outcome. Will you join me?