Kushal Sadarangani’s Post

Happy #ForestDay! This year's theme, 'Forests and Innovation: New Solutions for a Better World,' set by the UN General Assembly, reminds us of the incredible role forests play in shaping our lives. Did you know forests are more than just trees? They're the unsung heroes behind your wardrobe and daily essentials! Ever heard of viscose and lyocell? These sustainable textile fibres are derived from wood pulp, like our responsibly sourced dissolving pulp, Verve, ensuring your clothes are not just trendy but also ethical! And let's talk innovation! This spans from Sappi’s glossy, easily recyclable flexible paper packaging to our technology which extracts biochemicals and biomaterials from trees. With the latter, we produce Valida, 100% natural and biodegradable, perfect for replacing harmful microplastics in skincare products! With the high functionality of our flexible packaging papers, they are now even used in sustainable chocolate wrappers, yoghurt pots, coffee packaging etc. So, as we celebrate today, let's honour the remarkable contributions forests make to our lives and commit to protecting these invaluable ecosystems. #sappi #ForestDay

📣 Decarbonisation is the key element of sustainability, and the fashion industry is no exception - urgent solutions are needed. ♻️ Currently, raw materials contain up to two-thirds of a brand's climate impact. However, the brand new The Fashion Pact’s Unlock programme, launched with sustainability partners, aims to change this by offering financial incentives to farmers and enabling brands to invest in regenerative farming. 🌐 The programme also supports decarbonisation efforts and helps brands meet sustainability goals by purchasing carbon-reducing Unlock Units. This initiative highlights the need for collective industry action to create sustainable raw materials at scale and thus proceed to the greener future. Read more on Vogue Business: https://lnkd.in/ehrvpRTM. #Sustainability #ClimateAction #FashionIndustry #Decarbonization #RegenerativeFarming #SupplyChainInnovation

The fashion industry needs to decarbonize its supply chain to abate the  triple planetary crisis and this is URGENT! The #environmental footprint of fashion from production, transportation, and waste, contributes massively to these global issues. Reducing GHG emissions, adopting sustainable materials, and improving energy efficiency across the supply chain are critical to minimizing the industry's impact. A key area that has been identified by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is the Raw materials stage. There is a lack of incentive for farmers to switch from conventional production to more low-impact production. How can these incentives be created? The Fashion Pact set up the "#Unlockprogramme", in partnership with 2050.cloud and Future Earth Lab. This program offers financial incentives to farmers while allowing brands to invest in regenerative farming and purchase cotton grown using more eco-friendly practices. #Sustainability #ClimateAction https://lnkd.in/dSDFd8kS

Trend Alert! 💃 #Biotechnology isn't only a source of innovative solutions for the Global Goals for Sustainable Development. In a world demanding sustainability, biotechnologists will have open doors to work in seemingly unrelated areas. Case in point: Fashion! 👨🎤 Meet the new self-dyeing leather produced from bacterial cellulose at Imperial College London: Resource and time-efficient, carbon-smart, non-contaminant and safely biodegradable. https://lnkd.in/eTBX2gX7

"Wherever you can replace cows with plants or fungi, in food or textiles, it's a big win for climate and biodiversity," Kimberly Nicholas told Beverley D'Silva for BBC News. "It's beneficial for the fashion industry to shift to more efficient materials, but it's also important for consumers to know that their most effective action is to consume less clothing. That means use the clothes you already have longer." This was my take on #fashion companies using fungi, cacti, pineapple & more as materials. Remember, #sustainable options only reduce emissions and impact if they *replace existing, unsustainable products*. Otherwise, you're adding good on top of bad, which doesn't reduce impacts. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/dHMKUCRy

The Hemp Revolution is Here! We are standing at the dawn of a revolution—one that’s greener, more sustainable, and full of potential! The hemp plant is not just a crop; it's a game changer. From fashion to food, construction to cosmetics, hemp is transforming industries across the globe. It’s time we embrace this powerful, eco-friendly resource that can reduce our carbon footprint, enrich our soils, and even regenerate ecosystems! At BLILY, we believe hemp is the future of sustainable living. It's not just about what we create today, but how we shape tomorrow. Join us as we reimagine the possibilities of fashion, textiles, and beyond—powered by the strength of hemp. Let’s make the Hemp Revolution bigger than just a trend. Together, we can grow a greener future. #HempRevolution #Sustainability #BLILY #EcoFashion #GreenFuture

#collaborationinfocus   Today, let us consider The Himalayan Regenerative Fashion Living Lab, which is multi-stakeholder in nature. It is a project that will restore degraded landscapes and recover traditional textile craft skills in order to enhance the local cashmere, cotton and silk economies while addressing global challenges related to climate change and biodiversity loss.  More details here: https://lnkd.in/gxpYhz2j This project is being conducted under The Regenerative Fashion Manifesto. More details here:  https://lnkd.in/gWpugBiZ This Manifesto has been spearheaded under the auspices of The Fashion Task Force, which operates as an industry sub-group of the Sustainable Markets Initiative in partnership with the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance (CBA). More details about the Fashion Task Force here: https://lnkd.in/gkxuqbFh The Alliance of Cotton & Textile Stakeholders on Regenerative Agriculture or ACRE focuses on mainstreaming the adoption of regenerative agricultural practices in the cotton value chain. The Centre for Responsible Business, Solidaridad Asia and regenagri have joined hands to create a platform to promote regenerative agricultural practices in #Cotton and to educate and engage with diverse stakeholders. Learn 🔎 more about the platform here: https://lnkd.in/g89awQ7R Stay up-to-date on the ACRE platform by filling up this on-line form 💻: https://lnkd.in/gXTd4V33 #textiles #regenerativeagriculture #collaboration #multistakeholder Representative Photo by Polina Tankilevitch on Pexels

Happy #ForestDay! This year's theme, 'Forests and Innovation: New Solutions for a Better World,' set by the UN General Assembly, reminds us of the incredible role forests play in shaping our lives. Did you know forests are more than just trees? They're the unsung heroes behind your wardrobe and daily essentials! Ever heard of viscose and lyocell? These sustainable textile fibres are derived from wood pulp, like our responsibly sourced dissolving pulp, Verve, ensuring your clothes are not just trendy but also ethical! And let's talk innovation! This spans from Sappi’s glossy, easily recyclable flexible paper packaging to our technology which extracts biochemicals and biomaterials from trees. With the latter, we produce Valida, 100% natural and biodegradable, perfect for replacing harmful microplastics in skincare products! With the high functionality of our flexible packaging papers, they are now even used in sustainable chocolate wrappers, yoghurt pots, coffee packaging etc. So, as we celebrate today, let's honour the remarkable contributions forests make to our lives and commit to protecting these invaluable ecosystems.

🌱 Why Are Sustainable Fibers Still Hard to Find? 🌱 We often hear brands touting their "sustainable" products and see reports emphasizing sustainability, yet meaningful progress in sustainable fiber production remains elusive. Are we truly seeing a shift, or is the growth of organic and regenerative fibers still too slow? In my latest article on Substack, I dive deep into this issue, exploring: The slow growth of organic cotton in comparison to overall cotton production The disconnect between sustainability promises and actual practices My personal journey and the creation of FiberWay, a platform aimed at bridging these gaps Through this series, I’ll examine the major challenges facing the textile industry, including transparency, farmer support, economic pressures, and more. Each piece will provide insights into the state of the industry and explore potential solutions. At FiberWay, we're committed to creating a transparent, efficient, and supportive ecosystem for all stakeholders in the textile supply chain. Join me in uncovering these challenges and discovering how we can drive real change together. #SustainableFashion #FiberWay #TextileIndustry #OrganicCotton #SustainableFibers #SupplyChain #Transparency #FashionRevolution #Sustainability

A week ago, we challenged you to identify these players championing traceability in the intersection of food and fashion: ↳ 𝐴 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑 ___ 𝑖𝑠 𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎 𝑠𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑦𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑙𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑓𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑤𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑒, 𝑎𝑖𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑟𝑢𝑝𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑦𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑦 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎 𝑓𝑎𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑐 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑖𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑠. ↳ ___ ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑑 𝑃𝑖ñ𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑥, 𝑎 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑡-𝑏𝑎𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑚𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑓 𝑓𝑖𝑏𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑒, 𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 100 𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑𝑤𝑖𝑑𝑒.’ And they are 🥁🥁🥁… ↳ (1) ALT TEX: Co-founded by Myra Arshad and Avneet Ghotra, ALT TEX uses fermentation to transform food waste into bioplastic fibres. How cool is that! Their solution reduces landfill waste and saves significant energy compared to traditional polyester production. ALT TEX aims to scale up and replace large portions of the polyester market, significantly reducing fashion’s carbon footprint. 🌍 ↳ (2) Ananas Anam Ltd: Used by over 100 brands worldwide, Piñatex transforms waste into a durable, versatile textile, thereby offering a plant-based, eco-friendly option for fashion and accessories. ♻️ By turning waste into clothing products, both innovations allow for a transparent and traceable supply chain, truly championing the concept of traceability at the intersection of #food and #fashion. Stay tuned for next week when our circularity champions are revealed 👀 Pst... You can now sign up for this event, co-hosted by Barnard College and Columbia Climate School, visit this link for more: https://lnkd.in/eZa2Z8JA See you there ✋