CFDA Guide To Sustainable Strategies 12

CFDA Guide to Sustainable Strategies
Guide to
Sustainable
Strategies
CFDA.com P. 1
Steven Kolb
President & CEO
Sara Kozlowski
Director of Education & Professional Development
Council of Fashion Designers of America

Publisher
Domenica Leibowitz
Author
Lauren Croke
Contributor
Aldo Araujo
Cal McNeil
Jackie Shihadeh
Johanna Sapicas
Joseph Maglieri
Kelsey Fairhurst
Marc Karimzadeh
Mark Beckham
Sofia Cerda Campero
Stephanie Soto
Editors
CFDA.com P. 2
S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y G U I D E
Introduction
This CFDA Guide to Sustainable Strategies provides a “how
to” overview for sustainable fashion with a focus on helping our
members and community create, meet, and exceed their own
unique sustainability goals. Our goal is to take the complex idea of
sustainability and simplify it into clear, digestible resources and
actions.
In order for the industry to change we need to work together. This

guide is available to public as a critical educational resource. Through
this project we seek to shift sustainable practices among members as
well as across the entire industry.
CFDA.com P. 3
How to use this

guide
Your sustainability journey is uniquely your own. While this guide
has been created to help you succeed, how you choose to use it is
entirely up to you. We like to think of each sustainability section as one
component of good design; there is no linear order to how you need to
implement it.
Start with the big questions about your company: Who are we? Why do
we create? What do we care about? What does sustainability mean to
us? The answers to these questions will determine where you will begin.
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TA B L E O F
Contents
P. 03 Introduction
P. 04 How to use this guide
P. 09 A letter from CFDA
P. 11 About the CFDA
P. 12 What is Sustainability?
• Overview
• Global concensus
• Sustainability can be approach at multiple levels
P. 27 The Business Case for Sustainability

• Overview
• Tools & resources
P. 40 Create a Company Sustainability Strategy

• Overview
• Worksheet: Create a company sustainability strategy
P. 51 Design for Sustainability

• Overview
• Worksheet: Sustainable design strategies
P. 60 People
• Overview
• Your company
- Tools & resources
• Your community
- Tools & resources
• Your supply chain
- Worksheet: How to source ethically
- Tools & resources
P. 89 Materials
• Overview
• Worksheet: Questions to ask for all materials
Table
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of Contents P. 6
TA B L E O F
Contents
P. 105 Materials Processing & Manufacturing
• Overview
• Worksheet: Sustainability at production facilities
P. 122 Jewelry, Accessories & Footwear

• Jewelry
- Overview
- Worksheet: Ethical Metalsmiths’
- Worksheet: The ‘Golden Rules’ Gold & Precious Metals
Sourcing Policy
• Accessories & footwear
- Overview
- Tools & resources
P. 143 Sustainable Buildings & Offices

• Overview
• Worksheet: Sustainable Buildings
P. 160 Packaging
• Overview
• Worksheet: Make packaging more sustainable
P. 171 Transportation & Logistics

• Overview
• Worksheet: Make your transportation and
logistics more sustainable
P. 182 Customer Care & Repair

• Overview
• Worksheet: Design for and educate your customers about
sustainable use
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TA B L E O F
Contents
P. 193 End of Use, Reuse, and Recycling
• Overview
• Worksheet: Reuse, recycling, and proper disposal
P. 204 Event production

• Overview
• Worksheet: Make your event more sustainable
P. 212 Communication & Marketing Strategies

• Overview
P. 220 Appendix
• Philanthropy & civic engagement
• Child labor
• Circularity
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A letter from
CFDA
We aim to instill a heightened sense of community, empowerment &
purpose by enacting principles to change design through inspiration,
innovation & imagination.
As American fashion continues its journey to a more sustainable future, transformative innovation of
materials, processes and systems is about more than mindfulness, it is a change imperative.
Last October, following General Assembly Week at the United Nations, a U.N. & Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report highlighted how global warming is accelerating and
threatening the Planet Earth’s health faster than we thought. This is directly linked to CO2 emissions,
as well as the impact of single use plastics to our land and oceans. Without a radical rethinking, the
ocean will contain more plastic than fish by 2050.
At a time when numbers and reports are so daunting, the CFDA is more optimistic than ever and sees
2019 as a year of progress – with every step counting towards substantial change. We are closer than
ever to opportunities and solutions to create and consume with less impact, to employ circularity, and
to ultimately end production of single use plastics.
We believe in the power of people unified by shared vision, and in the power of design. We see a call
to action in action led by our 500+ member community by embracing conscious design, responsible
sourcing, and committing to building safer, ethical, more efficient value chains.
Through the CFDA’s Educational Initiatives, we also see a generation of educators, students, and
graduates applying collaboration, ingenuity and systems thinking to sustainable fashion prototyping
and new models of social entrepreneurship and material innovation.
Within professional development programs such as the Elaine Gold Launch Pad, expert mentors
work with early emerging talent to create new business models that are scalable and embedded with
principles of sustainability, technology and innovation.
Through our longstanding partnership with Lexus business development program, the Fashion*
Initiative inspires thought leadership, facilitates commitment to sustainable innovation, and advance
positives change with the highest-impact potential.
CFDA.com P. 9
A letter from
CFDA cont’d
Now, we are pleased to share this first edition of the CFDA Guide to Sustainable Strategies as part of
CFDA’s expanded Sustainability Initiatives in 2019.
With this open-access guide authored by Domenica Leibowitz, we have a single intention: to
empower through education.
Within this 16-topic guide, we consider impacts related to land, water, air, energy, human capital
{people} and natural capital {all living things} using pillars of environmental, social, cultural, and
financial/economic. Our methodology aligns to the core principles of the United Nations 17
Sustainable Development Goals.
Thank you for joining us as we strive to come closer to the goal of sustainable fashion as a new
normal. I hope you enjoy this guide created by the CFDA, with gratitude to the CFDA staff and teams,
Domenica Leibowitz, and consultant Lauren Croke.
As the industry and resources contained in this guide are constantly evolving, please let us know if
we are missing anything or if updates are required. If you need assistance or have specific questions,
please contact the CFDA. - Sara Kozlowski, January 2019
Sara Kozlowski Stephanie Soto Jackie Shihadeh

S.Kozlowski@cfda.com S.Soto@cfda.com J.Shihadeh@cfda.com
CFDA.com P. 10
ABOUT
The CFDA
The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) is a not-for-
profit trade association, founded in 1962, whose membership consists
of more than 500 of America’s foremost womenswear, menswear,
jewelry and accessory designers.
Our mission is to strengthen the impact of American fashion in the

global economy.
CFDA.com P. 11
What is
Sustainability?
CFDA.com P. 12
W H AT I S S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y ?
Overview
Sustainability is great design. It is based on a deep understanding
that all things are interconnected in this world. Sustainability provides
the ability to design and produce indefinitely. This requires that the
design, development, production and use of fashion products meets
today’s needs, without preventing them from being met by future
generations.
The fashion industry is not currently sustainable. We are using up

natural resources and exploiting people in ways that will deplete future
generations of the resources they need, impacting future profitability
and business opportunities. We have the power to change the way fashion
is made and consumed by creating a sustainable industry with greater
influence and increased profit. While many sustainability initiatives
exist, there is no way to be 100% sustainable… yet.
Failure to embrace sustainable practices neglects a key factor for long-

term success in business, you could read about The Business Case for
Sustainability section of this guide.
CFDA.com P. 13
Innovation
How can you make the

Creativity
world better through
design?
Water
Energy
Air
Environment
Chemicals
Waste
Sustainability
Biodiversity
Fundamentals
Employees
Suppliers
People Customers
Communities &
Culture
Company Culture
Company Policy &

Governance Guidelines
Financial Model
CFDA.com P. 14
W H AT I S S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y
Global consensus
Now is truly an exciting time for the sustainability movement in
fashion. In addition to a plethora of new technology and material
innovations, there is an unprecedented level of collaboration across
the entire industry and its stakeholders.
Companies, governments, non-governmental organizations, academia,

communities, and individuals on a global scale are committing to:
1. Common goals
2. A common system by which to measure sustainability
3. A common plan of action
CFDA.com P. 15
GLOBAL CONSENSUS
01 Common goals
The United Nations
Sustainable
Development Goals:
The 17 Sustainable Development

Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda
for Sustainable Development —
adopted by 193 countries in a
historic UN Summit and officially
went into force on January 1,
2016. The goals universally apply
to all countries, who committed
to mobilizing efforts to end all
forms of poverty, fight inequalities
and tackle climate change, while
ensuring that no one is left behind.
Each of the 17 goals set forth
specific targets to be achieved by
2030.
The goals call for action by

poor, rich and middle-income
countries to promote prosperity
while protecting the planet. They
recognize that ending poverty must
go hand-in-hand with strategies
that build economic growth and
addresses a range of social needs
including education, health, social
protection, and job opportunities,
while tackling climate change and
environmental protection.
CFDA.com P. 16
GLOBAL CONSENSUS
02 Common metrics
The Sustainable
Apparel Coalition (SAC)
and HIGG index:
The Sustainable Apparel Coalition

is the apparel, footwear, and
textile industry’s leading alliance
for sustainable production. The
SAC developed the Higg Index, a
suite of tools that enables brands,
retailers, and facilities of all sizes —
at every stage in their sustainability
journey — to measure and score a
company or product’s sustainability
performance. The Higg Index
delivers a holistic overview that
empowers businesses to make
meaningful improvements that
protect the wellbeing of factory
workers, local communities, and
the environment.
The Sustainable Apparel Coalition

was born from a dynamic and
unconventional meeting of the
minds. In 2009, Walmart and
Patagonia came together with
a radical mission: collect peers
and competitors from across
the apparel, footwear and
textile sectors and develop a
universal approach to measuring
sustainability performance.
CFDA.com P. 17
GLOBAL CONSENSUS
03 Common agenda
The Global
Fashion Agenda:
The Global Fashion Agenda (GFA),

based in Copenhagen, Denmark,
is a leadership forum on fashion
sustainability. The GFA works to
develop, collect and spread the
insights required for decision makers
to implement sustainable practices.
Additionally, they ensure industry
collaboration across stakeholder
groups to facilitate sharing of
experiences and solutions. Their
initiatives include:
The Copenhagen Fashion Summit

An annual, international gathering
around sustainable fashion. It has
become a nexus for agenda, setting
discussions on the most critical
environmental, social and ethical
issues facing our industry and planet.
The CEO Agenda

A guide to what every CEO in
fashion needs to prioritize to
future-proof their company, with the
idea that sustainability is no longer a
trend, but a business imperative.
CFDA.com P. 18
GLOBAL CONSENSUS
03 Common agenda
The Global
Fashion Agenda
cont’d:
Pulse of the Fashion Industry Report

This annual report, published in
collaboration with The Boston
Consulting Group, looks at
environmental, social and ethical
challenges as an immense untapped
value creation opportunity. In the
2017 edition, an in-depth assessment
was conducted to understand the
industry’s environmental and social
performance. The 2018 edition
looks at progress made and provides
guidance to fashion brands and
retailers looking to move toward
more responsible ways of doing
business.
The Circular Fashion System

Commitment
An initiative that encourages the
fashion industry to commit to action
on circularity by signing the 2020
Circular Fashion System Commitment.
As of June 2018, 94 companies (both
large and small) had signed on.
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W H AT I S S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y ?
Sustainability can
be approached at
multiple levels
While it’s useful to approach sustainability in manageable pieces, we
don’t want you to forget the big picture. It’s important to question all
assumptions about the fashion industry - including the very purpose
and meaning of clothing.
CFDA.com P. 20
The BIG PICTURE! Think of fashion as part of the larger, interconnected

and constantly evolving ecosystem of the world!
How can we rethink it?
Systems
Thinking!
LCA
Life-Cycle Analysis
Specific
Focus
CFDA.com P. 21
APPROACHES
01 Systems thinking
The big picture
Systems Thinking allows us to look

at fashion as a nonlinear, complex,
interconnected and constantly
moving system.
In this video from BEE

Environmental Communications
you can find a thorough
explanation of what Systems
Thinking is.
Examples of Systems Thinking

include ideas like the Sharing
Economy or the Circular Economy.
“The goal is to showcase a wealth

of alternatives for building long-
lasting environmental and social
quality through the design,
production and use of fashion and
textiles that go beyond traditional
ideas or expectations.” -Kate
Fletcher, quoted from her book,
Sustainable Fashion and Textiles:
Design Journeys.
Standards, strategies or tools that

take a more Systems Thinking
approach include:
• Cradle to Cradle
• B Corp
• Natural Step (ABCD)
• Okala
CFDA.com P. 22
N ATA L I E C H A N I N
“Sustainability relies on the human

skills necessary to manipulate
materials. It’s important to remind
people that everything comes
from somewhere, someone. We
encourage consumers to ask
these questions and to challenge
designers and manufacturing
to create in a sustainable,
ethical, and healthy way As we
work to honor the relationship
between materials, products, and
individuals, we create a sustainable
community and as a result, an
enriched product for not only the
consumer, but the planet.”
CFDA.com P. 23
APPROACHES
02 Life-Cycle Assessment
Impact over a
product’s life
LCA looks at the social and environmental

impact of a product over its entire life,
including raw material extraction, material
processing, manufacturing, packaging,
distribution, retail, use, maintenance/
upgrading, and disposal or recycling.
One concern of LCAs as Kate Fletcher

points out in her book Sustainable
Fashion and Textiles: Design Journeys, is
that qualitative studies tend to generate
equivocal findings. “LCAs, even though
there are well-established internationally
recognized methodologies, have a history
of partisan results and methodological
inconsistencies arising from different ways
of defining boundaries around the problem
being investigated.”
Nonetheless, we recommend them whole

heartedly as great tools to understand
where your biggest impacts are. (It may
suprice you!)
Standards or tools that utilize LCA:

• The Sustainable Apparel Coalition’s
Higg Tools
• Textile Exchange
• The World Apparel and Footwear Life
Cycle Assessment Database (WALDB)
from Quantis
• Handbook of Life Cycle Assessment
(LCA) of Textiles and Clothing 1st
Edition by Subramanian Senthilkannan
Muthu (Editor)
CFDA.com P. 24
APPROACHES
02 Life-Cycle Assessment
Examples of companies using LCAs:
Reformation:
Reformation created RefScale to

track their environmental footprint
by adding up the pounds of carbon
dioxide emitted and gallons of water
we use, and pounds of waste we
generate. They then calculate how
Reformation’s products help reduce
these impacts compared with most
clothes bought in the US. They
share this information on every
product page of their website and tell
customers exactly what impact each
garment has on the environment.
Their aim is for everyone to see the
total cost of fashion so consumers
can make empowered choices,
and they can keep creating better
solutions when it comes to making
clothes.
Levi’s:
Read Levi’s “The Life Cycle of a Jean:

Understanding the environmental im-
pact of a pair of Levi’s® 501® jeans.”
CFDA.com P. 25
APPROACHES
03 Specific approach
Part of the whole
Most designers choose to start working

on sustainability in a specific area.
Examples include: sourcing more
sustainable materials, eliminating bad
chemicals from your product, or fair
trade labor practices. Perhaps the issue
you care most about is water and you
want to focus only on that. There are a
multitude of approaches and standards
that tackle specific parts of a product’s
lifecycle.
There’s nothing wrong with starting

with a narrow focus. Just don’t forget
the big picture!
CFDA.com P. 26
The Business
Case for
Sustainability
CFDA.com P. 27
T H E B U S I N E S S C A S E FO R S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y
Overview
Sustainability is a business opportunity. Every year, the business case
for sustainability in fashion grows stronger as sustainability innovation
offers opportunities for increased profitability. Congruently, evidence
suggests that neglecting the fashion industry’s environmental and
social impact will have detrimental effects on business growth and
profits.
A shift toward sustainable practices begins one step at a time. The steps
outlined in this guide are meant to help those taking that first step and
those much further down the line that are completely
re-thinking their design and production processes. No matter where
you are on this path, every step has the potential to be a
long-term investment that will pay off.
This guide aims to serve as a resource for brands to immediately

implement and improve a wide variety of design and business
processes. Increased profits in the long-term may require upfront
investment, and this guide provides the tools you need for evaluating
those decisions.
CFDA.com P. 28
PULSE OF THE FASHION INDUSTRY
“Even without considering

the positive effects on
brand building and risk
management, there is a
sound business case. By
realizing the potential
savings and efficiency
increases described in
the Roadmap to Scale,
companies will see an
uplift in their profitability
by 1 to 2 percent.”
2017 Industry report
CFDA.com P. 29
N AT U R A L B U R E A U O F E C O N O M I C R E S E A R C H
“In a matched sample of 180 ‘High

Sustainability’ companies and
‘Low Sustainability’ companies
over an 18-year period, the High
Sustainability group outperformed
the Low Sustainability group by 4.8
percent on a value-weighted base.
The outperformance is stronger
in sectors where the customers
are individual consumers, where
companies compete on the basis of
brands and reputation, and where
companies’ products significantly
depend upon extracting large
amounts of natural resources.”
From the report ‘The Impact of a Corporate Culture of Sustainability on
Corporate Behavior & Performance’
CFDA.com P. 30
N AT U R A L B U R E A U O F E C O N O M I C R E S E A R C H
“The boards of directors of

High Sustainability companies
are more likely to be formally
responsible for sustainability
and top executive compensation
incentives are more likely to be a
function of sustainability metrics.
High Sustainability companies are
more likely to have established
processes for stakeholder
engagement, to be more long-term
oriented, and to exhibit higher
measurement and disclosure of
nonfinancial information. Finally,
High Sustainability companies
significantly outperform their
counterparts over the long-term,
both in terms of stock market
and accounting performance.”
From the report ‘The Impact of a Corporate Culture of Sustainability on
Corporate Behavior & Performance’
CFDA.com P. 31
T H E B U S I N E S S C A S E FO R S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y
Sustainability
doesn’t have to
be expensive
It can cost nothing to get started. For example, on a basic level,
minimizing use of water and energy can bring huge savings, both at
production facilities or even in your office. (You can learn more about
some of these opportunities in the Sustainable Buildings & Offices
section of this guide.)
Some initiatives such as Canopy Style, which works to protect forests

endangered by the fashion industry, are free and easy to join. Before
you implement any changes at your company, just signing on can
add to a collective voice with the bargaining power to shift an entire
industry.
CFDA.com P. 32
EXAMPLE
The NRDC’s
Clean by
Design Program
NRDC Clean by Design promotes a simple 10-step program
to reduce the environmental impact at what it refers to as the
“hottest spot” of the industry’s environmental impact: fabric
dyeing and finishing.
The impact has been stellar: each and every mill that has implemented the program—the old
and new, the large and small, cotton and synthetic, woven, knit, and denim—has benefited
substantially. One mill reduced its water use by 36 percent, another reduced its energy use
by 22 percent. The top mill for economic returns in 2014 earned $3.5 million in the first year,
with projects that paid themselves back in only 13 months.
“In total, the 33 mills in the 2014 NRDC Clean By Design program saved:
• 3 million tons of water

• 61 thousand tons of coal
• 36 million Kwh1 of electricity
• 400 tons of chemicals
• $14.7 million dollars
Annual return per mill averaged $440,000 with the top five mills saving more than $800,000.”
CFDA.com P. 33
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Measure environmental
impact in your business
calculations
The Natural Capital Coalition developed a tool to help make the
invisible impacts of business visible, quantifiable and comparable.
They recognized that main environmental risk categories have a direct
link to business performance, including higher resource costs, new
government regulations, reputational damage, reduced market share,
and fewer financing options.
Kering used this tool to create its own Environmental Profit & Loss
Calculator (E P&L). According to Kering, conducting an E P&L will not
only help you improve your environmental impact, but it will help you
discover potential efficiencies, innovations and improvements that can
give you a real edge.
Both the Natural Capital Coalition Protocol and the Kering E P&L are
available as open source for free. You could access both of them here:
Kering’s Environmental Profit & Loss (E P&L) Methodology

The Natural Capital Coalition Protocol
CFDA.com P. 34
N AT U R A L C A P I TA L COA L I T I O N
“Overexploitation of,
and damage to, natural
resources, particularly
in vulnerable ecosystems,
presents a very real
financial risk to businesses
operating in the sector.
For example, cotton price
volatility halved the profits
of some apparel retailers
in recent years, while
toxic discharges from dye
houses to water systems
can result in large financial
penalties from fines and
clean-up fees.”
CFDA.com P. 35
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Suggested reading
A guide for CEO’s: The CEO Agenda 2018
The Global Fashion Agenda has created a guide to what every CEO in
fashion needs to prioritize to future-proof their company.
Reports & studies: Sustainability Pays

The business case for
sustainability A list of studies from Natural Capital Solutions that prove the business
case for sustainability.
Investing for a Sustainable Future

MIT Sloan Management Review Research Report & The Boston
Consulting Group.
Fashion is Old Fashioned: Disruption, Sustainability, and

Investment Opportunity in the Fashion and Apparel Industry
MIT Sloan Management Review Research Report & The Boston
Consulting Group
Labor Lens Investing: The Business Case for Fair Labor

Practices
Boundless Impact Investing
The Impact of a Corporate Culture of Sustainability on

Corporate Behavior and Performance
National Bureau of Economic Research
Sustainable Business case studies: Innovation and inspiration

in corporate sustainability
The Guardian Sustainable Business
The World in Context: Beyond the Business Case for

Sustainable Development
HRH The Prince of Wales’s Business & the Environment Programme &
The University of Cambridge Programme for Industry
CFDA.com P. 36
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Suggested reading
Reports & studies: The Key to Confidence: Consumers and Textile

Sustainability — Attitudes, Changing Behaviors and Outlooks
Oeko-Tex
Consumer behavior &
sustainability: Shopping Trends Among 18-37 Year-Olds
LIM College
The State of Fashion 2018

Business of Fashion and McKinsey and Company
The Nielsen Global Survey of Corporate Social Responsibility

and Sustainability
Nielsen
The Consumer Study: From Marketing to Mattering

The UN Global Compact-Accenture CEO Study on Sustainability in
collaboration with Havas
2018 Timberland Wardrobe Value Survey Fact Sheet

Timberland
Articles: “The Comprehensive Business Case for Sustainability”

By Tensie Whelan and Carly Fink, Harvard Business Review
“By Not Accounting for Nature, Business Is Reporting

Fake Profits”
By Philippe Joubert, Sustainable Brands
“Sustainability Targets + Science: The Smart Business Equation”

by Daniel Hill, Sustainable Brands
CFDA.com P. 37
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Suggested reading
Articles cont’d: “The Comprehensive Business Case for Sustainability”

By Tensie Whelan and Carly Fink, Harvard Business Review
“By Not Accounting for Nature, Business Is Reporting Fake Profits”

By Philippe Joubert, Sustainable Brands
“Sustainability Targets + Science: The Smart Business Equation”

By Daniel Hill, Sustainable Brands
“Millennials Say They Care About Sustainability. So, Why Don’t

They Shop This Way?”
By Luna Atamian Hahn-Petersen, The Business of Fashion
“The Sustainability Practitioner’s (Basic) Guide to Investors”

By Martin Rich, Sustainable Brands
“The Ecosystem of Shared Value”

By Mark R. Kramer and Marc W. Pfitzer, Harvard Business Review
“The Latest Trend at Fashion Houses? ‘Sustainability’ Experts”

By Ray A. Smith, The Wall Street Journal
Impact Assets
Investment fund Impact Assets provides an excellent list of articles on its
website here.
CFDA.com P. 38
LU N A ATA M I A N H A H N - P E T E R S E N
“The gap between

millennials’
stated interest
in sustainability
and their actual
purchasing patterns
is not due to lack
of conviction but
product availability
and lack of clear
marketing.”
The Business of Fashion
CFDA.com P. 39
Create A
Company
Sustainability
Strategy
CFDA.com P. 40
C R E AT E A CO M PA N Y S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y S T R AT EGY
Overview
Creating a sustainability strategy can benefit your company in a
number of ways. It doesn’t matter whether your company is small
or large, what your budget is, or how far along you are in your
sustainability journey (even if you haven’t started yet). A sustainability
strategy provides incentive for continuous improvement and can keep
you motivated to continue your sustainability journey. It means you
take the long-term health of your company seriously and helps you
stay true to your brand values.
There are many benefits to having a sustainability strategy. It can be

good for PR, increase brand loyalty, and attract investors. Data shows
that employees care about purpose at work and prefer to work for a
company that actively addresses its environmental and social impact.
Not only does it attract better talent, but employees are more engaged
and committed. There is a quantifiable link between a company’s
sustainability strategy and employee productivity and retention.
CFDA.com P. 41
Step 3.
Your Sustainability
Strategy
COMMIT
FORM A
SUSTAINABILITY
TEAM
Step 2.
Where are you now?
Where do you want to go? DEFINE
SUSTAINABILITY
Step 1. LEARN IDENTIFY

Your brand narrative GOALS
MEASURE WHERE
YOU’RE AT ASSESS NEEDS
KNOW THYSELF
DREAM ABOUT IDENTIFY
THE FUTURE METRICS
COMMUNICATE
TO
EVERYONE
UPDATE &
IMPROVE
ENGAGE &
COLLABORATE
CFDA.com P. 42
PRABAL GURUNG
“While the definition of

sustainability is incredibly
layered, find what practices
work best for you and
your brand and start by
focusing on those. No
brand will become a zero-
impact brand overnight,
it’s just not a reality, but
any change for the better
helps. Finding likeminded
partners is also very
helpful. Certainly an
initiative that proves we’re
stronger in numbers.”
CFDA.com P. 43
NOTE
Pay attention
to numbers,
but understand
their limits
Goals are more meaningful when a business can measure progress,
which is why metrics are important. That said, many existing metrics
are incomplete and can be misleading if used incorrectly. No metric is
able to take into account the whole story. Therefore, it is important to
consider all factors of your individual supply chain and your brand’s
greater purpose. (For example, just because something may be more
“efficient” doesn’t mean it’s better.)
There are a various measurement tools that help put specific numbers
to things. At times metrics are simple and literal, such as when
measuring the level of a known carcinogen in wastewater. Some tools,
however, like Kering’s EP&L, work to quantify more complicated
aspects, such as future risk. The most widely used tool is the Higg
Index, which measures social and environmental impact along the
entire product lifecycle. While we recommend all of these tools, it
is important to maintain a healthy sense of critical thinking and
skepticism when using them. If a given score or ranking relies on data
not provided specifically by you, find out where it comes from.
CFDA.com P. 44
WORKSHEET
Create a company
sustainability strategy
1.Create a Brand Narrative 2. Assess Where You Are Now &
Start with the Big Questions Where You Want to Go
Whether you’re just starting out or far along Where are you now?
on your fashion journey, take a step back to • What has your Sustainability journey been
think about your brand. For example: Who to date?
are we? Why do we create? What does • What does Sustainability mean for your
sustainability mean to our company? This may brand?
seem superfluous, but it is vital to creating a • What benefit does the pivot for
relevant sustainability strategy. It is essential sustainability bring to your company?
to know, on a fundamental level, why you’re • What is the business case for a shift
doing what you’re doing, and what your towards sustainability?
unique positive impact will be. Sustainability • What are the risks of not pursuing
is not one-size-fits all, there are myriad routes sustainability?
one could take and they all have value. Take Trends in Fashion + Sustainability
your time on Step 1. • What are some macro trends that are
shifting the supply and demand curve
Create Your Brand Narrative of your product?
• What is the purpose of your brand? • What do you see from your
• (Re)Create your mission statement customers, suppliers, and
How can you include sustainability moving competition?
forward? • Look to outside sources for research
• Be sure your brand story and history are and factual data to back up your
updated and shareable. claims.
• Make a vision statement that clarifies your • How are your ideas in sustainability
long-term vision and goals of the company. addressing these shifts in the market?
• Make a list of core values and principles. Conduct a self-assessment. There are some
• What is your value proposition (the value wonderful tools you can use to measure
you promise to deliver to the consumer)? where you stand:
• Who is impacted by you what you do? • B Corp Impact Assessment
Your people, also called stakeholders, • Natural Step (ABCD) Method
include employees, suppliers, customers, • Higg Brand & Retail Module (Higg
and everyone who touches your brand. BRM)
Make a list of your stakeholders. • C2C Certified™ Self Check
• What does your current governance and
operations structure look like?
• What does your current revenue model
look like?
CFDA.com P. 45
WORKSHEET
Create a company
sustainability strategy cont’d
Where do you want to go? 3. Define what sustainability means for your
• What is your long-term sustainability goal? company
• Begin with your final vision (not only • Develop a common language
for your company, but for the whole and understanding. (You can use
world) and work back to how you information gathered in Steps 1
will get there by setting checkpoints and 2. There are also some great
for yourself. This process is called worksheets and exercises in the
Backcasting (Natural Step’s ABCD CFDA Sustainable Strategies Toolkit.)
Process). • How will decision-making and
evaluation of design and business
• What are first steps you can take to begin impacts be approached?
working towards your goal? • What tools or framework methods
• Write down a basic strategy for the will be used?
business areas you want to transform 4. Identify short- and long-term goals
(design, manufacturing, etc.) • Based on learnings from your self-
assessment, identify goals for 1, 3,
• Highlight key innovation and impact areas and 5 years - and beyond!
that are easiest for your company • Brainstorm opportunities for action.
• Prioritize and simplify.
3. Create and implement a sustainability
strategy 5. Assess your needs to meet those goals
Creating your company’s brand narrative and • This includes things like tangible
conducting a self-assessment are a great resources,
start. As you move forward, here are some • tools, equipment, staffing, stakeholder
of the basic steps and tools for creating and • relationships, R+D, etc.
implementing a sustainability strategy for • How will those needs be met?
your company: 6. Identify metrics for assessment
1. Commit to improving environmental and • How will environmental, social, and
social performance financial impacts be measured/
2. Form a sustainability team considered?
• To begin, this just needs to be • Create an action implementation
a couple motivated/dedicated table and timeline.
employees. In order to succeed, they
will need explicit support from, and
direct access to, top management.
This team will also require access to
all relevant information.
CFDA.com P. 46
WORKSHEET
Create a company
sustainability strategy cont’d
7. Share and communicate your strategy with
your entire team, your suppliers, the public,
and all extended stakeholders
• Create and share a written company
policy.
• Have written supplier guidelines (like
an RSL list, code of conduct, etc.) to
share with your team, your suppliers,
and the public.
• Design a conscious brand strategy.
This is a vision-based plan articulating
the story of your brand and its
journey to sustainability. For example,
how does your company use
design and the products it creates
to empower, educate, inform, and
catalyze meaningful change?
• Be transparent and publicly report
your progress and challenges.
8. Regularly review your strategy and integrate

new and improved concepts of sustainability
9. Engage and collaborate

• Engage and collaborate with
consumers, civic, social, community,
education, eco/social awareness
raising, philanthropic, design
leadership, activism, brand
partnerships, etc.
CFDA.com P. 47
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Tools to conduct a self-assessment
You can use these tools to B Corp Impact Assessment

measure where you currently
stand:
This Assessment will walk you through a series of questions to help you
learn what it takes to build a better business - better for your workers,
community, and the environment. It takes approximately 30 minutes to get a
quick snapshot, or 2-3 hrs for a full impact report. The results will help you to
determine your strengths and weaknesses as well as to compare your policies
against other companies. They also offer free tools to help you improve your
impact, which can be found here.
Natural Step (ABCD) Method

The A-B-C-D method to applying the Framework for Strategic Sustainable
Development consists of four steps which are repeated as an organization
progresses toward sustainability.
A = Awareness and Visioning
B = Baseline Mapping
C = Creative Solutions
D = Decide on Priorities
HIGG Brand & Retail Module (HIGG BRM)

Businesses of all sizes can use the Higg Brand & Retail Module (Higg
BRM) to measure the environmental and social impacts of their operations
and make meaningful improvements. The Higg BRM also supports these
Higg Index users in sharing sustainability information with key stakeholders,
including supply chain partners.
C2C Certified™ Self Check

Test your products based on the Cradle to Cradle criteria.
CFDA.com P. 48
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Tools to create a roadmap & strategy

for the future
These free tools and guides CFDA Sustainable Strategies Toolkit
can help you create your own
sustainability strategy:
A combination of practical information, resources, research, and exercises
to help brands broaden awareness, deepen knowledge, and develop a
framework for future strategies to incorporate sustainability into their
business model and culture.
Planning for Sustainability: A Starter Guide from Natural Step

This is a compilation of hands-on exercises and worksheets to help
innovators create more elegant, effective, and creative solutions for the
circular economy. Solutions that are invaluable for people, give business a
competitive advantage, and are regenerative for our world. This guide allows
you to explore new ways to create sustainable, resilient, long-lasting value in
the circular economy.
Sustain-Live
Sustain-Live offers a downloadable “Model Sustainability Policy” you can
use here. If you choose to hire them, Sustain-Live can also work with all
your staff to roll out their Sustainability Change Management Process using
trusted and proven methodologies to reorient the vision, goals and guiding
principles of your business or organization toward achieving sustainability.
Based on the business or organizational needs and using scientific
sustainability principles, they identify the relevant issues and goals, working
with the company to develop the most useful framework, criteria and actions
in order to achieve them. Ensuring that the right people, processes and
structures are in place to guarantee success.
PG&E One-pager: Creating a basic green (environmental) policy

An environmental policy is your company’s statement about the
commitment to sustainability and environmental management that your
business is prepared to make. Having a formal environmental policy shows
your employees and customers that managing environmental issues is a high
priority for your company. This PG&E worksheet is a great way to get started.
CFDA.com P. 49
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Tools to create a roadmap & strategy

for the future, cont’d
These organizations will work Fjord
with you to create your own
sustainability strategy:
Fjord drives business value by pivoting a company’s service, product or
entire organization, using a people-focused approach. Through design-led
strategy, Fjord can help to frame why it’s necessary to make such a change,
who for, and how it will make money.
AccountAbility
AccountAbility works with organizations to improve their performance
through their sustainability strategy, the environmental and social impact
of their operations, innovation and growth opportunities, stakeholder
engagement and the reporting of their information. AccountAbility’s
AA1000 Series of Standards are principles-based Standards and Frameworks
used by a broad spectrum of organizations – global businesses, private
enterprises, governments and civil societies – to demonstrate leadership
and performance in accountability, responsibility and sustainability. You can
download their standards here.
The Sustainability Consortium

The basis of the Sustainability Consortium’s measurement and reporting
system are their toolkits, comprised of a category sustainability profile (CSP),
which contains key performance indicators (KPIs), sustainability insights and,
when available, their illustrated supply chain diagrams. They are interactive
tools that highlight environmental and social issues relevant to a product
category, practices that can be used to drive improvement on those issues,
and key performance indicators (KPIs) to track and measure performance
against them. The toolkits are science-based and stakeholder- informed,
including input by companies, academics, civil society organizations, and
government agencies.
CECP: The CEO Force for Good

More CSR than fashion supply-chain specific, CECP’s customized
benchmarking data services go beyond what is available in the self- serve
access system, providing in-depth analyses of additional topics and
insights from CECP’s 15+ years of research. This is an exclusive benefit to
CECP-affiliated companies, evaluating, advising and helping them make
improvements. They advocate for adjustments to budget or staffing levels,
and benchmark programs year-over-year and against peers.
CFDA.com P. 50
Design for
Sustainability
CFDA.com P. 51
D E S I G N FO R S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y
Overview
Good design is sustainable, so sustainability must start with
the designer. The best moment to make low-impact choices about
materials and production is at the beginning of the creative process.
Designers and developers can control upwards of 80 percent of a
product’s environmental impact, according to the Sustainable Apparel
Coalition. There are many creative solutions and paths to sustainability
and the path you choose to take will be unique.
In this section, we provide you with design strategies, solutions, and

tools to help you design with sustainability in mind. The ones you
choose to utilize will vary depending on the specific challenges you
face or specific goals you want to achieve.
CFDA.com P. 52
EILEEN FISHER
“Our goal is
simple: design
without adverse
impacts right
from the start.”
CFDA.com P. 53
WORKSHEET
Sustainable design strategies

Numerous design strategies exist that of this guide for more information.)
can lead to more sustainable business • Consider repurposing materials/
practices and products, which then also deadstock. Ex: Eileen Fisher Remade
lead to greater profitability. Here is a • Use renewable energy sources where
brief overview of ideas to keep in mind. available.
Design to Have Positive Impact Use Fewer Materials

• How is your design making the world • Once fibers are blended, or different
better or solving a problem? materials are mixed together, they
become very difficult to recycle. Create
Design for Circularity products with one material that can
• One current goal for sustainability in be more easily placed in a closed loop
fashion is the creation of a circular recycling system.
product cycle and economy. Circularity, • Design for Disassembly. If a product is
also known as the Cradle to Cradle designed using different materials, allow
approach, is the idea that products not for each element of a product to be
only cause no harm, but actually benefit separated and recycled differently.
people and the environment along the
entire product’s lifecycle. Cradle to Cradle Design for Customization and Multi-Use
proposes a future “where design is a • Create opportunities for the wearer to
positive, regenerative force, producing add personal elements or customize a
effects that we want to expand rather product.
than shrink.” In addition to having positive • Create designs that can be adjusted by
impact, products create no waste - all the wearer to have different fits and/or
materials are either infinitely recyclable or serve multiple functions. For example,
biodegradable. a jacket with layers that can be added
or removed depending on the weather.
Reduce Materials & Waste If one garment serves multiple needs,
• Use less. people don’t need as much stuff.
• Move towards zeo waste at all stages, like
creating zero waste patterns. Design for Durability & Longevity
• Consider a reduction in material weight • Create high quality products with
and size, especially with packaging resources to extend product life through
components. repair + mending services.
Substitute for Better, More Energy Efficient Efficiency for Best Environmental Impact
Materials • Leverage technological and process
• Utilize less toxic, more sustainable innovations to design in solutions with
materials. (See our the Materials section greater efficiency and less impact.
CFDA.com P. 54
WORKSHEET
Sustainable design strategies cont’d

Keep Things Local Plan Ahead
• Reduce transportation and energy • Rushing things can hurt people and the
emissions by working with local suppliers environment at all stages. For example,
and vendors. shipping by sea has less environmental
• Working local also makes it easier to impact than shipping by air, but it takes
understand your social and environmental longer so you have to plan ahead. Doing
impact because you can observe it in your things last minute/rush orders make
local community. factory work flow more volatile, often
extra workers are brought in only as
Consider Using Digital Resources contractors and workers are forced to go
• Transform physical objects into digital into overtime. Planning in advance allows
or virtual information. For example, use for more stable and healthy working
digital 3D visualization technology that conditions, in factories as well as your
minimizes the need to produce samples. own design room.
Give Your Customers Instructions Develop Long-Term Personal Relationships

• Label customer care and end-of-life with Your Suppliers
instructions. • This is better for your suppliers, who have
• Design things to be washed and dried less more stable work. It also gives you better
frequently with less impact, and make insight into your social and environmental
care instructions very clear to consumers. impact and the ability to work with your
suppliers toward improvements.
Design Closed-Loop Systems
• Consider implementing take-back Use Nature as an Inspiration & Guide
programs to take responsibility for the • This concept is also referred to as
reuse and recycling of products you Biomimicry. Not only can this help you
create. innovate smart or beautiful design ideas,
but it also keeps you from forgetting
Generate Financial Value about your connection to nature more
• Produce products that become more generally. If you’re inspired by nature it’s
valuable with time instead of less. harder to hurt nature.
Create Social & Cultural Value Be Authentic

• Desirability & meaning – how will you • Be original! You can be inspired by other
create a strong emotional bond between artists and cultures, but be respectful too.
wearer and product?
• Design products that are needed & useful.
• Design products with cultural vitality.
CFDA.com P. 55
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Tools to help you design for sustainability

Okala Practitioner Guide Global Fashion Agenda Circular Design Toolbox
The Okala Ecodesign Strategy Wheel clusters strategies This toolbox is designed to support fashion brands
according to the stages of the life-cycle of the product. and retailers who would like to explore circular design
Designers can use many of these strategies, or focus on a within their company. It highlights the role design plays in
few. These strategies include both hard and soft aspects creating a circular fashion system and is aimed to redefine
of eco-textile design such as principles of low toxicity, the life cycle of garments by looping them continuously
organics, biomimicry alongside more conceptual ideas like back into the fashion system.
long life and low-launder textiles. The wheel serves as a
powerful brainstorming tool and provides designers with Sustainability Scorecard from California
practical methods for designing products, services, and College of the Arts
systems with low impacts to ecological and human health. A one-page scorecard intended to help evaluate
The Impact Factors LCA was designed for quick decision proposed project solutions across multiple pieces of
making so that ecological impacts can be easily factored sustainability and value creation. The objective is to arrive
into design decisions. Both Okala and Ted Ten provide at a score for each of the strategies with notes about the
an archive of research activity around sustainable textile solution’s impacts. You can use this tool to self-rate the
methodologies and new thinking. positive impacts and performance of your solution. The
scorecard is based on the AIGA Living Principles.
Lunar Elements’ Designer’s Field Guide
to Sustainability Higg Design & Development Module (DDM)
A tool for understanding sustainable product The Higg DDM helps designer and developers create
development and the product life cycle. While not more sustainable garments by scoring apparel, footwear,
a measured index, the Field Guide asks designers to and home textile products early in the design process.
consider the impact of their decisions. The guided (Available to Sustainable Apparel Coalition members only.)
questions focus on four main themes. What is the product
trying to accomplish? How is it brought to life? How is it Ted Ten
used? Where does it end up? A set of practice-based sustainable design strategies
that assist designers in creating textiles that have a
Ideo Circular Design Guide reduced impact on the environment.
A compilation of hands-on exercises and worksheets that
help innovators create more elegant, effective, creative
solutions for the circular economy. This guide presents
solutions that are invaluable for people, give businesses
a competitive advantage, and are regenerative for our
world.
CFDA.com P. 56
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Suggested reading
Books: Fashion & Sustainability: Design for Change

Lynda Grose & Kate Fletcher
Sustainable Fashion & Textiles: Design Journeys

Kate Fletcher
Design is the Problem

Nathan Shedroff
Fashion Fibers: Designing for Sustainability

Annie Gullingsrud
Cradle to Cradle
Michael Braungart and William McDonough
Shaping Sustainable Fashion. Changing the Way We Make and

Use Clothes
Alison Gwilt & Timo Rissanen
Sustainable Fashion: New Approaches

Kirsi Niinimäki
CFDA.com P. 57
Intellectual
property &
cultural
appropriation
Good designers don’t exploit or copy other people. We recommend
checking out these resources to learn more about intellectual property
and cultural appropriation:
• The Fashion Law Institute and Professor Susan Scafidi

Their list of up-to-date articles is pretty amazing
• Timo Rissanen’s Blog

These two posts contain valuable thoughts and links to other great reading:
• Resources on cultural appropriation in fashion
• On inspiration
CFDA.com P. 58
CFDA.com P. 59
People
CFDA.com P. 60
PEOPLE
Overview
You should aim to have a positive impact on all the people and
communities you touch through your work. From your own employees
and your local community, to every worker along your entire product
supply chain and all the different communities those people are a part
of, your customers, those impacted by the disposal of your product,
and more.
Our impact on people can be hard to understand and see. It is

especially hard to measure, and even if something can be measured it
often isn’t. Given the fashion industry’s massive global scope, it is likely
that you don’t know many of the people who touch or are impacted by
your designs.
In this section, we offer some suggestions and tools for thinking about
people on 3 different levels:
1. Your Company
2. Your Community
3. Your Supply Chain
CFDA.com P. 61
H O WA R D S C H U LT Z
“In this ever-changing

society, the most
powerful and enduring
brands are built from
the heart. They are real
and sustainable. Their
foundations are stronger
because they are built
with the strength of
the human spirit, not
an ad campaign. The
companies that are
lasting are those that are
authentic.”
CEO of Starbucks
CFDA.com P. 62
PEOPLE
Your company
It all comes down to company culture. What does company culture
have to do with sustainability? A lot. In order for your company to
succeed on its journey toward sustainability, your whole team needs to
be on board. Sustainability needs to be an explicit company value and
employees at all levels should be encouraged to consider sustainability
in all decision-making.
Company culture is your company’s personality. It determines how

your employees work and interact. In companies with good culture,
employees feel both engaged and valued, with a clear sense of purpose.
Not only does good culture mean happy employees, it means more
productivity, more profits, and competitive advantage. Company Culture
comes from the top. It’s up to you, the designer, and company leaders
to create good culture.
A January 2017 report by Bain & Company, Achieving Breakthrough

Results in Sustainability, found that 98 percent of sustainability
initiatives fail because they do not have senior leadership support to
ensure that the project has adequate resources, that employees are
engaged and supportive, that other priorities don’t get in the way, and
that there are clear metrics for success.
CFDA.com P. 63
BARRY PHEGAN
“A company’s
leader can change
the culture. This
is hard to do —
because cultures
resist change —
but it’s not rocket
science.”
Company culture expert
CFDA.com P. 64
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Tools
Tools to help you create CFDA Sustainable Strategies Toolkit

good company culture:
As annex to the Guide to Sustainability Strategies, the Sustainable
Strategies Toolkit aims to visualize the mapping and framing of
sustainability priorities. The custom toolkit created for the CFDA by
consultant Lauren Croke, formerly of Eileen Fisher, is intended to
facilitate in diagnostics, and provide users with step by step guidance in
the creation of strategic blueprints.
B Lab Best Practice Guides

B Corps are dedicated to creating great places to work. It’s an amazing
resource because it’s all-encompassing (you’ll them in other sections
of this guide). They look at impact in four key areas: governance,
community, workers, and environment. B Lab provides many great free
tools, which you can find here.
CompanyCulture.com Tools for Change

This website created by Barry Phegan contains a complete overview of
company culture – what it is, why it matters, and how to build your own.
It has many useful tools. Some great tools to start include:
• Culture Questionnaire: A brief list of questions to quickly help
everyone understand the work culture and where to focus attention
• 25 Actions to Build Your Culture
CFDA.com P. 65
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Suggested reading
Books on Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant

company culture:
Businessman – Including 10 More Years of Business Unusual
Yvon Chouinard
Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, and Purpose

Tony Hsieh
The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Succesful Groups

Daniel Coyle
Articles on “Six Components of a Great Corporate Culture”

company culture:
Harvard Business Review
“How to Convince Leaders to Invest in Company Culture”

Greg Besner, founder of CultureIQ and professor teaching
Entrepreneurship NYU Stern School of Business
3 Ways to Measure and Mobilize Corporate Culture to Scale

Reports & studies
on company culture: Purpose, Profit
Sustainable Brands
Does Company Culture Pay Off? Analyzing Stock Performance

of “Best Places to Work” Companies
Glassdoor
It’s time we all work happy: The secrets of the happiest

companies and employees
Robert Half
The Power of Purpose: How Organizations are Making Work

More Meaningful
Northwestern University
CFDA.com P. 66
PEOPLE
Your community
It can be easy to get involved in your community, and there are many
benefits. Being involved in your community is good for business.
Creating an employee community service program not only benefits
the community, but it benefits your company as well. For your
employees, it builds teamwork, collaboration, leadership skills and has
been shown to increase both employee performance and satisfaction.
It can also give your business more visibility in the community, which
is good for PR, attracting local talent, and can be a great way to find
business partners.
Another way to contribute to your community is to host or sponsor

a local event. Community events, even ones that seem purely fun or
frivolous, can have vast benefits. They can bring communities together,
support the local economy, raise awareness about an important cause
or issue, and raise the profile of the area.
You can give back to your community though financial contributions

and charitable giving. See the Philanthropy & civic engagement of
this guide. One of the best ways to contribute to your community is to
support local businesses. Read on to learn more.
CFDA.com P. 67
PEOPLE
Supporting small,
local businesses in
your community is
important
Both US policy and sustainability frameworks generally favor large
corporations. But research shows that small, local, independent
businesses create communities that are healthier, more prosperous,
entrepreneurial, connected, and generally better off.
If you are a small business, congratulations! As we pointed out in a previous note, it’s easy to forget
that sometimes bigger isn’t better (especially in our current culture that is obsessed with growth).
Before you decide you need to grow, remember to ask why.
Even if you are a big, multinational corporation, you can still support small, local businesses with a
Local Purchasing Policy - a commitment to give preference to locally produced goods and services,
purchased from a local and independent business, over those produced more distantly.
Click here to see the Institute for Local Self-Reliance’s roundup of the important findings and data
that shows the harms of bigness and the benefits of local ownership.
CFDA.com P. 68
Top Ten Reasons to Think Local – Buy Local – Be Local

As found in the B-Lab guide to create a Local Purchasing Policy
1. Buy Local. 7. Invest in Community.

Support yourself: Several studies have shown Local businesses are owned by people who
that when you buy from an independent, live in this community, are less likely to leave,
locally owned business, rather than nationally and are more invested in the community’s
owned businesses, significantly more of your future.
money is used to make purchases from other
local businesses, service providers and farms 8. Put Your Taxes to Good Use.
-- continuing to strengthen the economic base Local businesses in town centers require
of the community. comparatively little infrastructure investment
and make more efficient use of public services
2. Support Community Groups. as compared to nationally owned stores
Non-profit organizations receive an average entering the community.
250% more support from smaller business
owners than they do from large businesses. 9. Buy what you want.
A marketplace of tens of thousands of
3. Keep Our Community Unique. small businesses is the best way to ensure
Where we shop, where we eat and have fun -- innovation and low prices over the long-
all of it makes our community home. Our one- term. A multitude of small businesses, each
of-a-kind businesses are an integral part of the selecting products based not on a national
distinctive character of this place. Our tourism sales plan but on their own interests and the
businesses also benefit. “When people go on needs of their local customers, guarantees a
vacation they generally seek out destinations much broader range of product choices.
that offer them the sense of being someplace,
not just anyplace.” Richard Moe, President, 10. Encourage local prosperity.
National Historic Preservation Trust. A growing body of economic research shows
that in an increasingly homogenized world,
4. Reduce Environmental Impact. entrepreneurs and skilled workers are more
Locally owned businesses can make more local likely to invest and settle in communities that
purchases requiring less transportation and preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and
generally set up shop in town or city centers distinctive character.
as opposed to developing on the fringe. This
generally means contributing less to sprawl,
congestion, habitat loss and pollution.
5. Create More Good Jobs.

Small local businesses are the largest employer
nationally and in our community, provide the
most jobs to residents.
6. Get Better Service.

Local businesses often hire people with a
better understanding of the products they
are selling and take more time to get to know
customers.
CFDA.com P. 69
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Tools
Tools to implement programs B Resource Guide: Local Purchasing Policy

that benefit your community:
This guide from B-Lab explains explains the benefits of having a local
purchasing policy and provides tips for creating one.
B Resource Guide: Community Service Programs

This guide from B-Lab explains the benefits of having a community
service program for your company. It also provides tools to consider
different models of volunteer programs and identify appropriate
opportunities in addition to examples and other resources.
Local Policy Action Toolkit

This toolkit from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance offers tips for
independent business owners on how to engage with city officials
and persuade them to adopt policies to strengthen and grow local
businesses.
CFDA.com P. 70
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Suggested reading
Articles: “Why Care about Independent, Locally Owned Businesses?”

By Marie Donahue, July 23, 2018, Institute for Local Self-Reliance
“How Community Involvement Programs Can Grow Your

Business”
By the Forbes Human Resources Council, Jun 8, 2017, Forbes
“Study of the Day: Towns With Small Businesses Have

Healthier People”
By Hans Villarica, Feb 29 2012, The Atlantic
“The Power of Giving Back: How Community Involvement Can

Boost Your Bottom Line”
By Lindsat LaVine, June 26, 2013, Entrepreneur
“Worker Passion: How A Culture Of Giving Back Inspires

Something Better Than Engagement”
By Ryan Scott, October 4, 2017, Forbes
“’Conscious Capitalism’ Is Not an Oxymoron”

By John Mackey and Raj Sisodia, Jan 14, 2013, The Harvard Business
Review
CFDA.com P. 71
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Suggested reading
Reports & studies: “Key Studies: Why Local Matters”

By Stacy Mitchell, Jan 8 2016, The Institute for Local Self-Reliance
2017 Deloitte Volunteerism Survey

Deloitte, 2017
Locally Owned: Do Local Business Ownership and Size Matter

for Local Economic Well-being?
By Anil Rupasingha, PhD, August 2013, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
(Community and Economic Development Department)
Wage Inequality and Firm Growth

By Holger M. Mueller, Paige P. Ouimet, and Elena Simintzi, May 2017,
American Economic Review Vol. 107, No. 5
A public health perspective on small business development: a

review of the literature
By Schnake-Mahl, Alina, Jessica A. R. Williams, Barry Keppard, and
Mariana Arcaya, May 15, 2018, Journal of Urbanism: International
Research on Placemaking and Urban Sustainability
The health and wealth of US counties: How the small business

environment impacts alternative measures of development
By Troy Blanchard, Charles Tolbert II, and F. Carson Mencken, March
2012, Cambridge Journal of Regions Economy and Society
Talent Report: What Workers Want in 2012

By Cliff Zukin Mark Szeltner, John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce
Development Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, May 2012,
Net Impact
CFDA.com P. 72
PEOPLE
Your supply chain

One of the biggest challenges as a designer is that the fashion supply
chain can be opaque. As Labour Behind the Label states, “no company
is totally clean or totally dirty.” It is up to you and your company to take
responsibility and do the best you can. Step #1 is transparency.
*Note: Great Video!

The short film Handprint imagines what it would be like if we could connect to the people who
make our clothes, and encourages us to remember them.
CFDA.com P. 73
What are human

rights?
There are internationally recognized norms as established by
the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the United Nations
Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Internationally agreed upon
labor rights include:
• Employment is freely chosen

• Payment of a living wage
• Secure employment
• Safe and healthy working conditions
• Working hours are not excessive and overtime is voluntary
• Freedom from sexual harassment, discrimination or verbal and/or
physical abuse
• Workers are able to speak out and defend and improve their own
labor rights through freedom of association to join a trade join and
bargain collectively
*Note: Child labor is often cited as the worst human rights offense in
the fashion industry. But in reality, child labor can be complicated. You
can read more about it here.
CFDA.com P. 74
CLEAN CLOTHES CAMPAIGN
“A code of conduct can be a strategic

tool for getting companies to comply
with international labour standards.
The CCC has campaigned to hold
companies accountable for promises
they have made in their code of
conduct. While codes of conduct
are no substitute for adequately
enforced protection under national
law, they can offer workers leverage
for demanding better working
conditions and are a first step in the
long road toward eliminating abuses
in the garment industry.”
CFDA.com P. 75
WORKSHEET
How to source ethically

From Labour Behind the Label: The 2. Do your homework:
problems in the garment industry are • Recognise that your supplier may just be
endemic, the solutions more complex telling you what they think you want to
than finding ‘good’ or ‘bad’ suppliers. hear. Taking what your supplier says at face
value means you may not be getting a full
Sourcing ethically is not easy. It means you
picture of what is really happening in the
have to work with suppliers in order to improve
factory.
conditions within the workplaces they use or
• Ensure that you know what legal standards
own. There are certain things you can do and
apply within the country and what
questions you can ask to improve working
international labour standards exist and
conditions. Below are some guidelines on
whether these are being met by your
these. supplier. This is important to ensure
1. The relationship you have with any supplier at least basic working rights are being
respected.
you choose is key:
• Contact local organisations such as trade
• Establishing long term and stable unions and NGOs dealing with workers’
relationships means you are in a better rights issues. This is a good way of gauging
position to work with suppliers to make what issues workers in that region or in
improvements to working conditions. your supplier factory are facing and for
• Work with your supplier to resolve issues example what workers need to earn to
that do come up rather than simply pulling provide for themselves and their families.
your business and moving on. • If possible, visit the factory, both by
• Remember your purchasing decisions appointment and unannounced. Ask about
can impact on working conditions. If health and safety, wages, overtime and
you demand a low price, one of the the presence of a trade union. Emphasize
repercussions could be that workers are that an active trade union would be an
paid a low wage. If you place your orders advantage when you choose a supplier.
too close to the shipping date or demand If you want more advice on this, Labour
late changes to design this might mean Behind the Label can help.
workers have to put in excessive overtime • Again, don’t just assume your supplier
to ensure the order is met. is being completely transparent. If there
• When you are planning orders, consult is a union then try to speak with its
your supplier. Find out how long they need representative outside of the factory
to fulfil an order, when their peak times and independently of the owner. If there
are, what price you need to pay to ensure is no independent union, see if a local
workers can be paid a living wage. You organisation can talk to some of the
should also check your supplier has the workers and report back to you (they may
capacity to meet your order. charge a fee for this).
CFDA.com P. 76
WORKSHEET
How to source ethically cont’d

3. Work with others:
• Find out if your supplier has any kind
of certification, like SA8000. This is no
guarantee of decent conditions, but shows
at least that your supplier is aware that
social concerns may be an issue for their
buyers.
• Find out who the other buyers are at the
factory and contact them to see if you
can work together to improve working
conditions.
• Contact other companies or designers who
are also trying to source ethically.
• You could join a multi-stakeholder initiative
such as the Ethical Trading Initiative or
FairWear Foundation to share learning
between companies taking action to
improve conditions.
CFDA.com P. 77
Efficient doesn’t
necessarily mean better
It is likely that one day we will design our outfit on a device (perhaps
one implanted in our brains) and print it out right on our home 3D
printing machine. This is easier, but is it better?
Where efficiency is good: Efficiency with material inputs like water

and energy is not only good, but vital. We want to use and waste as little
of these precious natural resources as possible.
Where efficiency ≠ good: On the other hand, things become murkier

when it comes to efficiency and people. For example, a 3D knitting
machine is more efficient at knitting a sweater than a person. It may
create less waste and probably measures “better” on a numerical
sustainability measurement scale. But that does not take into account
the human value of the making, the positive impact that handicraft can
bring to communities, that craft’s significance in our culture, or the
final value of the product.
The hardest thing to measure is the human element. On the other side
of efficiency and mass production lie philosophies like Slow Fashion
and Wabi Sabi.
CFDA.com P. 78
Slow fashion
In the words of Kate Fletcher:
• Slow fashion is about designing, producing, consuming and living better. Fashion is not
time-based but quality-based (which has some time components). Slow is not the opposite
of fast – there is no dualism – but a different approach in which designers, buyers, retailers
and consumers are more aware of the impacts of products on workers, communities and
ecosystems.
• The concept of slow fashion borrows heavily from the Slow Food Movement. Founded
by Carlo Petrini in Italy in 1986, Slow Food links pleasure and food with awareness and
responsibility. It defends biodiversity in our food supply by opposing the standardisation of
taste, defends the need for consumer information and protects cultural identities tied to
food. It has spawned a wealth of other slow movements. Slow Cities, for example, design
with slow values but within the context of a town or city and a commitment to improve its
citizens’ quality of life.
• In melding the ideas of the slow movement with the global clothing industry, we build a
new vision for fashion in the era of sustainability: where pleasure and fashion is linked with
awareness and responsibility.
• Slow fashion is about choice, information, cultural diversity and identity. Yet, critically, it
is also about balance. It requires a combination of rapid imaginative change and symbolic
(fashion) expression as well as durability and long-term engaging, quality products. Slow
fashion supports our psychological needs (to form identity, communicate and be creative
through our clothes) as well as our physical needs (to cover and protect us from extremes of
climate).
CFDA.com P. 79
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Tools
Implementing human rights in United Nations (UN) Guiding Principles on Business and
your business:
Human Rights
A foundational UN principle is that business enterprises should respect
human rights. This guide walks you through how to implement the UN
“Protect, Respect and Remedy” framework.
Tools to create a model Clean Clothes Campaign Model Code

Labor Code of Conduct:
The Clean Clothes Campaign considers a code of conduct good if the
scope is clear and it extends to all garment-making units in the entire
subcontracting chain. The CCC’s model code of conduct for the garment
industry is comprised of the core labour standards of the International
Labour Organisation (ILO) and several additional standards. These
include: freedom of association and the right to organise; the right to
bargain collectively; a living wage; maximum limit on hours of work;
healthy and safe working conditions; security of employment; no
discrimination; no forced labour; and no child labour.
The Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) Base Code of Conduct

Based on the standards of the International Labour Organisation (ILO),
this lists the most effective steps companies can take to implement the
Base Code in their supply chains.
Fair Labor Association (FLA Workplace Code of Conduct)

Established in 1999, US-based FLA is a collaborative effort of socially
responsible companies, universities, governments, labor rights groups
and NGOs working to improve working conditions in factories around
the world. They developed a Workplace Code of Conduct, based on
ILO standards, and created a practical monitoring, remediation and
verification process to achieve those standards.
Fair Wear Foundation (FWF) Code of Labour Practices

The FWF is a Netherlands-based NGO that works with companies in the
textile industry to improve labor conditions and examines how brands
are performing against FWF’s Code of Labor Practices, which includes
scores on criteria purchasing practices, monitoring and remediation and
complaints handling.
CFDA.com P. 80
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Tools
Tools to use when working B Lab Guide: Conducting a Supplier Survey

with suppliers:
Conducting a supplier survey is a great way for companies to survey
their current suppliers to see if their business practices match up with
their social and environmental standards. A company may also use this
to evaluate prospective suppliers and decide whether or not they are
a good fit. If a company’s suppliers have goals that are in line with its
own, these suppliers become not only a resource, but also a partner in
furthering the company’s vision.
B Lab Guide: Evaluating Suppliers & Distributors’ Social &

Environmental Practices
As the lifecycles of goods and services includes many stakeholders, it
becomes necessary for a company to ensure that its suppliers and its
distribution channels take into account the social and environmental
impacts of their policies and practices. Having a sustainable supply chain
can reduce potential risks (environmental, reputational, and financial)
and eventually increase profits for all stakeholders. Aligned suppliers
and distributors are those that employ positive social and environmental
practices, such as fair labor and monitoring of energy, water, waste, and
emissions.
B Lab Guide: Stakeholder Engagement

Stakeholder engagement refers to the process by which a company
communicates or interacts with its stakeholders in order to achieve
a desired outcome and enhance accountability. Companies have, to
varying degrees, always engaged with stakeholders in one way or
another. Historically, engagement tended to be more reactive or focused
on risk mitigation. As the corporate social responsibility movement has
grown, companies have become proactive under the assumption that
stakeholder engagement can enhance the sustainability and profitability
of the organization.
CFDA.com P. 81
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Organizations
Human rights & labor ACLU

organizations:
The American Civil Liberties Union is the premier organization in the U.S.
committed to defending the rights given to us in the U.S. constitution.
ACLU is comprised by more than 1.75 million members and thousands
of volunteer and staff attorneys who fight government abuse and defend
individual freedoms , whether the cause in popular or unpopular, such as
speech and religion, woman’s right to choose, the right to due process,
privacy and many more.
Clean Clothes Campaign

The Clean Clothes Campaign is a worldwide alliance committed to
improving garment workers factory environments and protecting them
in the global garment and sportswear industries. CCC is dedicated
to protecting the fundamental rights of workers by educating and
mobilizing consumers, lobbying companies and governments, and
supporting workers in the fight for their rights and better working
conditions.
Ethical Trading Initiative

The Ethical Trading Initiative is an innovative alliance of organizations
that work together to redefine how major companies implement their
codes of labor practice with credibility and in a way that benefits
workers the most. ETI is composed of over 90 member fashion
companies that protect almost ten million workers across the globe.
Fair Labor Association

The Fair Labor Association aims to protect worker’s rights worldwide and
to find sustainable solutions to systematic labor issues. The association
brings together universities, civil society organizations, and companies
in order to implement FLA’S Code of conduct across the supply chains
of various companies. FLA conducts external tests for consumers to
be assured of the integrity of the products they purchase, as well as,
creating a space for society organizations to engage with companies in
order to find quality solutions to labor issues.
CFDA.com P. 82
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Organizations
Human rights & labor Fair Trade Federation

organizations, cont’d:
Fair Trade Federation is a trade association that empowers North American
organizations who are fully committed to the fair trade movement. The
Federation aims to build functional and sustainable partnerships and to
end poverty by valuing labor and the hard work of all people, as well as,
purchasing, producing, and trading products that are solely environmentally
friendly and economically viable.ten million workers across the globe.
Fair Trade USA

Fair Trade USA is a nonprofit organization that encourages the global
movement of Fair Trade by setting standards, certifying, and labeling products
that promote sustainable livelihoods for farmers, workers fishermen,
consumers, industry, and the environment.
Fair Trade Network

The Fair Wage Network advocates for fair wage practices by grouping all
the higher members of the supply chain and committing them to promote
better wage practices and enforcing fair wages for workers on a national and
international level.
Fair Wear Foundation

The Fair Wear Foundation collaborates with fashion brands, industry
influencers, factories, trade unions, and governments to promote fair working
conditions for garment workers in 11 countries in Asia, Europe and Africa.
This Foundation ensures companies follow working condition ethics through
social dialogue and the strengthening of social relations. FWF is composed
of 80 member brands whose products are sold in more than 20,000 retail
outlets worldwide.
Helvetas
Helvetas is a Swiss organization dedicated to helping unfortunate people
around the world. They have helped over three million people by using their
resources in communities to develop insufficient areas such as water and
sanitation, agriculture and nutrition, education, economic development,
democracy and peace, climate and the environment, and disaster relief.
CFDA.com P. 83
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Organizations
Human rights & labor International Labor Rights Forum

organizations, cont’d:
The International Labor Rights Forum is a human rights organization committed
to advocating for the rights and dignity of workers in the global economy. They
enforce labor rights upon global corporations in their supply chains and they
push policies and laws to protect workers. One of their campaigns, SweatFree
Communities, encourages U.S. cities, states and school districts to reform their
policies in order to support goods being made in humane conditions by workers
who are paid fair wages. By taking on a Sweatfree policy, institutions commit to
helping improve conditions for sweatshop workers.
International Labour Organization (ILO)

The ILO is a human and labor rights organization that advocates for the social
justice of all women and men worldwide. It is the only tripartite U.N. agency,
bringing together governments, employers and workers of 187 member States
since 1919 to set labor standards, develop policies and devise programs
promoting decent work for all women and men.
Labour Behind the Label

Labour Behind the Label is a campaign that works to empower garment workers
and improve their working conditions. They advocate for a series of issues
that affect garment workers such as how brands should treat workers, gender,
homeworkers, trade unions, conditions, and wages.
Oxfam
Oxfam is a global organization committed to alleviating poverty, helping the less
fortunate build better futures, holding powerful corporations accountable for
neglectful actions, and to disaster relief. Their mission is to fix the injustice of
poverty by saving lives, creating programs for overcoming poverty and injustice,
campaigning for social justice and public education.
TRAID
TRAID is a charity organization that works to stop clothing from being wasted
away and reducing the environmental and social impacts of clothes. They aim
to do this by increasing clothes reuse in the UK, reducing waste and carbon
emissions, funding international development projects to improve conditions
and working practices in the textile industry, and educating people on the
impacts of textiles on the environment.
CFDA.com P. 84
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Standards & Certifications
Overview of standards:
“Rules of the Game: A brief introduction to International Labour
Standards”
Since 1919, the ILO has maintained and developed a system of international
labor standards aimed at promoting opportunities for women and men to obtain
decent and productive work, in conditions of freedom, equity, security and
dignity. Aimed at a non-specialist audience, this revised publication provides
an introduction to international labor standards and discusses their importance
in today’s global economy, the subjects they cover, how they are applied and
supervised, and where further information can be sought.
Labor standards & Nest

certifications: The Nest Standards for Homes and Small Workshops and Nest Seal of Ethical
Handcraft work together to ensure industry-wide transparency and compliance
for production taking place beyond the four-walled factory.
Fair Trade International

Fairtrade is a global movement for change, represented in the United States by
Fairtrade America. They certify social, economic and environmental standards
that apply to the full supply chain from the farmers and workers, to the traders
and companies bringing the final product to market. They are certified by a third
party accredited certification body FLOCERT.
Fair Trade USA

Fair Trade USA works closely on the ground with producers and certify
transactions between companies and their suppliers to ensure that the
people making Fair Trade Certified goods work in safe conditions, protect
the environment, build sustainable livelihoods, and earn additional money to
empower and uplift their communities. All businesses that work with them
are held to rigorous Fair Trade standards, which drive income sustainability,
community and individual well-being, empowerment, and environmental
stewardship. They certify both cotton growing and cut-and-sew garment
manufacture. Unlike Fairtrade, they will certify just one part of the supply chain,
which is properly labeled on the consumer-facing label. Instead of working with
an existing certification body, Fair Trade USA developed their own standards and
compliance criteria. They are certified by a third party accredited certification
body SCS Global Services (SCS)
CFDA.com P. 85
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Standards & Certifications cont’d
Labor standards &

Fair For Life
certifications:
Fair for Life’s certification system is based on a non product-specified standard.
Most food and non-food commodities alike, including raw materials (like cotton)
in the finished product can be certified. This is perhaps where Fair for Life differs
the most from other certifications. Every step of production can be certified,
including producers, manufacturers and traders, whereas other certifiers
simply certify the finished product or only a couple steps of the production.
Another distinguishing aspect of Fair for Life is that they also certify entire
companies. No other certifier does this. So far there are only a handful, but it
shows an impressive dedication to prioritizing transparency in business at all
levels. You can find out more under “Company Certification” on their website.
They are certified by a third party accredited certification body Institute for
Marketecology (IMO).
World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO)

The WFTO Guarantee System (GS) is a revolutionary Fair Trade system that is
credible, clear, and affordable. Developed by a group of experts in the field of
Fair Trade monitoring and verification, the major aspects in the development of
the GS were credibility, sustainability and robustness of the system. To achieve
these three criteria, the GS has five major components: new membership
admission procedure, Self Assessment Report, Monitoring Audit, Peer Visit,
and the Fair Trade Accountability Watch (FTAW). The FTAW is a participative
monitoring mechanism that allows the public to report compliance issues
regarding Fair Trade Organisations. The GS is not a product certification system.
It is an assurance mechanism that Fair Trade is implemented in the supply chain
and practices of the organisation. Members that passed the GS process attain
the ‘Guaranteed Fair Trade Organisation’ status and may use the WFTO Label on
their products.
Fair Trade Federation

The Fair Trade Federation is a membership organization of businesses who
practice 360° fair trade. FTF membership represents an entire organization, not
just an individual product. This commitment represents a high bar of fair trade,
where each and every business decision is made with the well-being of artisans
and farmers in mind. The Fair Trade Federation is the trade association that
strengthens and promotes North American organizations fully committed to fair
trade.
CFDA.com P. 86
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Labor standards &

Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI)
certifications: The BSCI is a nonprofit set up as an initiative of the Foreign Trade Association, a
global business association for open and sustainable trade that brings together
over 2,000 retailers, importers, brands and associations from more than 40
countries. Th BSCI code of conduct has 11 principles that range from fair
remuneration to no child labor, along with a step-by-step approach that enables
companies to monitor, engage, get empowered and receive support to put
sustainable trade at the heart of their business.
China Social Compliance 9000 for Textile & Apparel Industry

(CSC9000T)
The CSC9000T is a social responsibility management system mostly based on
China’s laws and regulations as well as international conventions and standards
like BSCI. You can read more here.
SA8000
The Social Accountability International standard is one of the world’s first
auditable social certification standards for decent workplaces across all industrial
sectors. It is based on the UN Declaration of Human Rights, conventions of the
ILO, UN and national law, and spans industry and corporate codes to create
a common language to measure social performance. It takes a management
systems approach by setting out the structures and procedures that companies
must adopt in order to ensure that compliance with the standard is continuously
reviewed. Those seeking to comply with SA8000 have adopted policies and
procedures that protect the basic human rights of workers. particular situations.
CFDA.com P. 87
TOOLS & RESOURCES

Agreements: ACT on Living Wages
ACT (Action, Collaboration, Transformation) is an agreement created by global
brands, retailers and trade unions with the purpose to change the garment and
textile industry in order to achieve living wages for every worker in the industry.
The agreement achieves this goal by demanding an industry-wide collective
bargaining which allows workers in the industry to negotiate their wages
regardless of the factory or retailer they work in and/or produce for.
Bangladesh Fire & Safety Accord

The Bangladesh Fire & Safety Accord is a legally binding agreement between
brands and trade unions that works towards creating a Bangladeshi Ready-
Made Garment Industry that is safe, healthy, and abuse-free. The purpose of the
Accords is to create an ethical and responsible working environment that takes
health and safety measures in order for workers to feel safe from fires, building
collapses, or other accidents caused by neglect.
CFDA.com P. 88
Materials
CFDA.com P. 89
M AT E R I A L S
Overview
For most designers, the easiest first step toward sustainability is to
swap out their materials for more sustainable alternatives. We have a
feeling most designers will jump to this section first.
( Just don’t forget that materials are just part of a larger picture, and we
hope you’ll think about the entire lifecycle of your product, if not the
entire system of fashion!)
This section aims to help you understand some general ideas about
how different materials are made and their sustainability impacts. We
also share some resources and tools for choosing more sustainable
materials.
For detailed information about specific materials, please reference our

Materials Index.
CFDA.com P. 90
TEXTILES ECONOMY REPORT 2017
“The industry relies on 98

million tonnes in total of
non-renewable resources
per year. Producing plastic-
based fibres for textiles
uses an estimated 342
million barrels of oil every
year, and the production
of cotton is estimated to
require 200,000 tonnes of
pesticides and 8 million
tonnes of fertilisers
annually.”
CFDA.com P. 91
M AT E R I A L S
Manufactured synthetic
fibers & plastics
really need to take a look at your specific product and its
Synthetic fibers are used more than any function or purpose when deciding which fiber to use.
other fiber. This includes materials like
Despite the negatives mentioned above, sometimes
polyester, nylon, spandex, and most fake synthetic fibers may be the best choice for your design’s
leathers and fur. intended use. For example, synthetic garments can have
special technical or performance functions, require less
Most commonly used synthetic materials today are derived washing, have long durability, or be infinitely recycled like
from crude oil. We call them synthetic, but oil is a natural, in the case of some polyesters (though microfiber shedding
non-renewable resource that we take from the earth. remains an issue).
Materials like crude oil and diamonds take a really long time There are also a number of manufactured synthetic
for nature to produce – we’re talking millions and billions fibers that are not made from virgin crude oil. One
of years – and we’re using them up faster than they can obvious example is recycled polyester, which is growing
be replaced. It may seem crazy to throw diamonds in here, in proportion to virgin polyester (but is still relatively
but the parallels to crude oil are undeniable. They both are negligible in terms of market size). Nylon and Acrylic can
some of the most difficult raw materials to trace back to also be recycled. Biodegradable polymers (also called
their origin and are frequently labeled “conflict” materials. bioplastic) are also made out of materials like corn (which
It’s worth noting that the top sources of crude oil are (in has its own issues in terms of agriculture, GMOs, etc.),
order): Saudi Arabia, Russia, the U.S., China, Iraq, Iran, and castor oil, or even methane.
Canada.
Crude-oil based products are found throughout the fashion
Another serious issue with synthetic fibers are supply chain in places obvious and not-so-obvious. In
microplastics, tiny pieces of fiber which shed mostly addition to materials like fabric and fake leather, they
through washing and then end up in our water. From are used heavily in footwear, eyewear, as rubber, and in
water, microplastics enter our food stream and the air, trims and notions (zippers, buttons, ribbons, elastic, etc.)
so in addition to adding loads more plastic in the ocean Most sewing thread used in today’s market is synthetic
we’re literally eating and breathing it. A number of studies (usually virgin polyester), so often garments sewn out of
have been carried out to better understand the problem 100 percent natural fabrics still contain plastic threads.
and possible solutions, but we are still just beginning to Synthetic plastic fusible or interfacing is often used in
understand the extent of microfiber shedding and are garments to add structure, assist in seam strength and
yet far from understanding impact. A few temporary, construction, or even fuse a seam completely (eliminating
incomplete solutions include the Guppy Friend bag, but the use of thread).
further research is needed to develop fibers or fiber
coatings that prevent shedding, or washing machine and
industrial water treatment filters to capture microfibers.
A number of fiber “ranking” tools rate polyester better than

natural fibers because polyester tends to use less other
stuff (water, additives, dyes, pesticides, etc.). This is true,
but often leaves out some of the big issues above, so you
CFDA.com P. 92
M AT E R I A L S
Natural fibers
Natural fibers include fibers that occur
in nature. They come mostly from
animals and plants, and include fibers
like cotton and wool. When looking at
these raw 2 there are a lot of parallels to
other agricultural products, like food.
For plant fibers, it’s important to think about what goes into
the growing, harvesting, and processing of a crop. Despite
the fact that plants are generally renewable resources,
their production often requires large amounts of water,
chemicals, energy, and transportation across long distances.
Industrial agriculture can have significant negative impacts
on biodiversity, as many natural habitats are plowed
down to make room for farming, not only destroying flora
but displacing fauna as well. Some crops (like a lot of
conventional cotton) can completely destroy soil quality
while others (like hemp) can renew it.
For animal fibers and leather, you have to think about all
the same things as you do for plants, plus more. Most fiber
producing animals eat plants, so you have to think about
how these food plants are grown. For example, in assessing
the sustainability of silk, you have to think about mulberry
tree forestry because that’s what silkworms eat. Whatever
goes into animals also comes out – so any hormones,
antibiotics, plastics, and other drugs and chemicals will go
back into the earth and water, along with the release of
methane.
Leather and fur is often claimed to be a bi-product of the

food industry (thus using something that would already
go to waste), but this is completely unverified. Some
CFDA members do use verified bi-products – for example,
Brother Vellies. Animal products can also find their ways
into fashion supply chains in sneaky places, like in glues
or dyes. Regardless of the material, animal welfare is
abhorrent in the fashion supply chain, so transparency and
use of standards and guidelines are key when working with
animal products. Some designers choose to forego animal
products all together, but this comes with its own tradeoffs
as replacements are usually made from plastic.
CFDA.com P. 93
M AT E R I A L S
Manufactured regenerated
natural fibers
There are more sustainable alternatives to turn trees into
A lot of people think of fibers like rayon pulp, including non-toxic solvents and some mechanical
as synthetic, but these fibers actually breakdown processes (though mechanical processes can
require high energy use). It turns out it is not the type of
come from trees. fiber that determines its sustainability per-say, but the
manufacturer. Rayon (also called viscose), bamboo, cupro,
Trees are cut down, turned into a pulp (sometimes in the modal, and lyocell can all be produced in better or worse
same facilities where pulp is made for paper), and shot ways - none are inherently sustainable.
out of spinnerets. In terms of tree farming, the same
things apply as with plant fibers above. But the reality is One example is the company Lenzing, which produces
that many of the trees used for fiber are deforested from TENCEL® brand lyocell and modal. Lenzing follows robust
natural forests, including those that are ancient and even environmental policies that make it a more sustainable
endangered. choice in this category, it also owns a significant amount of
its supply chain and can control more factors, including the
Here are some important facts from CanopyStyle, an sustainable harvesting of FSC Certified trees and the use of
organization working to protect the world’s forests: less toxic solvents.
• More than 150 million trees are logged every year
and turned into cellulosic fabric – if placed end to end
those trees would circle the earth 7 times.
• Between 2013 and 2020, it is expected that the
number of trees being logged every year and turned
into fabric such as viscose will have doubled.
• Dissolving-pulp (the base material for rayon/viscose)
wastes approximately 70 percent of the tree and is a
chemically intensive manufacturing process.
• Less than 20 percent of the world’s ancient forests
remain in intact tracts large enough to maintain
biological diversity.
• Forests in Indonesia, Canada’s Boreal and temperate
rainforests, and the Amazon are being logged for next
season’s fashion and apparel.
The breakdown of trees into pulp can require large amounts

of chemicals and energy. So even if the tree is sustainable
to grow, it might not be sustainable to process. Bamboo is
a common example where people assume that just because
it’s more sustainable to grow (requires very little water
and no chemicals to grow lots of fiber) that it’s a more
sustainable choice. It’s not necessarily, in fact, most of the
time toxic chemicals are used to break it down.
CFDA.com P. 94
M AT E R I A L S
Circular materials
The current buzzword in sustainable fashion is circularity. This
implies that no waste is created; all materials are either infinitely
recyclable or biodegradable. Circular products should not only cause
no harm, but should benefit people and the environment along the
product’s entire lifecycle.
The movement toward circularity is incredibly exciting, something

that we should all be supporting and working toward. Unfortunately,
this is not yet a reality beyond small pilot projects. You can start
changing this now!
According to A New Textiles Economy Report 2017, 53 million tons of fiber are produced for clothing
each year. Only 3 percent comes from recycled material (and only one percent comes from recycled
clothing materials, the other two percent comes from other industries). The remaining 97 percent of
virgin materials are mostly plastic at 63 percent, cotton at 26 percent, and everything else falls into
the last 11 percent. You can read more about circularity innovations in the End of Use, Reuse, and
Recycling section of this guide. But at present this solution is largely unattainable.
CFDA.com P. 95
M AT E R I A L S
Innovative &
high tech fibers
There is a lot of innovation taking place in fashion materials. From
“smart” textiles, to recycled and recyclable textiles, and materials
created out of waste, there is so much be excited about!
In many cases, solutions have been figured out and it’s a question of
scaling new technologies. We hope that designers will get inspired and
apply their creative genius as early adopters of these future materials!
There are multiple organizations supporting this kind of work,

including:
• AFFOA (Advanced Functional Fabrics of America)

• DESCIENCE
• Fabtextiles Project
• FIA (Fashion Innovation Alliance)
• Future Tech Lab
• New York Fashion Tech Lab
CFDA.com P. 96
ANNIE GULLINGSRUD
“There is no single
solution to sustainable
fiber selection. Each
fiber has different
impacts at different
points in the life cycle,
and appropriate (and
actionable) responses
can be complex…
Tradeoffs are
inevitable.”
Fashion Fibers: Designing for Sustainability
CFDA.com P. 97
WORKSHEET
Questions to ask for all materials

These questions can be used when their waste contaminating water sources?
considering any material. In addition • Will the material require large amounts of
to fashion materials, this includes water in terms of consumer care?
packaging, disposable cutlery, paper Energy
and any materials you might use in your
• Where does your energy come from?
business.
• Is it renewable?
Raw Materials • How much energy does it take to create a
• What raw materials go into making a material? Can this be reduced?
• How much energy will that material require
material or product? when the product is 1) in use and 2)
• Where do they come from? disposed of/recycled?
• What impact does the cultivation/
extraction of that raw material have on Air
1) the environment, 2) wildlife, and 3) the • What is the carbon footprint of a material?
communities where it comes from? Are you measuring this?
• What processes does a raw material go • Are any other parts of the process sending
through before it becomes useful to you? pollution into the air?
What gets added or taken away (and from • Is air safe for workers to breath in the
where does that stuff come and to where fields/mines/factories/mills/refineries/etc.
does it go)? where your material is produced?
• Be thoughtful about the intended use of • How much travel is required between all
your product. Are you using the material the different phases of production? Can
the best suited for your product over its you reduce this?
entire lifecycle - production, use, and end-
Chemicals
of-life?
• What chemicals go into the making of a
Water
material? (Don’t forget, these aren’t just
• How much water is used in the cultivation/ synthetic, nature produces some harmful
extraction and processing of the material? chemicals too!)
• Where does the water come from? • Are these chemicals harmful to the
• Do you have a way to measure quantity environment or people along any part of a
and quality of water coming in and going product’s lifecycle?
out? • Where does the chemical come from? How
• How much water is wasted? Can it be is it made? Who makes it? Chemicals are
recycled? made out of raw materials, so don’t forget
• Is your wastewater clean? to ask all the raw materials questions for
• Is the process happening near any water those too.
sources (groundwater, lakes, etc.)? Is your • Do you use a Restricted Substances List?
process affecting that water in any way? (If not, you should consider creating and
• If your raw material involves animals, is using one.)
CFDA.com P. 98
WORKSHEET
Questions to ask for materials all

cont’d
Waste • Are working conditions safe?
• Are your customers safe?
• What raw materials go into making a
material or product? • Do workers have the resources they need
• What are the bi-products of producing that for them and their families to live healthy
material? lives?
• Where does that waste material go? Can it • Is there gender equality and empowerment
be used for something else? If not, how is for women?
it disposed of? • We have a tendency to think of just the
• What kind of packaging is being used and people with whom we work directly, but
discarded? we need to think of entire communities,
which are often effected by environmental
Biodiversity
pollution, cycles of poverty inflicted by
• Does the cultivation/extraction and
poor labor practices, and more.
processing help to maintain biodiversity
• Does your supply chain have a negative
and preserve the many different species of
impact on human health? (For example, if
plants and animals? (For example, the use
your dye process is polluting ground water
of GMO crops hinders biodiversity).
and rivers you are hurting the health of
• How does the material impact natural
entire communities, not to mention entire
habitats along all stages of it’s lifecycle:
ecosystems).
cultivation/extraction, processing, use,
• How does your supply chain impact urban
disposal, and everything in between?
migration? (Which can also mean the
People destruction of smaller communities, rural
• Think about all the people that play a part life and artisanship, or the creation of vast
in that material’s lifecycle, including your urban slums that encourage dangerous
employees, your local community, every living situations).
worker along your entire product supply
chain (raw material, fiber processing, dye,
manufacturing, shipping, retail, etc.), all the
different communities those people are a
part of, customers/consumers.
• Do you really know who all of them are?
• Do workers in your supply chain have
good, stable income (a true living wage, not
just the national minimum wage)?
• Are workers empowered? Do they have
a voice in the workplace, the right to
organize, and equal opportunity?
CFDA.com P. 99
NOTE
Don’t just trust any

“ranking” system
Sustainability ranking tools and resources can be extremely helpful,
but use them with caution. Consider any given score/number/rating as
a guideline, or “things to think about”. A given ranking or preference
may or may not be relevant for what you’re making and could even be
dangerous or misleading. Whether a fiber is better or worse depends
on many different factors, which are based specifically on your unique
supply chain and purpose.
For example, organic cotton may be more sustainable than BCI cotton, but if BCI cotton is grown
locally and organic cotton has to be flown thousands of miles by air, the “more sustainable” fiber in
your case might be the BCI cotton.
The most accurate way to measure “better” and “worse” is to conduct a LCA for each material you’re
considering. Even then, a certain amount will be up to your personal value judgment since certain
things are impossible to quantify, for example the true impact of procuring oil from the earth, or the
impact of a material on communities.
CFDA.com P. 100
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Sustainable material guides & ranking resources
These resources Fashion Fibers: Designing for Sustainability

recommend and/or rank
materials in terms of
This book by Annie Gullingsrud is an accessible reference tool to learn how to
sustainability: make decisions to enhance the sustainability potential in common fibers used in
the fashion industry. Drawing upon the cradle to cradle philosophy and industry
expertise, the book introduces readers to the fundamentals of fiber production and
the product life cycle.
Textile Exchange Preferred Fiber & Materials (PFM)

The Textile Exchange describes a Preferred Fiber or Material (PFM) as ecologically
and/or socially progressive, with more sustainable properties in comparison to
conventional options. “Socially” progressive covers both human and animal welfare.
You can access this report for free, but one of the great benefits of being a member
of the Textile Exchange is that in addition to supporting their good work they
connect you directly with suppliers of more sustainable fabrics.
Made-By Environmental Benchmark for Fibres

The Made-By Environmental Benchmark for Fibres compares the environmental
impact of the most commonly used fibers in the garment industry. Made-By was
a not-for-profit organization with a mission to ‘make sustainable fashion common
practice’ that closed in 2018, but this resource is still valuable.
Common Objective (CO)

CO is an intelligent business network for the fashion industry. They provide a
wealth of information about commonly used fibers and fabrics in their Resources
directory.
Higg Material Sustainability Index (Higg MSI)

The HIGG MSI is a great tool to measure material sustainability. It’s best used as
a LCA (life-cycle analysis) tool, not a guide. The beauty of this ranking system is
as a measurement tool, use it to calculate sustainability for your specific supply
chain and compare it to the rest of the industry. Avoid looking at the general, open
access rankings when selecting materials because it may be completely inaccurate
for your specific supply chain.
Fashion Positive Tools

CO is an intelligent business network for the fashion industry. They provide a
wealth of information about commonly used fibers and fabrics in their Resources
directory. For example, this video on how to Make Fashion Materials for the
Circular Economy.
CFDA.com P. 101
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Resources for sourcing new Nest

sustainable fabrics:
Nest is a non-profit organization working to build a new handworker economy to
* We try to avoid increase global workforce inclusivity, improve women’s wellbeing beyond factories,
recommending specific and preserve important cultural traditions around the world. Nest matches
vendors since we couldn’t
craftspeople and designers directly, ensuring transparency, sustainability, and
possibly include everyone.
The suppliers listed here are stunning collaborations.
fabric libraries or vendors
specifically focused on Le Souk
sustainability or have direct
relationships with artisans. Le Souk allows designers to browse collections from mills & tanneries online and
order swatches or sample and production yardage. Le Souk was born out of a
commitment to provide a cost-effective marketing platform for organic and fair
trade suppliers around the world. Today, they are committed to working with mills
and tanneries that are more socially compliant and environmentally responsible.
Piece & Co
Piece & Co works to build long-term partnerships with artisan groups and small
businesses around the world with social and environmental sustainability at the
core. Their goal is to create a global supply chain of sustainable jobs, they currently
claim a network of 5,000 artisans across 16 countries have made a best in class,
socially responsible supply chain of textile and product manufacturing.
C.L.A.S.S. Material Hub

C.L.A.S.S. (Creativity, Lifestyle And Sustainable Synergy) provides resources for
smart material innovation, sourcing, education, marketing and communication.
Their collection of materials (fibers, yarns, polymers, and finishing, printing,
and dyeing processes) are at the forefront of responsible material technology,
sustainability, and innovation.
The Sustainable Angle Future Fabrics Expo

An online destination to discover a curated range of sustainable fabrics, and
information regarding sustainability issues in the textile industry, rigorously
researched throughout the year by the nonprofit The Sustainable Angle. They also
host an annual Future Fabrics Expo event that features thousands of commercially-
available fabrics and materials from suppliers who are offering innovative solutions
with a lower environmental footprint.
Global Organic Textile Standards (GOTS) Public Database

This is a list of all GOTS certified organic textile producers. It’s a bit cumbersome to
sort through, but contains a wealth of supplier information.
CFDA.com P. 102
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Resources for sourcing Ragfinders in LA

deadstock fabrics:
This LA-based warehouse contains thousands of left-over, discarded bolts of fabric
in small and large quantities. Ragfinders is offline, but you can find them at 784 S
San Pedro St, Los Angeles, CA 90014 or reach them by phone at (213) 489-1732.
Queen of Raw
Factories, brands, and retailers post their unused fabric on Queen of Raw.
Designers find the fabric they are looking for, regardless of their location, and buy
it with the click of a button straight from the suppliers. And if those designers don’t
end up using all that fabric, they can sell it back on Queen of Raw, keeping unused
resources out of landfills and injecting them back into the economy.
CFDA.com P. 103
NOTE
Coming soon!
In the future, you’ll be able to connect with sustainable material
suppliers through the CFDA Production Directory.
The CFDA Production Directory is comprehensive directory of

production facilities for both sewn goods and jewelry in New York City
the Greater Los Angeles area.
The production directory helps create more clear connections between

fashion designers and local manufacturers. Search nearly 200 listings
and use a range of customizable sorting capabilities to find exactly the
service, product, category, or sample/production minimum you need.
CFDA.com P. 104
Materials
Processing &
Manufacturing
CFDA.com P. 105
M AT E R I A L S P RO C E S S I N G & M A N U FAC T U R I N G
Overview
We often think of sustainable fabrics as those that are made out of
more sustainable materials. But the many steps that happen between
raw material cultivation and a finished fabric or garment component
can have significant impact on people and the environment. This part
of the process is called materials processing.
For most fashion materials, fiber is processed and spun into a

yarn, which then gets woven into cloth. After a material is woven or
made, additional processing involves multiple stages. Many of these
processes includinge water and liquid solutions, referred to as “wet
processing”. Each step could take place at different facilities, or may be
part of one vertical facility.
Manufacturing usually refers to the assembly of finished materials and components to create a final
product, but can also include wet processing. The same tools and resources can be used to measure
environmental impact in materials processing and manufacturing facilities.
In this section you will learn about what goes into materials processing, as well as tools to help you
implement more sustainable practices.It is important to note that a significant factor in materials
processing and manufacturing has to do with the facility itself. To implement sustainability at the
building level please see Sustainable Buildings & Offices of this guide.
CFDA.com P. 106
NRDC CLEAN BY DESIGN
“Eco-fiber section can make a

big difference in lowering the
environmental footprint of a
garment or collection. However,
fibers must be woven/ knitted, dyed,
and finished before they become
fabric. All of these processes have
negative environmental impact,
and the size of the total production
impacts is determined by the
efficiency of the factories that dye
and finish fabrics, as well as the
fiber type. For example, although
organic cotton is a natural fiber, the
impacts of dyeing it are higher than
the impacts of dyeing polyester.”
CFDA.com P. 107
WORKSHEET
Implementing sustainability at
production facilities
1. Get to know your suppliers! 3. Assess your suppliers
Most importantly, get to know your suppliers! Has Your Supplier Already Completed an
This includes farms, slaughterhouses, mills, dye Assessment?
houses, tanneries, chemical suppliers, mines, First, you should ask the facility if they
etc. Every place touched by your product. Visit have already done environmental or social
the facilities, see the process in person, and assessments. If they are already measuring
establish a personal relationship. and providing information to other companies,
perhaps there is no need to ask them to do it
2. Create a code of conduct & RSL to again.
share with suppliers
Develop environmental and social guidelines Choose the Best Approach
to share with suppliers and stakeholders. This There are multiple ways to assess a supplier:
should include: • You can start with something as simple as
a basic, one-page questionnaire. Even just
Create a Code of Conduct a few answers can give you great insight
A code of conduct is a document outlining your into a facility’s values and practices.
company’s position on labor and environmental • The supplier can use a self-assessment
values and policies you hope to be tool. The Higg tools are a great place to
implemented in all facilities you work with. This start measuring sustainability performance.
document can be shared with your suppliers, (Apparel, footwear, and home textiles
partners, and all stakeholders (including on manufacturers have the unique option
your website). of using the Higg Index without joining
the Sustainable Apparel Coalition. For a
There are many templates and examples fee of $85 per year, any manufacturing
of Codes of Conduct that exist. Two great facility can access and use the Higg Index
examples include the LVMH Supplier Code of Facilities environmental and social modules
Conduct and Kering Sustainability Principles. online.)
• You can pay a third party to do an official
Create a Restricted Substances List (RSL) assessment.
An RSL is a list of harmful or illegal chemical *Please note that in order to measure
substances often found in the apparel supply environmental impact, the right equipment is
chain that are either prohibited or limited. needed. This includes meters and tools to track
water, steam, and electricity consumption at
There are multiple tools and existing RSLs that the process and equipment level. If the facility
can help you to develop your own and enforce doesn’t have these, work with your suppliers to
it, including those from ZDHC, GOTS, and install them.
bluesign®.
CFDA.com P. 108
WORKSHEET
Implementing sustainability at
production facilities cont’d
If You Can Ask Nothing Else of a Manufacturer, For Wet Processes: Is all wastewater that is
Ask These Questions: produced at your site being treated with primary
According to the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, and secondary treatment? Do you monitor the
these are the critical questions to determine quantity and quality of wastewater produced at
if your manufacturer does basic sustainability your site?
management (beyond artisan production). • Behind this Q: If the facility has wet
processes and isn’t managing and
Has your facility been in compliance with all legal monitoring its wastewater it’s not a
requirements/permits within the last 12 months? responsible actor. Also it can be an
• Behind this Q: Whether or not the indication of sound chemical management
manufacturer has a formal process • How to use this info: You can’t make
for complying with local and national sustainable products if your wet processes
environmental laws aren’t treating their wastewater. Period.
• How to use this info: If the facility isn’t
complying with local laws it is unlikely to 4. Help Your Suppliers Create a
be a solid sustainability actor Sustainability Roadmap, and Work With
Them Over Time
Does this site track and measure, at least
annually, energy use from all sources, including Provide Your Supplier With Support
energy used on-site (direct) and purchased Based on the results of the assessment, look
energy (indirect)? Do you set and review at least at areas where improvement can be made.
annually improvement targets for reducing Support the facility to create a Sustainability
energy use (including fuel use for on-site Strategy with specific timeline and measurable
transportation if applicable)? goals.
• Behind this Q: While energy isn’t the
Good Work Should be Rewarded
greatest area of risk, managing it well will
The best way to reward suppliers is
yield financial returns for the manufacturer.
with increased business and long-term
Sophisticated and well managed facilities
commitments. If possible, provide other
manage their energy well and this is a
incentives (financial or community benefits).
good indicator of overall sustainability
performance.
• How to use this info: If you are looking to
see whether or not your manufacturer is
sophisticated about sustainability, energy
management indicates they are moving in
the right direction but shouldn’t be used
on its own.
CFDA.com P. 109
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Tools
Tools to measure chemical Higg Facility Tools (Higg FEM) from the Sustainable Apparel
and toxicity:
Coalition
This tool includes green-chemistry considerations, and recognizes many
existing green-chemistry certifications. The Higg FEM measures:
• Environmental management systems
• Energy use and greenhouse gas emissions
• Water use
• Wastewater
• Emissions to air (if applicable)
• Waste management
• Chemical use and management
CHEM-IQ
Developed by VF Corp with NRDC, Chem-IQ tests samples for the
presence of 400 chemicals; if the samples are above set levels, VF Corp
works with suppliers to optimize the chemistry.
GreenScreen for Safer Chemicals

Focuses on hazard profiling (only) of chemicals, and on developing
alternatives to the most objectionable.
The Sustainability Consortium

The Sustainability Consortium focuses on optimizing chemistry to
reduce water pollution, as well as on reducing water and energy
consumption.
MaterialWise
With this free tool you can screen the substances in your product
against authoritative lists that identify known human health and
environmental hazards. You can also reference restricted substance lists
to check for compliance with certification and preferred purchasing
programs.
CFDA.com P. 110
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Tools
Restricted substances lists: The Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC)

Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (MRSL)
The ZDHC Program is a collaboration of brands, value chain affiliates,
and associate contributors committed to advancing towards zero
discharge of hazardous chemicals in the textile, leather, and footwear
value chain, thereby reducing harm to the environment and human well-
being.
Bluesign® Restricted Substances List

The bluesign® system eliminates harmful substances right from the
beginning of the manufacturing process and sets and controls standards
for an environmentally friendly and safe production. They certify
products, all of which adhere to their RSL, though this is just one aspect
of the certification.
Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)

The GOTS Standard lists all substances prohibited in Organic
certification. It lists them by stage, which is helpful to understand where
to watch out for toxic substances in your supply chain. It also lists what
is allowed, so it can help serve as a guide for better alternatives.
American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) RSL

The AAFA RSL focuses on what substances are illegal, which doesn’t
necessarily cover all substances which are toxic. It’s intended to provide
apparel and footwear companies with information related to regulations
and laws that restrict or ban certain chemicals and substances in finished
home textile, apparel, and footwear products around the world.
CFDA.com P. 111
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Standards and certifications bluesign®

for materials processing:
The bluesign® system reduces the environmental impact concerning the entire
textile supply chain, helping to eliminate harmful substances from the very
beginning. With its holistic approach the Input Stream Management provides an
efficient solution for chemical suppliers, textile and accessories manufacturer as
well as fashion brands. The bluesign® system is based on five principles:
1. Resource productivity
2. Consumer safety
3. Water emission
4. Air emission
5. Occupational health & safety
Cradle to Cradle Certified™ (C2C)

The C2C Certified Products Program aligns with the goals of all the programs
above, specifically in promoting safe chemistry; however, it goes deeper into the
supply chain, and integrates “design for next use” into the chemistry itself.
Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)

GOTS is recognized as a leading standard for textiles made from organic fibers.
It covers textile processing, manufacturing, packaging, labeling, exportation,
importation and distribution. The GOTS quality assurance system is based on
on-site inspection and certification of the textile processing and trade chain. In
particular operators from post-harvest handling up to garment making as well as
traders up to the import stage have to undergo an on-site annual inspection cycle
and must hold a valid certification as prerequisite in order for final products to be
labelled as GOTS certified.
Oeko-Tex® Standard 100

A worldwide consistent, independent testing and certification system for raw,
semi-finished, and finished textile products at all processing levels, as well as
accessory materials used. The tests for harmful substances cover:
• Legally banned and controlled substances
• Chemicals known to be harmful to the health (but not yet legally controlled)
• Parameters for health protection
• Taken in their entirety, the requirements go far beyond existing national
legislation.
CFDA.com P. 112
EXAMPLE
Greenpeace Detox Fashion

Campaign
Since July 2011, the Detox campaign about the hazardous chemicals used and
has mobilized hundreds of thousands of discharged when making their products.
people around the world to challenge major
clothing brands to eliminate all releases Major Fashion brands need to “walk the talk”
of hazardous chemicals from their supply
chains and products. Read more about it Adopting clear and ambitious deadlines by
here. Greenpeace asks of clothing companies when they will have eliminated all releases of
to adopt a credible, individual and public the different types of hazardous substances,
commitment to phase out the use and release with priority chemical groups for elimination
of all toxic chemicals from their global supply including alkylphenols and perfluorinated
chain and products, by 1 January, 2020. chemicals. A comprehensive `blacklist´ of
hazardous chemicals for elimination and
In order to be credible, the commitment setting deadlines in the near future that are
needs to be based on three fundamental based on the precautionary principle should
principles: be established.
1. Zero discharge of all hazardous chemicals Brands need to require their suppliers to
This means really eliminating all releases: disclose the quantities of hazardous chemicals
whether via waste water pipe discharges, released, in a fully transparent and accessible
other production emissions (e.g. air and solid way. This needs to begin with facilities in the
wastes) or later life “losses” from the final Global South, in countries such as China.
product -- recognizing that there are no
environmentally safe levels for hazardous Publicly demonstrating to others how they
substances. are making the transition to non-hazardous
chemical use so that their process and steps
2. Prevention and Precaution can be followed.
This means taking preventative action
towards the elimination of hazardous
chemicals in the face of scientific uncertainty.
This should be focused on elimination at
source through substitution with sustainable
alternatives or even product redesign.
3. Right to know
This means that brands and their supply
chains need to be fully transparent and that
they need to publicly disclose information
CFDA.com P. 113
What is materials
processing?
In the words of Annie Gullingsrud, from the book Fashion Fibers:
Designing for Sustainability, “These days, garments are almost always
dyed or printed, bleached, or washed in order to give them a more
desirable, aged, or unique look. Processing is also the most often ignored
when it comes to considering the environmental impacts of fashion
design… which is understandable given that sometimes these processes
and finishes account for an overall low percentage by weight of the final
garment. What might be surprising is that processing methods can produce
some pretty significant negative ecological impacts to the planet and the
communities surrounding the factories that process our clothes.” (The
book lays out a fantastic overview of materials processing stages
and their impacts, along with the recommended techniques and
alternatives to mitigate or circumvent these potential impacts - we
highly recommend it.)
CFDA.com P. 114
M AT E R I A L S P RO C E S S I N G
Fiber & yarn processing

At this phase, you should generally think about:
Processing at this level includes prep-
aration of the fiber, spinning or making Water: This part of the process can use a lot of water.
it into yarn, and preparing the yarn for
Energy: This phase of the process can be very energy
fabrication (making it into fabric). intensive depending on the type of machinery used.

“A yarn is a continuous strand of textile fibers, filaments, Chemicals: Natural or synthetic lubricants and oils can be
or materials in a form suitable for knitting, weaving, or added during the spinning process to reduce friction.
otherwise intertwining to form a textile fabric.” (ASTM
definition) Generally, less processing is required for Air: In addition to carbon impact and air pollution, at the
synthetic fibers. An exception to this can be when they first stage yarn processing produces a huge amount of
are blended with natural fibers. Natural fibers require a airborne contaminants like dust and fiber bits. Good dust
lot more steps, including growing, harvesting, cleaning, control systems should be in place in facilities.
packaging, and shipping.
Waste: A large amount of waste is produced during
Fibers and yarns can be processed in many different ways opening, carding, and combing, including short fibers, dirt,
to create different kinds of yarn, but generally they are and other debris. This waste can be utilized in a number
cleaned, aligned, bended, and twisted. Multiple dry and of ways, for example dirt and plant debris can be used as
wet processes can include opening, carding, drawing, and compost, and short fibers can be recycled into alternative
combing, among others. yarns or products.
Once spun, yarn is wound onto bobbins to be transferred People: In addition to the good labor practices that should
to a mill. We won’t go into all the different types of yarn be applied at every stage of production, specific health and
production here. As you can imagine, it is quite complex safety issues arise during yarn processing. For example,
and technical and varies greatly depending on fiber type, machine rotors can work at such high speeds that the
intended use, and style. That said, you should try to find out sound of them can cause hearing loss. Workers should wear
exactly how your yarn is made as it is not only a question gear that protects their ears and ensures they don’t inhale
of sustainability, but a question of quality (like pilling, for airborne contaminants.
example).
To learn in depth about textiles, what they’re made of, all

the different fiber processes, the types and techniques
of yarn production, and much more, we recommend Sara
Kadolph’s textbook Textiles. A timeless resource for any
professional in the industry, the Twelfth Edition has been
updated to discuss sustainability, technological advances,
and new career opportunities in the textile industry.
CFDA.com P. 115
Weaving, knitting &

other fabrication methods
Threads undergo a lot of tension and abrasion during Fabrics From Yarns
weaving and knitting. In order to prevent the threads from • Braids: Includes things like shoelaces, sennit, and
breaking under this pressure, some or all of the yarn is horsehair. Often used for trims, coverings, or technical
given a protective coating before it is threaded into the applications.
loom or machine. This process is called sizing. Sizing can • Lace: Complex hand or machine made.
contain natural starches, synthetic resins (polyvinyl and • Embroidery: In addition to being used for surface
polyacrylamide), metal-to-fiber lubricant, preservative, decoration, can be used to create textiles using aramid,
defoamer, and more. After weaving, it is removed in a carbon, PBO, glass, resin and more.
desizing process. Sizing often uses large amounts of
energy, chemicals, and water. Knitting and weaving oils Composite Fabrics
can contain harmful heavy metals. Sizing agents allowed • Coated Fabrics: A textile fabric with a polymer film
in the GOTS global organic standard include starch, (often PVC, neoprene, and polyurethane). The film can
starch derivatives, other natural substances and CMC be adhered to the fabric multiple ways, for example
(carboxymethylcellulose). Below is a list of other fabrication adhesive or heat.
methods used: • Poromeric (Microporous) Fabrics: Thin, micropourus
films that allow water vapor but not liquid to pass
Fabrics From Solutions through. Made from polytetraflouroethylene (Gore-
• Films: Include materials like latex, chloroprene, and Tex), polyester, or polyurethane.
vinyl. Most are made from vinyl or polyurethane • Suedelike Fabrics: Includes things like Ultrasuede and
solutions. Ultraleather. “Microdenier fibers and polyurethane
• Foams: Include things like molded bras or shoulder solution are mixed together, cast on a drum, then
pads, or laminated to other fabrics to provide thickness napped on both sides.”
and warmth. Most are made from polyurethane, but • Flocked Fabrics: Short, straight natural or synthetic
they can also be made from soy-based foam or rubber. fibers are applied to the surface of an already-finished
base material, usually with synthetic adhesives like
Fabrics From Fibers acrylic, nylon, or polyester.
• Nonwoven or Fiberweb (not made from yarn): Include
things like felt, tapa cloth. Fibers (any can be used, both Tufted-Pile Fabrics
natural and synthetic) are laid out, bonded together, • Yarns are stitched on top of an existing base fabric.
and then strengthened to become fabric (using Laminates
needling, chemical compounds, adhesives, or heat). • Adhesive or foam are used to bind two layers of fabric
• Fiberfill: Not a fabric, includes batting, wadding, and together. Often called interfacing or fusible.
fiberfill used in snowsuits and quilted materials, for
example. Often made out of polyester, but can be Stitch Bonded Fabrics
made out of other materials like waste fiber (wadding), • Knit-through fabrics: Fibers or yarns are knitted around
new fibers (batting), or down. laid yarns, kind of like basket making.
• Quilted fabrics: Two layers of fabric with batting or
fiberfill in between, all stitched together.
CFDA.com P. 116
Pretreatment
• Bio-polishing: Removing surface fuzz with an enzyme
After a fabric is woven and before treatment. An alternative to singeing. While it often
it receives treatments it is often enhances the appearance of a fabric, it also makes it a
referred to as “greige” or “raw”. It little weaker.
• Bleaching: Removes uneven natural color. Different
has a fiber’s natural color, smell, and bleaches are used on different fiber types. Peroxide
other impurities; both natural and bleaches are common for natural fibers. (Peracetic
bleaching is a more sustainable option (lower energy,
those added during its cultivation/ water, and fiber damage).Mercerization: A process used
manufacture including pesticides, on many natural fibers to increase strength softness,
insecticides, lubricants, oil, dust, size, and the affinity for dyes/finishes. Yarns or fabrics are
treated with an alkali (caustic soda/ sodium hydroxide/
etc. lye).
• Optical Brighteners (OBAs): Usually used in addition
A number of treatments are used to both remove these to (not instead of) bleaching, OBAs soak into a fiber
impurities and prepare the fabric for dyeing or printing. and mask yellow by absorbing ultraviolet light (invisible
These treatments can be toxic and use high amounts of to most people) and re- emitting it as fluorescent light
both energy and water. (visible to the human eye). These may be added in the
spinning process as well.
• Singeing: Fiber ends sticking up on the surface of
• Mercerization: A process used on many natural fibers
the fabric are burned off, usually passing through
to increase strength softness, and the affinity for dyes/
gas flame bars. This reduces pilling, dullness and
finishes. Yarns or fabrics are treated with an alkali
roughness.Desizing: Depending on the agent used,
(caustic soda/ sodium hydroxide/ lye).
sizing can be removed using physical, biological, or
• Ammoniating Finishes: Liquid ammonia treatments
chemical processes. Often, desizing uses large amounts
that provide an alternative to mercerization for some
of energy and water and contributes to wastewater
fibers.
pollution. (Alternative: bio desizing with ultrasonic
• Mordanting: Substances used to bind or set dye to
energy).
fabric are referred to as a mordant. Mordants can
• Desizing: Depending on the agent used, sizing can
be used before dyeing, in the dyebath itself, or after
be removed using physical, biological, or chemical
dyeing.
processes. Often, desizing uses large amounts of
energy and water and contributes to wastewater
pollution. (Alternative: bio desizing with ultrasonic
energy).
• Scouring: A purifying treatment (that may or may
not use chemicals) to remove all waxes, pectins, oil,
minerals, soils, starch, etc. Usually, scouring uses high
amounts of water and energy, using chemical-intensive
alkaline solutions and detergents. (Bio-scouring,
enzyme scouring, or ultrasonic scouring are more
sustainable options.)
CFDA.com P. 117
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Tools for dyeing & printing

Tools to help measure impact at the The Sustainable Apparel Coalition
dying and printing phase:
Higg Facility Tools
NRDC
Dyehouse Selection Guide
Sustainable dye processes:
DyeCoo
Dutch company DyeCoo’s technology uses a 100 percent water-free and
chemical-free textile processing solution. It provides geographical freedom from
water sources and offering textile manufacturers a head start on legislation that
restricts the use of hazardous process chemicals. It uses machines for dying
polyester in high pressure CO2 without one drop of water.
Colourtex
Colourtex offers the is the first range of commercial dyes suitable for CO2 dyeing,
called Coranger. These are used in DyeCoo’s process.
Color Zen
Color Zen makes dyeing far more efficient and environmentally friendly.
AirDye
AirDye offers water-free dyeing and printing on textiles
IndiDye
By utilizing ultrasonic technology, IndiDye® reaches high levels of color fastness
for natural dyes without the use of chemicals, at the same time reducing water
consumption significantly. They utilize a new patented dyeing technology that
combines natural beautiful colors and ancient dyes with an innovative new
ultrasonic fiber dyeing process. The dyeing is implemented at fiber level before
the IndiYarns™ are spun. Dye-tanks are filled with batches of fiber together
with liquid natural dyestuff, and exposed to ultrasonic pressure waves that push
the color pigments into the core of the fiber. They were identified by H&M and
Fashion Positive as an Emerging Material Innovator.
CFDA.com P. 118
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Tools for dyeing & printing

Sustainable dye processes Faber Futures
Faber Futures is a creative R&D studio that conceptualizes prototypes and
evaluates the next generation of materials that are emerging through the
convergence of biology, technology and design. They’ve developed pigment
producing bacteria that are grown directly on the fabric, significantly reducing
water usage. They were identified by H&M and Fashion Positive as an Emerging
Material Innovator.
Natural & artisanal dye Sasha Duerr / Permacouture

resources:
Rebecca Burgess / Fibershed
Jane Palmer / Noon
Audrey Louise Reynolds/ ALR Dying
India Flint
Liz Spencer / The Dogwood Dyer
Arun & Sonal Baid / Aura Herbal
CFDA.com P. 119
M AT E R I A L S
Finishing
Examples of finishing include: • Drying
• Shrinking
*Just like other processing stages,
• Stone washing
finishing processes can use large
amounts of toxic chemicals, energy • Sandblasting
and water. • Enzyme Washes
• Water Jet Fading
• Water repellent
• Stain Release
• Coatings & Films
• Flame/fire retardant
• Anti-Microbial (odor control)
• Permanent Press
• Other “performance” finishes
• Resins (formaldehyde helps shrinkage, chlorine based, etc.)
• Softeners
Dimpora
Dimpora’s hydrophobic porous system keeps the rain out and lets the sweat
evaporate. Dimpora stands for the combination of dimension and pore. Both are
key to their vision of a seamless breathable membrane formed directly on any
3D surface. They aim to take a step forward in an established industry, relying on
2D large scale processes, towards the individual point of sales assembly of your
personal outdoor equipment.
Tandem Repeat
A self-healing and biodegradable fabric coating that reduces microfiber shedding
and increases the fiber’s lifetime.
CFDA.com P. 120
MARC JACOBS
“We expect our vendors to respect and adhere to the same

business philosophy in the operation of their businesses.
California law requires companies to disclose their
efforts to address the concerns regarding slavery and
human trafficking raised by the California Transparency
in Supply Chain Act of 2010 (the “Act”). MJI has a Vendor
Code of Conduct which is based on principles of ethical
business practices and recognizing the dignity of others,
and specifically prohibits the use of involuntary or forced
labor, human trafficking, child labor, and harassment and
abuse. MJI shares and expects its direct product suppliers
(including their designated manufacturing facilities and
third parties involved with the manufacturing process)
and license partners to adhere to and to implement
MJI’s Vendor Code of Conduct (including Supplemental
Guidelines) as well as MJI’s Employee Code of Conduct.
MJI’s ongoing internal risk assessment of its supply chain
is aimed at understanding the potential challenges in a
global supply chain. We rely on and analyze information
gathered from external resources, updates from expert
organizations, and companies dedicated to social
compliance issues. MJI engages external third party
compliance auditing firms to perform announced, semi-
announced and unannounced assessments of a selection
of MJI’s direct product vendors each year to evaluate
compliance with MJI’s Vendor Code of Conduct and
Supplemental Guidelines.”
CFDA.com P. 121
Jewelry,
Accessories
& Footwear
CFDA.com P. 122
OVERVIEW
Jewelry
Jewelry has a notorious dark side, but there are many ways to create and
sell jewelry thoughtfully and respectfully. For thousands of years, jewelry
has held a role of significant cultural and symbolic value for humans
for thousands of years. In fact, archeologists have found Neanderthal
jewelry dating back at least 135,000 years, pre-dating interaction with
modern humans! For years, jewelry has been used to mark a rite of
passage, signify status, or even as currency.
Unfortunately, the production of jewelry can have devastating impacts on the environment and
workers around the world. It is not uncommon to hear of conflict in the diamond industry, for
example. However, most of the damage is buried in an obscure supply chain in ways the jeweler, and
especially consumer, may never see. These issues are not only related to precious minerals, but less
expensive metals, stones, crystals, plastics, and other materials can be problematic, and at times even
murkier.
In terms of durability and longevity, two sustainability values, jewelry does fairly well. It is generally
highly valued and often passed down through generations as heirlooms. When fine jewelry is
disposed of, raw materials are generally re-purposed because they are highly valued. Even costume
(or more affordable, non-fine) jewelry tends to be more timeless and less differentiated by seasonal
trends. On average, Americans spend $6,163 on an engagement ring, according to The Knot’s 2016
Real Weddings Study (almost 20 percent of the 2016 US median income of $31,099, according to the
U.S Census Bureau).
When sourcing jewelry materials, it is of utmost importance to ask questions and strive for complete
transparency. Many jewelers and metal refiners are committed to using 100 percent recycled metals,
for which there is reliable certification. When sourcing new materials, we recommend establishing
direct relationships with mines and suppliers - visit them in person, try to support suppliers who have
a positive impact on their communities.
CFDA.com P. 123
JEWELRY
Issues related to jewelry

Lack of transparency Human rights abuses, including slavery, are not
The most challenging aspect of jewelry is traceability. uncommon in the jewelry supply chain . The U.S.
The supply chain for precious metals and stones is one of Department of Labor’s 2018 List of Goods Produced by
the most obscure, since many come from remote parts of Child Labor or Forced Labor cites gold as the good with
the world and conflict zones. the most child and forced labor listings by number of
countries.
Use of non-renewable resources
Many materials used to make jewelry are not renewable Additionally, some indigenous peoples and other local
resources. Gold, for example, came from outer space! It residents near mines have been forcibly displaced. During
forms when stars explode into a supernova, and it arrived times of war, civilians have suffered enormously as armed
on earth via meteorites a few billion years ago. Many groups have enriched themselves by exploiting precious
gemstones, like opals and diamonds, take thousands, minerals. As if this was not enough, environmental
millions or even billions of years to form in the earth. pollution from mining has polluted waterways and soil
As designer Pamela Love stated, “I think we sometimes with toxic chemicals, harming the health and livelihoods
forget that these beautiful materials that become jewelry of entire communities, according to Human Rights Watch.
come from the earth, and that they won’t always be
there... And the earth isn’t going to make more for us. We Human Rights Watch reports are a good resource to
have to be responsible and recycle whenever we can.” learn about more specific examples of dangerous working
conditions in the jewelry industry.
One alternative to virgin materials is recycled materials.
A strong market exists to source recycled metals, and International trade in minerals can play a
sourcing stones and other materials is possible, albeit significant role in financing and perpetuating
harder. (Read what Catbird has to say about sourcing human rights violations in conflict regions
recycled diamonds.) Another good alternative is to use Many areas of the world where precious minerals are
man-made materials. For example, lab grown diamonds found, such as Colombia and Africa’s great lake regions
can be made exactly the same as the highest quality also experience violent conflict and human rights abuses.
diamonds mined in nature. International trade in minerals can play a significant role
in financing and perpetuating human rights violations
Negative impact on workers and communities in these conflict regions, as militant and violent groups
Mining, trading, and processing of materials can be exploit precious materials for profit to fund their
extremely dangerous for workers. Silicosis, for example, activities.
is an occupational disease that can affect workers in
mines, quarries, foundries, or cutting stones (as well as
sandblasting denim). It is an incurable lung disease caused
by the inhalation of silica dust that is released during
operations in which rocks, sand, concrete and some ores
are crushed or broken. The World Health Organization
estimates that more than 24,000 people die in China each
year from the disease, which scars the lungs and leads to
severe respiratory problems and death.
CFDA.com P. 124
JEWELRY
Issues related to jewelry cont’d

Mining can have incredibly harmful undergo all sorts of processes to extract them from the
environmental impacts earth and alter their appearance. Most fine jewelers have
Mining is an incredibly dirty industry that uses toxic an understanding of how different metals are mixed. For
chemicals, is highly energy consuming, generates example, 24 carat (pure) gold is too soft to make jewelry
heaps of waste, and leaves long-lasting scars out of, so it is often mixed with other alloys, like copper,
on landscapes and communities. Here are some important zinc, nickel, silver, and platinum. Almost every metal
facts you should know about mining: goes through a chemical process to become useful. The
• Much of the mercury released into the environment most toxic part of the process is the coating, plating, or
is the result of small-scale and artisanal gold mining finishing.
(ASGM), according to Pure Earth. Mercury used in the
gold separation process (known as “amalgamation”) Gemstones can undergo all sorts of processes in
results in the discharge of an estimated 1,000 tons addition to cutting and carving, such as bleaching,
of mercury annually, representing about 30 percent surface coating, and other harmful procedures . You can
of the world’s anthropogenic mercury releases. learn more about all the different processess from the
Once mercury pollution reaches waterways, it is Gemological Institute Of America (GIA) here.
transformed into methylmercury, one of the most
toxic organic compounds and a powerful neurotoxin. Limitations of existing standards
As much as 95 percent of all mercury used in ASGM Many great resources, certifications, and organizations
mining is released into the environment, according to exist for more sustainable and ethical jewelry production,
United Nations Industrial Development Organization though some are more useful and legitimate than others.
(UNIDO). The Kimberley Process (KP) is the most widely accepted
• Earthworks states that an open pit mine is the certification for “conflict-free” diamonds. The KP defines
most common type of industrial metal mine, which conflict diamonds as” rough diamonds used to finance
creates huge, permanent scars on the landscape. wars against governments,” but leaves out diamond
Rio Tinto’s Bingham Canyon mine southwest of Salt smuggling, violence by governments and private security
Lake City turned a mountain into a hole almost a firms, corruption, child labor, gender-based violence,
kilometer deep and four kilometers wide. Since the environmental degradation, worker and community
ore extracted from today’s mines is extremely low exploitation in the mining areas, illicit financing, and other
grade, they generate huge amounts of waste: the issues associated with the diamond trade – which is
average gold ring generates over 20 tons. Even when problematic. We believe it is generally good to participate
everything goes right, mine waste (and therefore in these well-intended initiatives, but it is important to
a mine waste disposal site) often contains toxic understand and be honest about their limitations.
substances, such as arsenic, mercury, and cadmium,
that are harmful to public health, fish and wildlife Human Rights Watch research found that many
when released into the environment. companies are over-reliant on the Responsible
• Metal mining is the nation’s #1 toxic polluter, Jewellery Council for their human rights due diligence,
according to the U.S. Environmental Protection stating, “The RJC has positioned itself as a leader for
Agency’s Toxics Release Inventory. responsible business in the jewelry industry, but has
flawed governance, standards, and certification systems.
Material Processes Despite its shortcomings, many jewelry companies use
At times it is easy to forget materials processing when RJC certification to present their gold and diamonds as
it comes to jewelry, but metal, stones, and other materials “responsible.” This is not enough.”
CFDA.com P. 125
W I N G YAU, W WA K E
“We spent a long time this year

working to provide full provenance
for our stones. The sapphires are
either from Montana, Australia, or
a specific mine in Malawi, which
is a dream textbook development
project. The mining community has
built a school based off the profits
from the mine; they’re planting
trees; they made uniforms for the
girls so that they can go to school in
decent clothing. I’m excited to keep
growing our business with them
because it’s helping real people. We
work really closely with our vendors
to know more and more about those
projects and I’m really eager to build
on them and see how we can help in
a deeper way.”
CFDA.com P. 126
WORKSHEET
Ethical Metalsmiths’
Questions to learn more about your 11. What can they tell you about the
supplier. treatment of their own employees? Fair
living wages, rights, and safety?
1. Who is the right person to talk to? What 12. Would they consider communicating
is their name, and contact information? answers to these questions on their
Record the date and time of your call. website, in other words, make their process
2. Can they verify that 100 percent of the more transparent to jewelers?
silver, or gold you are buying is from
recycled sources?
3. If not, what portion can they guarantee
and where does the rest come from?
4. Do they know about the copper that they
alloy with to make sterling, where does it
come from?
5. What about other alloys?
6. Can they ensure that none of their metal
- recycled or new - has come from known
conflict zones (like Democratic Republic of
the Congo)?
7. Can they ensure that the scrap, old jewelry,
etc. that they buy is not part of a money
laundering scheme? In other words do they
screen the people they buy from?
8. What products are made with materials
refined in house? (Ex. sheet, wire, bezel,
findings, chain, ear wires) - often a refiner
will make sheet and wire, but not the
findings, those they are buying from
somewhere else and re-selling.
9. What kind of system do they have in
place to keep refining toxics out of the
environment? (ex. scrubbers to clean the
air, water purification and re-use systems
for solid waste)
10. Do they monitor and aim to reduce energy
and water use over time?
CFDA.com P. 127
WORKSHEET
“Golden Rules”: Gold & Precious

Metals Sourcing Policy
The Golden Rules are a set of criteria Publicly sign and endorse “The Golden Rules:”
for more responsible mining developed Gold and Precious Metals Sourcing Policy.
by the No Dirty Gold (NDG) campaign
based on broadly accepted international NDG asks jewelers and jewelry retailers to
human rights laws and basic principles pledge to source only from mines who meet
of sustainable development. the criteria listed on the page before this. By
signing the pledge, you show your customers
your commitment to ethical mining and
The Golden Rules hold that mining companies
corporate social responsibility. If you are a
and operations must:
retailer and would like to endorse the Golden
Rules, please share a signed and dated copy of
1. Respect basic human rights outlined in
this document, printed on your letterhead and
international conventions and law
2. Obtain the free, prior, and informed email it to: retailers@nodirtygold.org.
consent of affected communities.
3. Respect workers’ rights and labor
standards, including safe working
conditions
4. Ensure that operations are not located in
areas of armed or militarized conflict
5. Ensure that projects do
not force communities off their lands
6. Ensure that projects are not located in
protected areas, fragile ecosystems, or
other areas of high conservation or
ecological value
7. Refrain from dumping mine wastes into
the ocean, rivers, lakes, or streams
8. Ensure that projects do not contaminate
water, soil, or air with sulfuric acid
drainage or other toxic chemicals
9. Cover all costs of closing down and
cleaning up mine sites
10. Fully disclose information about social and
environmental effects of projects
11. Allow independent verification of the
above
CFDA.com P. 128
JEWELRY TOOLS & RESOURCES
Examples
A few examples of how some Melissa Joy Manning
jewelers and artisans are integrating
sustainability:
On her website, Melissa Joy Manning talks about handmade production, designing
for sustainability, sourcing recycled metals from a Green Certified refinery, and
more. (Another thing that’s pretty cool is that Melissa gives discounts to military
service members and teachers.)
WWAKE
Read about Wwake designer Wing Yau’s visit to a Colombian gold mine.
Pippa Small
With a background working in human rights, Pippa Small focuses on projects that
give communities a re-found respect for traditional design and a sense of self-
confidence, pride in their creations and a path towards economic independence.
Her collaboration with Turquoise Mountain in Afghanistan is one example of this
work, which you can read about here.
Bombolulu
Bombolulu Workshops and Cultural Centre is located in Mombasa, Kenya, and
works with more than 100 men and women artisans with disabilities to help
them overcome their physical limitations and empower them economically and
socially to become fully integrated members of their communities. This nonprofit
organization produces crafts of a very high standard, including jewelry using
recycled metals.
Brilliant Earth
Brilliant Earth educates their consumers about the issues with detailed
descriptions and links to articles. See their pages on Gold Mining and the
Environment and Conflict Diamond Issues.
Hoover & Strong

Hoover & Strong is a refiner. See their public environmental policy and compliance
disclosure here.
Alexandra Hart
Check out the “Consumer Questions Answered” section on Alexandra Hart’s
sustainability page.
CFDA.com P. 129
Tools
Tools to implement better practices United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
in jewelry production:
(OHCHR)
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has
developed the “Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of
Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas,” as a leading due diligence
standard for minerals.
Responsible Jewellery Council Certification Self-Assessment

Workbook
This workbook is a tool for evaluating your company’s performance against the
RJC Code of Practices (COP) for diamonds, gold and platinum group metals.
The COP defines responsible ethical, human rights, social and environmental
business practices and is divided into six sections (tabs in the workbook), each
one detailing a number of provisions that can be independently audited to provide
objective evidence in support of getting RJC certification.
Responsible Jewellery Council Risk Assessment Toolkit

The RJC Risk Assessment Toolkit (the Toolkit) provides a mechanism for Members
to conduct risk assessments and facilitate the implementation of the RJC Code of
Practices.
Responsible Jewellery Council Human Rights Due Diligence Toolkit

The RJC designed this Toolkit to fulfill the requirements of the Code of Practices
for a Human Rights Due Diligence process, but feel free to use your own
approach, as appropriate to your circumstances. The Toolkit is likely to be most
useful for small to medium enterprises, that have low human rights risks, and/or
for those undertaking Human Rights Due Diligence for the first time. However
it can be used by any kind of business, and supplemented where needed with
more detailed risk tools such as the RJC Risk Assessment Toolkit. The Toolkit
was developed using the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights,
Human Rights Compliance Assessment – Quick Check (The Danish Institute for
Human Rights), Integrating Human Rights Due Diligence into Corporate Risk
management Processes (ICMM), and “My Business and Human Rights – A guide to
human rights for small and medium-sized enterprises” (European Commission).
Ethical Metalsmith’s List of Questions to Learn more About Your

Supplier
Not sure about your materials? This is a list of questions to get a conversation
started with your supplier courtesy of the organization Ethical Metalsmiths.
CFDA.com P. 130
Tools
Tools to implement better practices Gemstone and Sustainable Development Knowledge Hub
in jewelry production cont’d:
The Gemstone and Sustainable Development Knowledge Hub aims to facilitate
learning across the full supply chain of colored gemstones from mines to markets,
and improve the sector’s contributions to sustainable development. The hub
is a collaboration between the University of Delaware (USA), the University of
Queensland (Australia), and the University of Lausanne (Switzerland), and is
supported by the Tiffany & Co. Foundation. They are also working with museums,
gem miners, gemologists, dealers, jewelry manufacturers, grassroots organizations
and development agencies in this endeavor.
US Department of Labor (USDOL) Comply Chain App

The USDOL Comply Chain: Business Tools for Labor Compliance in Global Supply
Chains mobile app contains best practice guidance for companies on ways to
develop strong social compliance systems to reduce child labor and forced labor
in supply chains. The app includes eight modules ranging from stakeholder
engagement to code of conduct provisions, and from auditing to remediation to
reporting. Companies that are new to social compliance can work through the
modules in order, and more experienced companies can select modules based
on their continuous improvement goals. Another app, USDOL Sweat & Toil,
contains more than 1,000 pages of research from all three reports. Sweat & Toil
helps you easily sort data by region, country, assessment level, good, and type of
exploitation, all without the need for an Internet connection. You can download
the free apps from the iTunes or Google Play store and access the data on their
website.
CFDA.com P. 131
Organizations
Industry-wide: Ethical Metalsmiths
Based in the US, the vision of Ethical Metalsmiths is to lead jewelers and
consumers in becoming informed activists for responsible mining, sustainable
economic development and verified, ethical sources of materials used in making
jewelry. They provide a wealth of information and resources on their website,
from an Information Library to a Material Sourcing directory and more. Ethical
Metalsmiths works directly with jewelers and metalsmiths (student, professional
and hobbyist) to raise awareness of material sourcing issues and harmful
studio / manufacturing practices that the profession currently relies on. Ethical
Metalsmiths collaborates with other organizations and community groups to
realize its mission. You can join their Ethical Consortium of Jewelers or become a
member of their organization.
Jewelry Industry Summit

Though a number of jewelry industry responsible sourcing programs exist,
there’s never been an industry-wide consensus on what constitutes a vision ALL
stakeholders can support. Through organized participatory Summits and active
year-round work by dedicated volunteers, this initiative strives to encourage
and facilitate meaningful, solution driven activities that continue to advance
sustainability and responsible sourcing in the jewelry industry. They host an
annual summit that brings together stakeholders from all sectors of the jewelry
industry to develop shared visions for sustainable business and responsible
sourcing. They also provide great resources on their website.
Responsible Jewellery Council

Based in the UK, the Responsible Jewellery Council is a standards and certificate
organization for the whole jewelry supply chain from mine to retail. They
developed standards like the RJC Code of Practices and the Chain-of-Custody
Standard for precious metals.
Jewelers Vigilance Committee ( JVC)

The JVC was formed in 1917 to provide education and self-regulation to the
jewelry industry. Members pledge to comply with all laws applicable to the
jewelry industry and make accurate representations about the products they
sell. JVC refers to themselves as legal compliance experts in the jewelry industry,
established to educate and protect all levels of the jewelry industry against
liability, litigation and to stop negative publicity. JVC educates the trade to
understand complex regulatory and compliance rules governing all phases of
manufacturing, stamping, marketing, and sale of fine jewelry – helping make the
jewelry marketplace more profitable and better for everyone. Both regulatory
government agencies that oversee business and the industry rely on JVC for
guidance on legal compliance.
CFDA.com P. 132
Organizations
Metal: EARTHWORKS
Earthworks is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting communities and
the environment from the adverse impacts of mineral and energy development
while promoting sustainable solutions.
European Partnership for Responsible Minerals

The European Partnership for Responsible Minerals (EPRM) is a multi-stakeholder
partnership aiming to increase the proportion of responsibly-produced minerals
from conflict-affected and high risk areas and to support the socially responsible
extraction of minerals that contributes to local development. EPRM focuses on
four conflict minerals: tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold.
The Alliance for Responsible Mining

The Alliance for Responsible Mining focuses on supporting artisanal and small-
scale miners. They provide information about the effects of irresponsible mining
and empower the industry to be part of the solution. The Alliance for Responsible
Mining calls on the different mining corporations to ensure the protection of the
environment, communities, and the people in addition to lobbying for laws and
legislation that would ascertain the protection of the people and the environment.
Gold: No Dirty Gold

No Dirty Gold, a project of Earthworks, is an international campaign working to
ensure that gold mining operations respect human rights and the environment.
The No Dirty Gold campaign seeks to educate consumers, retailers, manufacturers
about the impacts of irresponsible gold mining, and to enlist their support
to persuade the mining industry to clean up its act. If you’re a retailer, you
can sign on to the Golden Rules. Your customers can take the No Dirty Gold
pledge and follow your work.
Pure Earth
Formerly known as the Blacksmith Institute, Pure Earth is a US-based, non-profit
organization dedicated to reducing public health risks from toxic pollution in
low- and middle-income countries. Since 1999, Pure Earth has conducted more
than 90 projects around the world to remediate contaminated sites and reduce
public exposures to chemicals and heavy metals. Many of Pure Earth’s projects
are designed to identify, assess and reduce public and occupational exposures
to mercury contamination, especially in connection to gold mining. Much of the
mercury released into the environment is the result of small-scale and artisanal
gold mining. You can read about their work to eliminate mercury use in gold
mining, remediate contaminated sites, and reduce health risks here.
CFDA.com P. 133
Organizations
Gold: Soledaridad Network
Solidaridad’s global gold program became a founding member of several new
collaborative initiatives, such as the European Partnership for Responsible
Minerals, which are expected to have a long-term global impact. At the same
time, through new programmes in mining communities, Solidaridad is on track
to double the size of its support to small-scale mining communities with a new
focus on women’s empowerment. Solidaridad also laid the groundwork for
innovative models to scale up successes, in particular through working with social
entrepreneurs and impact investors.
Artisanal Gold Council

The Artisanal Gold Council works directly with artisanal and small-scale gold
mining communities (ASGM) and local experts to develop integrated and practical
solutions that address the unique circumstances that exist in different locations
around the world. They aim to improve the ASGM sector through awareness,
training, education, and capacity building. They focus on the following strategic
areas: Improved practices, Governance, Livelihoods, Health, Environment, Gender
equality, Market access and development.
World Gold Council

The World Gold Council is a market development organization for the gold
industry that provides information about responsible gold mining practices
in addition to industry data, research, They created Responsible Gold Mining
Principles to be a framework that sets out clear expectations for investors and
downstream users as to what constitutes responsible gold mining.
Recycled metals: Harmony Recycled & Precious Metals

Harmony is a company that offers recycled metals that have been independently
certified by SCS Global Services. They also provide useful information and
resources, which they refer to as a list of all things “green” in the jewelry
industry. Links include recycled metal information, responsible mining initiatives,
organizations, Canadian and recycled diamonds, gemstones, green jewelers, fair
trade articles, news articles and more.
CFDA.com P. 134
Organizations
Recycled metals cont’d: TerraCycle
TerraCycle is an organization that facilitates collection of unrecyclable or hard to
recycle waste and turning it into a variety of everyday products and materials.
The TerraCycle jewelry line is made with non-virgin, third-party certified* recycled
silver. Recycling silver reduces the environmental costs from the extraction and
processing of precious metals. Third-party certification through Hoover & Strong
Harmony Metals and Gems.
Diamonds: World Diamond Council

The World Diamond Council represents the diamond industry in the development
and implementation of systems to control the trade in diamonds embargoed by
the United Nations or covered under the KPCS. The World Diamond Council
System of Warranties Statement reads: “The Diamonds herein invoiced have been
purchased from legitimate sources not involved in the funding of conflict and in
conformance with United Nations resolutions. The seller hereby guarantees that
these Diamonds are conflict free, based on personal knowledge and/or written
guarantees provided by the Supplier of these Diamonds.”
CFDA.com P. 135
Suggested Reading
Industry-wide: “Along the Ugly Path to Beautiful Jewellery: Mining precious metals
and stones can often have devastating human, environmental and
political impact. What’s being done about it?”
By Hettie Judah, Business of Fashion, July, 2014
“Negative impacts of today’s metal mines”

From the Earthworks Organization
“Wwake’s Wing Yau Set the Trend for Opal Jewelry—5 Years Later, She’s
Leading the Charge on Sustainable Mining”
By Emily Farra, Vogue, May, 2018
“Why Mercury-Free Gold Is the Future of Sustainable Jewelry”

By Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, March, 2017
“How I’m Livin’” Interview with Pamela Love

By Alden Wicker, Ecocult, August, 2016
How the jewellery industry is cleaning up its act”

By Annachiara Biondi, Vogue Australia, April, 2018
The Fair Jewelry Action blog

Focuses on human rights and environmental justice within the jewelry sector.
Here you will find interesting and informative reads.
CFDA.com P. 136
Suggested Reading
Gold: “This is Why Trees Come Down When the Gold Price Goes Up”
By Rishi Iyengar, Time, January, 2015
“The Environmental Disaster That is the Gold Industry”

By Alastair Bland, Smithsonian, February, 2014,
“Behind Gold’s Glitter: Torn Lands and Pointed Questions”

By Jane Perlez and Kirk Johnson, The New York Times, June, 2010,
“Mount Polley mine disaster: 3 years later concerns still remain”

By Cherise Seucharan, CBC News, August, 2017
“As a Gold Mine Prepares to Close, Montana Argues Over the Hole in
the Ground”
By Kirk Johnson,The New York Times July, 2005,
“Threat of Mercury Poisoning Rises With Gold Mining Boom”

By Shefa Siegel, Yale Environment 360, January, 2011
“Gold Boom Spreading Mercury as 15 Million Miners Exposed”

By Cam Simpson and Heather Walsh, Bloomberg, May, 2012,
Gem & colored stones: “The dangerous world of Pakistan’s gem trade: Inside the world’s
oldest gem market in Pakistan, home to terrorist financiers & drug
smugglers”
by Adnan R. Khan, Maclean’s, May, 2014
“Education key to ending child labor in Sri Lanka’s gem mines

UCA 2013 article concerning child labor in Sri Lanka gem mining”
By UCA New Reporters, UCA News, May, 2014
“Secret Rocks: The $10 billion jewels industry is shrouded in beauty—

and mystery. Is change about to come?”
By Shibani Mahtani and Patrick Barta, The Wall Street Journal, May, 2013
“How the shiny ‘agate’ stones & rosary beads are killing workers”
By Jason Overdorf, Global Post via PRI, March, 2013
Fair trade: “Fair Trade Gold Q&A – From South America to Toronto”
By Nat Rudarakanchana, International Business Times, April, 2014
CFDA.com P. 137
ACCESSORIES & FOOTWEAR
Overview
Accessories and footwear should be approached in the same way
as clothing. We’ve created this section mainly to share some resources
specifically relevant for accessories and footwear designers.
You will find in-depth information in our Materials Index for the
materials frequently used for accessories and footwear, including
metal and leather, among others. When it comes to materials, the
same thought process applies whether you’re designing accessories,
clothing, packaging, or any product. See our Questions To Ask For All
Materials.
You should utilize all Design Strategies when designing accessories and footwear, but we’d like to
take note of two strategies in particular: Use Fewer Materials and Design for Disassembly. Many
designers make the simple mistake of integrating circular materials without designing for disassembly.
It’s not uncommon to find upwards of 20 different materials in any one shoe, for example. Unless your
product is 100 percent compostable or recyclable in a single material stream, you will need to make it
easy to separate each material. Otherwise, even if part of the shoe is recyclable or compostable it will
end up in a landfill.
Transparency would be a major achievement because the supply chain for materials frequently used
in accessories and footwear is especially opaque. Simply knowing where everything comes from, all
the way back to the source of raw materials, would be a really big deal and something you should be
extremely proud of. Aim for complete transparency.
CFDA.com P. 138
TOOLS & RESOURCES
For all accessories
Tools that can be used for all The Kering Standards for Raw Materials
footwear & accessories:
This is an immensely helpful document that presents some good
guidelines to follow. Resources include company standards, future goals,
recommended certifications of traceability, preferred sourcing countries,
recommended standards, and more.
Step To Sustainability
A truly incredible resource with in-depth information aimed at
implementing sustainability in footwear but applicable beyond.
Technically in pilot form, this program provides training resources on
How to Implement Sustainable Manufacturing in Footwear, developed
with the support of the Lifelong Learning Programme of the European
Union. You can access their tools here and each of the units:
1. Standardisation and Certification Systems

2. Sustainable Materials and Components for Footwear
3. Ecodesign and Product Engineering
4. Sustainable Manufacturing Technologies and Processes
5. Environment Regulations and Standards
6. Health and Safety at Work (HSW) in Footwear Industry
7. REACH and consumer safety – legislation for the footwear
industry
8. Contractual, Social and Trade Legislation
9. Sustainable packaging for footwear
10. Supply Chain And Logistics In Footwear Management
11. Green Marketing
12. Corporate Social Responsibility Practices
Suggested reading “An Inside View of How LVMH Makes Luxury More
Sustainable”
Harvard Business Review
“Gucci Unveils A Centre Of Creativity, Craftsmanship &

Sustainability: The new Gucci ArtLab is a futuristic centre
of industrial craftsmanship and experimentation for leather
goods and shoes.”
Alice Casely-Hayford, Vogue UK, April 2018
CFDA.com P. 139
TOOLS & RESOURCES
For footwear
Tools: Better Shoes Foundation

Footwear company Po-Zu created the Better Shoes Foundation to promote
sustainable development and practices across the global shoe industry by
providing an open-source platform where people can be inspired by the
advances others are making. They’ve consolidated data including information,
guidance and ideas from across the industry in a clear, concise guide. See their
Better Shoes Foundation Cheat Sheet.
The Kering Standard for Leather Goods and Shoe Manufacturing

(See p.90)
Examples: Kenneth Cole

Read about the CFDA Kenneth Cole Footwear Innovation Award.
Veja
Veja purchases wild rubber, which has allowed us to preserve 120,000 hectares
of the Amazon forest thus far.
Nisolo
Read fair trade company Nisolo’s Impact Report.
Reports & studies: Centre for Sustainable Manufacturing and Reuse/recycling

Technologies (SMART) Loughborough University
A research program at Loughborough University focused on recycling footwear.
In addition to developing recycling techniques, they publish papers, including:
• The Challenges in Achieving a Circular Economy within Leather Recycling
(2016)
• An Air-Based Automated Material Recycling System for Postconsumer
Footwear Products (2012)
• Development of an Economically Sustainable Recycling Process for the
Footwear Sector (2010)
• Recycling of Footwear Products (2007)
Labour on a Shoe String

Change Your Shoes and the Clean Clothes Campaign
Trampling Worker Rights Underfoot

A Snapshot on the Human Rights Due Diligence Performance of 23 Companies
in the Global Footwear Industry
CFDA.com P. 140
TOOLS & RESOURCES
For handbags
Suggested reading: Kenneth Cole

The CFDA Kenneth Cole Footwear Innovation Award
The Kering Standard for Leather Goods and Shoe

Manufacturing
(See p.90)
Brother Vellies
Read CFDA + Lexus Fashion* Initiative 2015-2017 finalist Brother
Vellies’ Sustainability Story.
Anti-deforestation Leather
The Green Carpet Challenge, Gucci, Rainforest Alliance, and The
National Wildlife Federation teamed up to create a line of luxury
handbags made from anti-deforestation leather.
Stella McCartney
Stella McCartney bags made in Kenya support communities with the
production of printed canvas bags.
CFDA.com P. 141
TOOLS & RESOURCES
For eyewear
Examples:
Crafting Plastics
*Unfortunately, there aren’t really Crafting Plastics eyewear collection created from test samples of new
guides, standards, or resources biodegradable plastics.
dedicated specifically to sustainabi-
lity in eyewear. But some eyewear
designers are using innovation and
Genusee
more sustainable materials like CFDA Elaine Gold Launch Pad 2017-2018 finalists, Ali Rose and
bioplastics, recycled materials, and Jack Burns of Genusee, are disrupting the linear eyewear market by
sustainably sourced wood.
employing a circular economy through the use of both a buy-back
program and subscription/membership business model, and making
eyewear out of recycled plastic.
Stella McCartney
The Stella McCartney eyewear collection is made using bio-acetate
composed of over 50% natural sources. The product’s formula combines
cellulose, the most common organic compound on earth, and also
renewable and biodegradable, together with natural plasticisers, which
differ from DEP (Diethyl Phthalate), as they derive from citric acid, a
natural substance obtained through a fermentation process.
Gucci
Gucci launched an innovative sunglasses model made in liquid wood.
Modo
Modo’s ECO® biobased frames are made with 63% castor seeds.
Tophead
Tophead’s incorporates eco friendly materials including wood, bamboo,
bioplastic & recycled skateboard decks, free from plastic materials.
CFDA.com P. 142
Sustainable
Buildings &
Offices
CFDA.com P. 143
S U S TA I N A B L E B U I L D I N G S & O F F I C E S
Overview
When it comes to sustainability in buildings, the same
environmental concerns apply whether it’s your retail store, factory,
warehouse, office, or any other facilities.
Unlike other business aspects where sustainability can seem more

abstract and difficult to measure, implementing sustainability in
buildings can be incredibly satisfying with results that are both easy to
measure and save you money.
CFDA.com P. 144
NOTE
Don’t forget about

people!
This section focuses on providing you with tools and resources
to implement environmental sustainability. It should be used
in congruence with tools found in the People section regarding
employees, communities, and supply chain workers. Though some
certifications listed here take human wellbeing into account - like the
WELL or Living building standards.
For example, the WELL Building Standard includes key criteria

like fitness, comfort, and mind in addition to things more typically
measured in regards to sustainability (for example air and water).
Factors like health and wellness awareness, healthy sleep policies,
workplace family support, biophilia (the idea that humans have an
affinity towards the natural world), ergonomics, noise, thermal
comfort, and beauty.
CFDA.com P. 145
WORLD GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL
The benefits of green

buildings
The world over, evidence is growing that green buildings bring
multiple benefits. They provide some of the most effective means to
achieving a range of global goals, such as addressing climate change,
creating sustainable and thriving communities, and driving economic
growth.
Highlighting these benefits, and facilitating a growing evidence base

for proving them, is at the heart of what we do as an organisation.
The benefits of green buildings can be grouped within three

categories: environmental, economic and social. Here, we provide
a range of facts and statistics from various third-party sources that
present these benefits.
CFDA.com P. 146
Environmental
One of the most important types of benefits green • Green buildings achieving the Green Star certification
buildings offer is to our climate and the natural in South Africa have been shown to save on average
between 30 - 40 percent energy and carbon
environment.
emissions every year, and between 20 - 30 percent
potable water every year, when compared to the
Green buildings can not only reduce or eliminate negative industry norm.
impacts on the environment by using less water, energy • Green buildings achieving the LEED certification
or natural resources, but they can, in many cases, have in the US and other countries have been shown to
a positive impact on the environment (at the building or consume 25 per cent less energy and 11 per cent less
city scales) by generating their own energy or increasing water, than non-green buildings.
biodiversity.

At the Global Level
• The building sector has the largest potential for
significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions
compared to other major emitting sectors – UNEP,
2009.
• This emissions savings potential is said to be as much
as 84 gigatonnes of CO2 (GtCO2) by 2050, through
direct measures in buildings such as energy efficiency,
fuel switching and the use of renewable energy –
UNEP, 2016.
• The building sector has the potential to make energy
savings of 50 percent or more in 2050, in support of
limiting global temperature rises to 2°C (above pre-
industrial levels) – UNEP, 2016.
At a Building Level
• Green buildings achieving the Green Star certification
in Australia have been shown to produce 62 percent
fewer greenhouse gas emissions than average
Australian buildings, and 51 percent less potable
water than if they had been built to meet minimum
industry requirements.
• Green buildings certified by the Indian Green Building
Council (IGBC) results in energy savings of 40 -
50% and water savings of 20 - 30% compared to
conventional buildings in India.
CFDA.com P. 147
Economic
Green buildings offer a number of economic or
financial benefits, which are relevant to a range of
different people or groups or people.
These include cost savings on utility bills for tenants or

households (through energy and water efficiency); lower
construction costs and higher property value for building
developers; increased occupancy rates or operating costs
for building owners; and job creation. Since the publication
of WorldGBC’s groundbreaking 2013 report, The Business
Case for Green Building, we have sought to strengthen the
link between green buildings and the economic benefits
they can offer.
At the global level

• Global energy efficiency measures could save an
estimated €280 to €410 billion in savings on energy
spending (and the equivalent to almost double the
annual electricity consumption of the United States)
European Commission, 2015.
At a country level
• Canada’s green building industry generated $23.45
billion in
GDP and represented nearly 300,000 full-time jobs in
2014 – Canada Green Building Council / The Delphi
Group, 2016.
• Green building is projected to account for more than
3.3 million U.S. jobs by 2018 – US Green Building
Council / Booz Allen Hamilton, 2015.
At a building level
• Building owners report that green buildings - whether
new or renovated - command a 7 per cent increase in
asset value over traditional buildings – Dodge Data &
Analytics, 2016.
• Green building is projected to account for more than
3.3 million U.S. jobs by 2018 – US Green Building
Council / Booz Allen Hamilton, 2015.
CFDA.com P. 148
Social
Green Green building benefits go beyond
economics and the environment, and have been
shown to bring positive social impacts too. Many of
these benefits are around the health and wellbeing
of people who work in green offices or live in green
homes.
• Workers in green, well-ventilated offices record a 101

per cent increase in cognitive scores (brain function) -
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health / Syracuse
University Center of Excellence / SUNY Upstate
Medical School, 2015.
• Employees in offices with windows slept an average
of 46 minutes more per night - American Academy of
Sleep Medicine, 2013.
• Research suggests that better indoor air quality
(low concentrations of CO2 and pollutants, and
high ventilation rates) can lead to improvements in
performance of up to 8 per cent–Park and Yoon,
2011.
Our Better Places for People project focuses on creating

buildings which are not only good for the environment,
but also support healthier, happier and more productive
lives.
WorldGBC and the Green Building Council of South

Africa established a joint project to develop a framework
to enable complex socio-economic issues to be integrated
into any green building rating system in the world.
CFDA.com P. 149
Retail opportunities
Retail offers a unique opportunity as sustainability
efforts come face-to-face with consumers in
the retail space. They can see your action (or
non-action) and quickly learn about the efforts
your company is making. This also applies to
e-commerce and packaging. There are multiple
areas to consider when looking at retail operations:
Communicate to Consumers
Consider your retail presence great opportunity to put your
values out there and share them with consumers. Whether
it’s your flagship store or you’re one of many brands sold by
a separate vendor, use your creativity to tell your story. See
Communication & Marketing Strategies for more ideas.
Community
What impact do the retail operations have on the
community? Do you have public spaces? Do you hold public
events? We recognize this is not appropriate or useful for
all brands, but having a presence in the local communities
around your stores is a great place to start.
Displays
In-store signage and displays (including window displays)
can all impact overall sustainability. Do your signs, posters,
and other displays get thrown out when you are done with
them? Consider alternative ways of reusing them. Could
they be shred for packaging? Donated to local schools or
creative reuse stores for art projects? Donated to prop
houses or other retail rental companies?
Packaging
See the Packaging section of this guide.
CFDA.com P. 150
WORKSHEET
Sustainable buildings & offices

1. Use less water • Using smart power strips can stop the
drain and save you money. Power strips
Use Low-Water Appliances
also make it easy because you could shut
• This includes things like low flow toilets, everything off with one switch.
washing machines, dishwashers, faucets,
and any other water-using appliance. Make Sure You’re Using Low-Energy Use
(The ENERGY STAR® seal means you’re Electronics
buying an appliance that uses 10-50%
• Switch to LED light bulbs. In addition
less energy and water. Check out the
to reducing your monthly electric bill by
Energy Star website to see what gets the
up to 75%, they last 25 times as long as
seal of approval.)
traditional incandescent bulbs and don’t
contain any potentially harmful toxins
Make Sure Plants and Gardens are Low-Water like mercury, according to GreeNYC.
• The ENERGY STAR® seal means you’re
Make Sure the Water Leaving Your Facility is buying an appliance that uses 10-50%
Clean less energy and water. Check out the
• Make sure whatever water leaves your Energy Star website to see what gets the
facility is not harmful to people or the seal of approval.
environment, and does not put undue
stress on stormwater and drainage 3. Use better energy
infrastructure. Use Renewable and Low-Carbon Energy
• Install solar energy.
Can You Filter and Recycle Your Own Water? • Talk to your utility company. Many offer
• This is most relevant to factories and businesses the option to use more
wet-processing facilities that tend to use renewable energy out of the mix of
large volumes of water. energy that they purchase.
2. Use less energy Measure Your Carbon Footprint!

Turn off the Lights and Use Natural Light • You can use an existing carbon
calculator, or make your own! Here are
• You’ll save money on energy and maybe a few free ones: Carbon Fund’s Business
even feel better – exposure to natural Carbon Calculator, California Small
light at work has been linked to better Business Carbon Calculator. Measure
sleep, more physical activity and even a your personal carbon footprint with this
better mood. WWF Calculator
• DO AN ENERGY AUDIT!
Turn Everything Off When You’re Not Using It • Talk to your city to see if they’ll do
• Shut down computers and turn off all this for free.
lights, printers, copiers, electric heaters,
ac, and any other office electronics.
CFDA.com P. 151
WORKSHEET

cont’d
4. Don’t use toxic chemicals • Encourage your employees to use
reusable coffee mugs, water bottles,
Use non-toxic cleaning products:
takeout containers, and bags in general.
• A great resource to learn more about Perhaps you’ll even provide them with
which products are safe and non-toxic these items and tell them how to use
is the Environmental Working Group them?
(EWG).
• For cleaning products, see their Drink Tap Water
Guide to Healthy Cleaning. • Avoid single-use plastic bottles. Consider
• For personal care products (like hand an office water filter.
soap), see their Skin Deep Database. • You can learn about the quality of your
tap water here.
5. Reduce waste
The Goal = Zero Waste! Compost
• Some stuff shouldn’t go to landfills –
• Ideally, whatever (minimal) waste
food scraps, napkins, grass clippings,
you make would be recyclable or
leaves and many other items can
biodegradable.
be composted. (If all New Yorkers
Use Less Paper - Or Go Paperless! composted, they’d cut down on waste by
• Use digital tools to share files. 31%!)
• When you have to use paper, make sure • Learn how to compost in NYC and LA.
to copy and print on both sides. You can
also stock your office with recycled and 6. Have indoor plants
chlorine-free paper. Plants Make Offices Healthier and More
• Recycle paper in recycling bins, scrap Enjoyable
paper, shred it for packing material,
• They can absorb indoor pollution and
or even compost it (learn more about
increasing the flow of oxygen.
composting to see which papers apply).
Use and Wash Real Dishes, Silverware and 7. Shop local

Water Bottles • Benefits including reduced
environmental impact, job creation,
• The environmental impact of making, better service, and community benefit,
re-using and washing is far less than among other things. We’ve listed them in
disposable plates, utensils, water the People section.
bottles, etc. Remember to only run the • You can read more about it and create a
dishwasher when it’s full and choose the Local Purchasing Policy with this B Lab
air-dry setting or open the door after the Resource Guide.
final rinse.
CFDA.com P. 152
WORKSHEET

cont’d
8. Reduce impact from travel
Prioritize public transportation
• Take the train, bus, or subway instead
of renting a car for business travel.
Recommend employees do the same for
their commute, in addition to carpooling
and bike options.
If You Can, Choose Train or Bus over Airplane
• Air travel is a major source of human-
induced climate change – traveling by
train or bus produces 85% less pollution
than a plane flight.
Use Technology
• Encourage your office to invest
in videoconferencing and other
technological solutions that can reduce
employee travel.
9. Measure & Track Your Improvement

Measure, Track and Work on Improving the
Above Areas
• Start with specific goals for your
workplace sustainability initiatives and
work to continually improve.
10. Get Your Entire Company Involved!

To achieve meaningful change, employee
engagement makes a big difference so
consider building a “green” team and providing
training (and budget) for sustainability
initiatives.
CFDA.com P. 153
TOOLS & RESOURCES
City & government programs

City programs for New York City LA Green Business Program
and Los Angeles: The City of Los Angeles Green Business Program (LAGBP) has two simple
goals: to provide resources that help businesses become greener and more
sustainable in everything they do, and to receive recognition for their
achievements with an official certification. This free and voluntary assistance
program, launched in 2014, is aimed at increasing energy and water efficiency,
generating cost-savings, reducing waste, and creating a healthier environment
for Angelenos.
GreeNYC
GreeNYC is dedicated to educating, engaging and mobilizing New Yorkers to
help New York City meet its ambitious sustainability goals of generating zero
waste and reducing greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by the year 2050.
GreeNYC helps New Yorkers take easy actions with big impacts – both for
themselves and for the city as a whole. The message: by reducing energy use,
eliminating waste and choosing a more sustainable lifestyle, New Yorkers will
make their lives better for themselves and their families, save money AND
make NYC the most sustainable big city in the world! (This is part of the larger
initiative NYC Built to Last, you can read an in-depth report about the program
here.)
CFDA.com P. 154
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Tools
These organizations provide tho- ENERGY STAR Resources
rough resources and tools to make ENERGY STAR provides tons of great tools and suggestions to improve
buildings more sustainable:
sustainability in buildings, including:
• Low- and no-cost energy-efficiency measures
• Invest in energy-efficiency measures that have a rapid payback - A list of ideas
to get started with saving energy that often have a rapid payback. Complete
these before you invest in capital equipment to make sure you install only the
equipment you need. The best part? These upgrades continue to save you
money long after the initial project cost is paid off.
• Locate energy programs in your area - find local energy efficiency programs
that have partnered with ENERGY STAR in your state using the Directory of
Energy Efficiency Programs.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

The EPA provides tools to help you learn and understand the issues, as well
as help you reduce your environmental footprint. Visit the EPA Greener Living
website to learn more. Examples include:
• Environmental Management System (EMS) - An EMS is a set of processes and
practices that enable an organization to reduce its environmental impacts and
increase its operating efficiency. This page provides information and resources
related to EMS for small businesses and private industry, as well as local, state
and federal agencies.
• WasteWise - EPA’s WasteWise encourages organizations and businesses to
achieve sustainability in their practices and reduce select industrial wastes.
• Watersense - WaterSense provides facility managers, building owners, and
other stakeholders with a variety of resources and initiatives to help them
save water, energy, and operating costs.
WHOLE BUILDING DESIGN GUIDE® (WBDG)

A web-based portal providing access to up-to-date information on a wide range
of building-related guidance, criteria and technology from a ‘whole buildings’
perspective. Development of the WBDG is a collaborative effort among
federal agencies (from the US Department of Defense to NASA), private sector
companies, non-profit organizations and educational institutions.
World Green Building Council

A global network of Green Building Councils which works to transform the places
we live, work, play, heal and learn. They provide a lot of great resources on their
website.
CFDA.com P. 155
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Standards & certifications

Green building & facilities BREEAM
certications: BREEAM is a leading sustainability assessment method for master planning
projects, infrastructure and buildings. It recognizes and reflects the value in higher
performing assets across the built environment lifecycle, from new construction
to in-use and refurbishment.
Green Globes®
Overseen by the Green Building Initiative® (GBI), The Green Globes®
certification program provides customized guidance in the design, construction
and operation of high-performance interiors and buildings. Buildings are rated on
a 1,000 point scale spread across seven categories: Energy, Indoor Environment,
Site, Water, Resources, Emissions, and Project/Environmental Management. Users
can indicate that certain credits may not be applicable to a project, a feature
unique to Green Globes.
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)

Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED is available for
virtually all building, community and home project types. LEED provides a
framework to create healthy, highly efficient and cost-saving green buildings.
The Living Building Challenge

The Living Building Challenge is a green building certification program and
sustainable design framework that visualizes the ideal for the built environment.
The idea is that Living Buildings give more than they take, creating a positive
impact on the human and natural systems that interact with them. With the Living
Building Challenge, you can create buildings that are:
• Regenerative spaces that connect occupants to light, air, food, nature, and
community.
• Self-sufficient and remain within the resource limits of their site. Living
Buildings produce more energy than they use and collect and treat all water
on site.
• Healthy and beautiful.
CFDA.com P. 156
TOOLS & RESOURCES

Green building & facilities TRUE Zero Waste
certications cont’d: The TRUE Zero Waste certification system enables facilities to define, pursue
and achieve their zero waste goals, cutting their carbon footprint and supporting
public health. TRUE is a whole systems approach aimed at changing how materials
flow through society, resulting in no waste. TRUE encourages the redesign of
resource life cycles so that all products are reused and promotes processes that
consider the entire lifecycle of products used within a facility.
ENERGY STAR certification for your building

Did you know that your building can earn ENERGY STAR certification just like a
refrigerator or light bulb? To be certified as ENERGY STAR, a building must meet
strict energy performance standards set by EPA. Specifically, to be eligible for
ENERGY STAR certification, a building must earn an ENERGY STAR score of 75
or higher, indicating that it performs better than at least 75 percent of similar
buildings nationwide. Through Portfolio Manager, EPA delivers 1 – 100 ENERGY
STAR scores for many types of buildings. The ENERGY STAR score accounts for
differences in operating conditions, regional weather data, and other important
considerations. Learn more about how the 1 – 100 ENERGY STAR score is
calculated.
SITES
Administered by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), SITES offers a
comprehensive rating system designed to distinguish sustainable landscapes,
measure their performance and elevate their value. SITES certification is for
development projects located on sites with or without buildings—ranging from
national parks to corporate campuses, streetscapes to homes, and more.
WELL Building Standard

The WELL Building Standard explores how design, operations and behaviors
within the places where we live, work, learn and play can be optimized to advance
human health and well-being. It is a performance-based system for measuring,
certifying, and monitoring features of the built environment by looking at seven
factors including air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort, and mind.
Standards for apparel See the Materials Processing & Manufacturing section of this guide for standards
manufacturing facilities: specific to apparel manufacturing facilities.
CFDA.com P. 157
EXAMPLE
Eileen Fisher
As stated on the Eileen Fisher website, where you can What no one anticipated, of course, was Hurricane
read all about the green initiatives at their headquarters, Sandy. Even though our headquarters are located 20
stores and New Jersey distribution center. miles north of the mouth of the Hudson River, rising
sea levels caused the Hudson River to rise four feet and
flood our headquarters. Muddied and waterlogged, we
Our Headquarters: Sunlight in Irvington
launched a second renovation. Now, even on calm sunny
days, we have new respect for the strength of the river—
Built at the edge of the Hudson River, our award-winning
and the urgency of addressing climate change.
corporate headquarters in Irvington, New York, blurs
the lines between architecture and nature. The soaring,
Design with Nature in Mind
skylight-lit space offers employees sweeping river views;
the loft- like plan is punctuated by glassed-in meeting
Energy
areas, gathering spots furnished with sofas and a
• Natural light and open floor plan saves energy
spacious cafe for eating.
• CFLs, halogen bulbs and automatic light sensors
• 29 internal climate zones, efficient HVA
“For most of us, breathing fresh air or sitting by the water
or being in a sunlit room is relaxing,” says Shona Quinn,
Materials
EILEEN FISHER Sustainability Leader. “Eileen had these
• Reclaimed wood floors, natural fibers, recycled rugs
values in mind when we renovated our offices.” From
• Sustainable maple veneer on desks with recycled
1912 to 1988, the brick structure was home to Lord &
wood
Burnham, a greenhouse manufacturer whose notable
• Locally sourced materials and labor
projects included the glass conservatory at the New
• Low-flow bathroom fixtures
York Botanical Garden. In 1992 EILEEN FISHER took
up tenancy; in 2007 we asked architect Earl Everett
Air Quality
Ferguson to help us expand and transform the space.
• Paints, stains and sealants: low/no VOCs
The project, along with our Creative Center at 111 Fifth
• Green Guard certified filing cabinets
Avenue in New York City, won a Good Design Is Good
• Contained spaces for copy machines
Business Award from Architectural Record in 2011.
The renovation took a holistic look at not just energy
Location
efficiency but the ways in which design fosters creativity,
• Close to train/ restaurants, limiting need for car
collaboration and community. By choosing an open plan,
travel
lighting costs were reduced and employee satisfaction
increased— river views could be accessed by everyone.
Cultural Connection
• Open spaces promote collaborative work
For privacy, glass-walled conference rooms were situated
• Kitchens with china/ silverware eliminate waste
in the middle of the workspace and along the non-
• Informal gathering spaces with living room-like
window sides of the building. Multiple kitchens, stocked
furnishing
with china and silverware, encourage employees to
• Loft-like space for eating; outdoor picnic tables at the
prepare healthy food. They can eat at the indoor cafe or
water’s edge
gather at picnic tables at the river’s edge.
• Quiet Room, Yoga Room, Lactation Room
CFDA.com P. 158
EXAMPLE
Ikea
From the IKEA 2017 Sustainability Report surrounding areas, and the site links seamlessly into
the cycle network.
• Transport Six electric vehicle charging stations
“Environmental performance is important, but
powered by 100 percent renewable electricity.
sustainability is about more than just the building.
• Recycling Customers can recycle a range of
We want all of our stores and shopping centres to household items at the recycling hub.
contribute to healthy and sustainable living, and • Better air quality The use of heat pumps reduces
promote fairness and inclusiveness for the people emissions from the store.
working there, visitors, and the communities around
them. Our approach is underpinned by the IKEA Group
Sustainable Store guidelines which we update to reflect
new learnings and best practice from each new store we
build.”
Key factors that IKEA mentions:
Energy and Resources

• Natural light: Large windows and skylights feed
the store with daylight, creating a pleasant and
enjoyable shopping experience.
• Building certification- BREEAM Excellent (LEED in
the US)
• Natural light- Large windows and skylights feed
the store with daylight, creating a pleasant and
enjoyable shopping experience.
• Lighting- Motion and daylight sensors control the
lighting, which is all LED.
• Heating and cooling- Heat pumps, solar thermal
collectors and a combined heat and power plant that
uses biogas to heat and cool the store.
• Renewable energy- Solar photovoltaic panels (or
purchasing renewable energy from the local utility
when possible)
• Water Collected rainwater provides enough water to
flush the toilets in the store.
• Building materials All building materials selected for
their low impact and recyclability, and to create a
pleasant indoor environment.
• Accessibility Shuttle bus connects the store to
CFDA.com P. 159
Packaging
CFDA.com P. 160
PACKAGING
Overview
This section refers to all materials used for packaging and labeling
along a product’s entire lifecycle. It includes shipping packaging,
storage packaging, hang tags, hangers, garment bags and basically
anything that protects, holds or travels with your product.
Packaging, which is largely single-use, contributes to massive amounts of pollution across our
globe. This pollution can be visible, like the plastic that washes up on ocean shores. However, it is
often invisible, for example airborne microplastics. Most packaging does not get recycled even if
it is technically recyclable. This can cause detrimental impact, not only in its disposal but also in its
production and the extraction of natural resources used to make it.
The best first step is to reduce your packaging. Simply use less material and make it more compact.
One great thing about using less packaging is that it usually means spending less money on packaging
materials and shipping, which can equal HUGE savings.
Packaging materials should be thought of like any other material you are using. Refer to the Questions
To Ask For All Materials worksheet in the materials section of this guide. Common materials used
for packaging include plastic, paper, and adhesives, among others. There are some new and exciting
packaging materials, like biodegradable bioplastic, but these are not always necessarily better as we
mention in the materials section of this guide. As always, it is important to exercise due diligence
when choosing the most sustainable option. This section aims to provide you with examples,
resources, and information to help you do that.
Your customers are essential to your success. It is pointless to use packaging that is recyclable,
reusable, or compostable if your customers don’t know how to do it. It is your job to educate them
about sustainability and what they need to do to play their part. See the Communication & Marketing
Strategies section of this guide to learn more about communicating sustainability to your customers.
CFDA.com P. 161
WORKSHEET
Make packaging more sustainable

Create a Packaging Restricted
The following are steps you Substance List (PRSL)
can take for more sustainable • Create an official list of substances you
packaging: do not want used in your packaging and
publish it publicly.
Use less packaging • Work together with your suppliers to
• Optimize packaging design: Speak with ensure no restricted substances are
suppliers about how you can use less. being used.
• Consider alternative types of packaging:
Do you need a box? Could the garment Use Retail-Ready Packaging
be shipped in a pouch or bag? • Where appropriate, use packing from
• Design products to require less the factory that is retail-ready from
packaging: For example, the more early on to avoid excess packaging.
compact and light-weight, the less
packaging required. Design efforts here
can yield huge cost savings!
Use recycled, recyclable, renewable, and

biodegradable materials
• Use packing made of recycled materials
• Consider new, innovative materials: For
example, look at traditional petroleum
resins vs bio-based recyclable resins vs
compostable resins.
Know where raw materials come from

• Understand where your packing
suppliers get their materials: Refer to
the Questions to ask for all materials
Worksheet of this guide.
• Consider sourcing and supply chain
certifications: Examples include: SFI,
FSC, PEFC
CFDA.com P. 162
MARA HOFFMAN
“In 2016, we began shipping all

swimwear in compostable plastic
poly bags, sourced through TIPA.
Trade regulations require that every
item be packed in a bag, but choosing
to use compostable bags instead of
conventional plastic minimizes the
negative impacts associated with
using standard plastic. Our poly bags
will decompose in a landfill much
faster than standard plastic, and
can be added to a home or industrial
compost, where they’ll decompose
within a matter of months… Our hang
tags are made from 80% recycled
paper and printed with soy-based
inks. Even the hang tag strings, along
with all garment sew-in labels, are
made of 100% organic cotton.”
CFDA.com
CFDA.com P. 163
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Examples
A few examples of how brands Patagonia

are taking different approaches to
sustainable packaging:
Patagonia talks about why they use plastic and shares a study on the
challenges of garment delivery.
Walmart
Read the article “Walmart Unveils New Sustainable Packaging Priorities
to Complement Zero-Waste Goal” from sustainable brands.
REI
See REI’s Sustainable Packaging Guidelines.
Sustainable Pack Design

This website is the product of a collaborative effort between several
organizations engaged with the packaging industry.
Rent the Runway

Worked with Washington & Perry to design a reusable garment bag
shipper, basically converting three pieces of packaging (plastic mailing
bags, cardboard boxes and vinyl garment bags). The heavy fabric bags
can be used over and over again, only the label has to be reprinted.
Allbirds
Shoe company Allbirds worked with packaging company Lumi to design
a shoe box that can be shipped with no additional packaging. Also see
their creative “Scrap the Wrap” alternatives for gift wrapping.
People Tree
People Tree explains why they use plastic packaging.
CFDA.com P. 164
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Tools
Sustainable packaging tools: Sustainable Packaging Guidelines (SPGs)

This is a useful set of guidelines and templates from the Australian
Packaging Covenant.
Packaging for People, Planet & Profit Sustainability Checklist

This guideline may have been created for the food industry, but it’s
totally applicable to ours as well.
AFRIM’S Packaging Restricted Substances List

This is a great resource when it comes to making your own RSL for
packaging.
CFDA.com P. 165
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Suggested reading
On sustainable packaging: “What Is Sustainable Packaging?”

Katherine O’Dea, Sustainable Brands
“How fashion and beauty people really feel about packaging

waste: We asked influencers, editors, PR pros, stylists and
more for their take”
Whitney Bauck, Fashionista, March, 2018
“Better bags: fashion wakes up to eco-friendly packaging”

Emily Sutherland, Drapers, July, 2018
“Research calls for plastic hanger retail reform”

David Styles, EcoTextile News, August, 2018
“How to Make Your Packaging More Sustainable” Video

A video from Lumi Packaging
“Density Matters: Sustainable Package Design”

Trending Packaging, January, 2017
On bioplastics: “Corn Plastic to the Rescue: Wal-Mart and others are going
green with “biodegradable” packaging made from corn. But is
this really the answer to America’s throwaway culture?”
Elizabeth Royte, Smithsonian Magazine, August, 2016
“The Environmental Impact of Corn-Based Plastics”

Laura McInnes, Scientific America
CFDA.com P. 166
TOOLS & RESOURCES

ASTM Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
ASTM certification establishes standards for The Forest Stewardship Council is an independent,
identifying plastic products and materials that will non-governmental, not-for-profit organization established
compost satisfactorily in municipal and industrial aerobic to promote the responsible management of the world’s
composting facilities. Formerly known as The American forests. FSC certification is a voluntary, market-based tool
Society of Testing and Materials, ASTM International is a that supports responsible forest management worldwide.
globally recognized leader in the development and delivery FSC-certified forest products are verified from the forest
of international voluntary consensus standards. of origin through the supply chain. The FSC label ensures
that the forest products used are from responsibly
Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) harvested and verified sources, and come from well-
The Biodegradable Products Institute is a non-profit, managed forests in accordance with environmentally and
multi-stakeholder association of key individuals and socially responsible guidelines, as elaborated by the FSC
groups from government, industry and academia, which Principles and Criteria.
promotes the use and recovery of compostable materials
through municipal composting. Scientific Certification Systems (SCS)
SCS verifies and certifies manufacturing and marketing
CONEG claims related to the environment, sustainability,
The Coalition of Northeastern Governors (CONEG) stewardship, food quality, food safety and food purity.
has drafted model toxics legislation aimed at banning the They have developed internationally recognized standards
intentional use of lead, mercury, cadmium and hexavalent and certification programs in pursuit of the highest level of
chromium in packaging and packaging inks. environmental performance and social accountability. SCS
assessments lead to the recognition of accomplishments
Cradle to Cradle in greenhouse gas inventories and offsets, agricultural
A Cradle to Cradle process transforms traditional “take, production, food processing and handling, forestry,
make and waste” manufacturing systems into creators fisheries, flowers and plants, energy, green building,
of goods and services that generate ecological, social product manufacturing and corporate social responsibility.
and economic value. The process transcends traditional
and irresponsible business practices where raw materials Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI)
are extracted from the earth and ultimately discarded in A forest certification standard that is internationally
landfills. recognized and accepted. Their criteria are based on
principles that promote sustainable forest management,
DEBIO including measures to protect water quality, biodiversity,
DEBIO is a Norway-based certifier of organic forestry wildlife habitat, species at risk, and Forests with
standards, in accordance with the general principles Exceptional Conservation Value. SFI chain-of-custody
and criteria of the International Federation of Organic certification is an accounting system that tracks fiber
Agriculture Movements (IFOAM). DEBIO sustainability content through production and manufacturing to the end
standards include extensive and comprehensive product. And fiber sourcing certification addresses the
regulations for organic forestry (including plantation fact that all forest landowners play a critical role in the
forestry) and wild harvesting of non-wood products. long-term health and sustainability of forest – and that 90
percent of the world’s forests are not certified.
CFDA.com P. 167
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Sourcing resources
Here are some suppliers working on TIPA Sustainable Packaging

more sustainable packaging:
Corn-based packaging that is compostable in home compost. Clients include Mara
*If you already have a packing Hoffman & Recover.
designer and supplier, ask them
about sustainable options. Many RePack
packaging companies already offer
more sustainable alternatives or
A reusable and returnable packaging service. Their reusable packages are made
can work with you to find custom of recycled materials and are made to last at least 20 cycles. Returning an empty
solutions. RePack is free of charge, anywhere in the world. Clients include Flippa K and
MUD Jeans.
Earthpack
A recycled packaging company that supplies fashion-forward bags and boxes to
eco-conscious retailers across the country. Clients include Vans, Stussy, TOMS,
Patagonia, and Volcom.
EcoEnclose
A company focused on recycled and recyclable packaging, working to be an
“ecologically net positive” company by 2030.
DUO
Duo produces mailing bags using Green PE, a thermoplastic sustainable resin
made from sugar cane, a renewable material that’s also 100% recyclable.
Normn
Paper based hangers that are 100 percent recycled and recyclable. Compact and
stackable, they are up to three times more space efficient than regular hangers.
Clients include Topshop, Puma, and Reformation.
Braiform
A biodegradable paper-based alternative to bubble wrap and styrofoam peanuts
that is Garment hangers and packaging solutions. Instead of just making hangers,
they reuse them, reducing the pollution generated from manufacturing by 70
percent. Their hangers are designed to go through the cycle many times and still
appear in top condition in-store. They are then recycled back in virgin production
of new garment hangers.
CFDA.com P. 168
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Sourcing resources, cont’d
More sustainable packaging: Ditto Sustainable Brand Solutions

Paper-based marketing and display tools for conscientious retailers. Their
signature paper hangers and their Garments on Ditto program aims to make
shipping on hangers far more efficient and replace the billions of one-use, virgin
plastic hangers now going into landfills every year to renewable and compostable
ones. Clients include Gap, REI.
Viupax™
Footwear packaging that uses use up to 50 percent less cardboard and occupies
up to 57 percent less volume than traditional shoe boxes. Their design reduces
packaging production and shipping costs, and can be transformed into a paper
bag, reducing the costs even further.
Ecolife
Biodegradable and compostable garment and apparel bags. Engineered to provide
high level of protection for garments, with ultraviolet protection, breathable, and
without any heavy metals or toxic material.
CFDA.com P. 169
R E FO R M AT I O N
“Typical hangers are made of plastic

or metal and have the lifespan of
only 3 months. We use recycled
paper hangers to lessen the demand
for new materials and to keep junk
from landfills. Americans toss 102
billion plastic bags a year. We opt for
reusable totes because they lighten
the load. Plus they’re way cuter…Our
packaging is plastic-free and made
from 100% recycled paper products or
compostable bio-based films. Plus our
tape and hangers use bio-based, non-
toxic adhesives. Our garment bags
are made from 30% recycled plastic
and always get reused. It’s the best we
could find, but we want it to be better.”
CFDA.com
CFDA.com P. 170
Transportation
& Logistics
CFDA.com P. 171
T R A N S P O RTAT I O N & LO G I S T I C S
Overview
Transportation and logistics include the movement of goods and
people. Whether it’s a raw material moving to a production facility,
a product shipped to your customer, or your employees’ commute,
transportation can have a significant impact on people and the
environment. Improving the social and environmental impact of your
transportation and logistics is a great place to start your sustainability
journey.
Transportation optimization can have a huge positive effect on the local areas where your goods
are produced in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, congestion, and noise pollution while
improving local air quality. Optimizing transportation for sustainability usually means increased
efficiency in business operations, which can also save your company a lot of money.
In today’s complex global fashion supply chain, products and their components are usually
transported many times using multiple forms of transportation. In 2015, the U.S. logistics industry
moved more than 49.5 million tons of goods worth nearly $52.7 billion every day, which is more
than 56 tons of freight per person per year, according to the EPA. Projections are that by 2025, as
international commerce increases and supply chains become more global and complex, shipments of
U.S. goods will grow another 23.5 percent, and by 2040, a total of 45 percent.
Pollution emitted from transportation contributes to smog and to poor air quality, which has
negative impacts on the health and welfare of people around the world. For example in the U.S., the
transportation sector is responsible for:
• Over 50 percent of nitrogen oxides (NOx) total emissions inventory

• Over 30 percent of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emissions
• Over 20 percent of particulate matter (PM) emissions
Within transportation, heavy-duty trucks are the fastest-growing contributor to emissions.
CFDA.com P. 172
U S E PA S M A R T W AY ® P A R T N E R S H I P
“There are many important reasons

for establishing a green freight
program. The freight industry has far-
reaching and complex environmental,
social, and economic impacts that
accrue at the local level but have
global consequences. While the freight
industry provides a critical service
to the world’s growing population, it
nonetheless accounts for a significant
portion of the total emissions of black
carbon, greenhouse gases, and other
pollutants from the transport sector.
In certain regions of the world, the
freight sector’s contribution of GHG
emissions can be inordinately high.
In India, only 5 percent of vehicles are
trucks, yet they consume 46 percent of
transport fuel and generate 63 percent
of carbon dioxide (CO2) and 59 percent
of particulate matter emissions (which
includes black carbon).”
CFDA.com
CFDA.com P. 173
WORKSHEET
Make your transportation &

logistics more sustainable
Understand, track and measure Use renewable energy and
how your goods are transported reduce your carbon footprint
Understand Calculate your carbon footprint
• The first step is simply to understand • This can be initially be done using basic
how your goods are transported during calculators that carbon offset companies
every step of the supply chain, from raw provide . For more accurate and more
material through all stages of production, complex calculations, options are listed
distributors, retail, user, and landfill/ in the tools section below.
incinerator/recycling facility. Consider carbon offsets
• Things to think about include: emissions, • Reducing your carbon footprint should
natural resource utilization, waste and be your priority. But until you’re
recycling, efficiency, impact on people (at completely neutral or actually improving
all levels) in terms of health and safety air quality, consider purchasing carbon
offsets. You should do due diligence
to make sure your’re buying from
Measure
companies that are transparent (and
• Once you understand the big picture,
ideally third party certified).
start to track, measure and reduce your
• Consider planting trees!
environmental impact. Only with good
information can one make effective
decisions about what to produce and Choose the mode of
how much, where to locate inventory transportation with the lowest
and how best to transport it. impact
There are many modes of transportation to
Engage
choose from, including rail, road, air, and water.
• Share any relevant data and engage with
Which mode is the most sustainable depends
vendors to apply best practices, reduce
on your specific product and company, each
impact, improve utilization, and optimize
has its advantages and disadvantages.
routes.
• Shipments by land and sea have
• Implement an internal or “shadow” price
significantly smaller carbon footprints
on carbon high enough to materially
than air shipments. Air shipments
affect investment decisions.
are most common in the final leg of
transportation, from retail to consumer,
so incentives can be provided to
consumers for selecting slower shipping.
• For land transportation, trains and more
efficient trucks are preferable.
CFDA.com
CFDA.com P. 174
WORKSHEET
Make your transportation &

logistics more sustainable cont’d
Minimize transportation Reduce waste
distance Employee Transportation
Reduce the distance materials need to travel This includes how your employees commute
between production facilities, distribution to and from work as well as business travel.
centers, retail, and beyond Encourage public transportation, carpooling,
bicycling, walking, etc. Days spent working
• Slower modes of transportation use less
at home reduce transportation if they are
energy. For example, ocean transport
possible. If you have employees that drive,
has a much lower carbon footprint
consider installing electric car chargers at your
than air transport, as mentioned above.
workplace.
But, driving a vehicle slower than its’
maximum speed also greatly reduces Reduce environmental noise
energy consumption. Environmental noise refers to unwanted or
harmful outdoor sound created by human
Consolidate & increase density of shipments
activities, including noise emitted by means of
• Moving the same quantity of goods in
transport, road, rail, air and sites of industrial
fewer trips reduces spending on fuel,
activity.
vehicle maintenance, and energy.
• According to the WHO, excessive noise
seriously harms human health and
Engage with your carriers interferes with people’s daily activities.
• Work with your transportation It can disturb sleep, cause cardiovascular
companies to comply with best practices, and psychophysiological effects, reduce
reduce impact, improve utilization, and performance and provoke annoyance
optimize routes. responses and changes in social
• Help educate them about basic behavior.
efficiently tips such as properly inflated Design products and packaging with less
tires, driving during off hours when there volume and weight.
is less traffic and idle time, combining • To use less and better packaging, see
shipments to reduce empty space in Packaging.
trucks and when possible, using lower • To design more compact and lightweight
emission fuels, hybrid vehicles or electric products, see Design Strategies.
vehicles.
• Best practices show that better routing,
loading, driver training and advanced
tech can improve fuel efficiency by 87%,
resulting in a reduction of 15,000 tons of
CO2 emissions – equivalent to savings of
$11 million.
CFDA.com
CFDA.com P. 175
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Examples
Examples of company Gap Inc.
sustainable logistics &
transport initiatives:
Gap Inc. was recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with
the 2017 SmartWay Excellence Award, a recognition of top environmental
performers and leadership for freight supply chain efficiency. They effectively
hauled 99 percent of all freight with environmentally and energy efficient
SmartWay carriers, rigorous management of their supply chain network and
tracking efficiencies in moving freight to and from Distribution Centers to reduce
their carbon footprint. They review transportation network performance weekly
to ensure efficiency and reduce fuel emissions.
Amour Vert
With every purchase of a t-shirt, Amour Vert plants a tree in North America with
partner American Forest®, helping to offset their carbon footprint.
Johnson & Johnson

On their website, Johnson & Johnson publicly shares their company Climate
Policy. You can read about their Fleet Efficiency and logistics programs here.
Home Depot
This Forbes article dives into why Home Depot is investing in a more efficient
supply chain.
Walmart
Read about how Walmart improved the efficiency of their truck fleet.
Ikea
You can read all about Ikea’s transport sustainability initiatives on page 46 of this
sustainability report.
Examples of sustainability initiatives DHL

at shipping companies: DHL provides Green Logistics Solutions to help their clients calculate, account
for and reduce their emissions. Tools include carbon reporting and expert help in
implementing eco-efficient logistics processes.
USPS
USPS offers sustainability services to their customers through the program
BlueEarth®.
CFDA.com P. 176
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Tools
Transportation & logistics tools: How to Develop a Green Freight Program: A Comprehensive Guide
and Resource Manual
This 5-module toolkit developed by EPA SmartWay provides the information
needed to learn about and implement a green freight program.
Global Green Freight Guide to creating and Implementing a Green

Freight Initiative
A project of the Clean Climate Coalition, Global Green Freight provides step-by-
step guidance and resources to help make your freight operations cleaner and
more efficient.
Corporate Climate Stewardship: Guidelines for Best Practice Climate

Action in the Paris Agreement Era
Developed by Gold Standard, CDP and WWF, these guidelines offer
recommendations on how to structure an ambitious climate strategy.
Retail Leaders Association Sustainability in Retail Logistics &

Transportation
A concise, informative brief on how retailers can make logistics & transport more
sustainable.
Tools to calculate & reduce your B Lab & GIIRS Resource Guide: Calculating Greenhouse Gas
carbon footprint:
Emissions
This comprehensive guide from B Lab & GIIRS covers all the basics of calculating
greenhouse gas emissions in addition to sharing helpful information and
resources.
Native Energy Small Business Calculator

Native Energy has created four different calculators to measure carbon footprint
for Facilities, Travel, Events, & Freight.
*Note: Wondering whether or not to use carbon offsets?

We recommend reading: “Should You Buy Carbon Offsets? A practical and
philosophical guide to neutralizing your carbon footprint” from the NRDC.
CFDA.com P. 177
TOOLS & RESOURCES

GLEC Framework consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related
The GLEC Framework for Logistics Emissions to any transport service (of freight, passengers or both). It
Methodologies allows companies to consistently calculate specifies general principles, definitions, system boundaries,
their GHG footprint across a global multi-modal supply calculation methods, apportionment rules (allocation) and
chain to inform their business decisions and efforts to data recommendations, with the objective to promote
reduce emissions. Comparing greenhouse gas emissions standardized, accurate, credible and verifiable declarations,
(GHG) across different modes of transport can be regarding energy consumption and GHG emissions
like comparing apples to oranges because so many related to any transport service quantified. It also includes
methodologies exist, the GLEC Framework aims to combine examples on the application of the principles.
existing methods into one framework and fill the gaps,
enabling a company to understand its carbon footprint Gold Standard for the Global Goals
alongside cost and time to decide the best way to transport Gold Standard for the Global Goals is designed to
its goods. accelerate progress toward climate security and sustainable
development. The standard enables initiatives to quantify,
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol certify and maximize their impacts toward climate
GHG Protocol establishes comprehensive global security and the Sustainable Development Goals. It is
standardized frameworks to measure and manage tailored to provide the right safeguards, requirements and
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from private and public methodologies to measure and certify impact - from market
sector operations, value chains and mitigation actions. instruments like carbon credits and Renewable Energy
Building on a 20-year partnership between World Labels to gender equality and improved health.
Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council
for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), GHG Protocol Verified Carbon Standard
works with governments, industry associations, NGOs, The VCS Program is a voluntary greenhouse gas program
businesses and other organizations. They offer online that can be third-party certified. By using carbon markets,
training on our standards and tools, as well as the “Built entities can neutralize, or offset, their emissions by retiring
on GHG Protocol” review service, which recognizes sector carbon credits generated by projects that are reducing GHG
guidance, product rules and tools that are in conformance emissions elsewhere. Once projects have been certified
with GHG Protocol standards. against the VCS Program’s rigorous set of rules and
requirements, project developers can be issued tradable
Air Cargo Carbon Footprint (RP1678) GHG credits that are called Verified Carbon Units (VCUs).
A global standard to measure air cargo carbon footprint Those VCUs can then be sold on the open market and
at shipment level; also recognized as the reference retired by individuals and companies as a means to offset
methodology for air cargo by the Global Logistics Emissions their own emissions. Over time, this flexibility channels
Council (GLEC) in their framework for logistics emissions financing to clean, innovative businesses and technologies.
calculation methodologies.
Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) Model
EN 16258: Methodology for calculation and The SCOR model is unique in that it links business
declaration of energy consumption and GHG processes, performance metrics, practices, and people skills
emissions of transport services (freight and into a unified structure. Process reference models integrate
the well-known concepts of business process engineering,
passengers)
benchmarking, process measurement and organizational
This European Standard establishes a common
design into a cross-functional framework.
methodology for the calculation and declaration of energy
CFDA.com P. 178
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Organizations
Transport & Environment 2. Carriers are companies that carry or move goods for
The mission of Transport & Environment is to promote shippers.
a transport policy based on the principles of sustainable 3. Logistics Companies are companies that hire freight
development at both EU and global levels - a transport carriers and manage freight shipments for shippers.
policy should minimize harmful impacts on the environment
and health, maximize efficiency of resources (including Coalition for Responsible Transportation (CRT)
energy and land), and guarantee safety and sufficient access CRT is a national coalition of importers, exporters,
for all. trucking companies, clean truck manufacturers and ocean
carriers formed to facilitate the implementation of practical
Clean Cargo Working Group (CCWG) and sustainable solutions to reduce port truck pollution in
A business-to-business leadership initiative involving a manner that balances the environmental needs of port
major brands, cargo carriers, and freight forwarders communities with efficient flow of commerce.
dedicated to reducing the environmental impacts of global
goods transportation and promoting responsible shipping. Partnership on Sustainable Low Carbon Transport
CCWG tools measure and reporting ocean carriers’ (SLoCaT)
environmental performance on carbon dioxide emissions. SLoCaT promotes the integration of sustainable transport
in global policies on sustainable development and climate
Smart Freight Centre (SFC) change. It consists of a multi-stakeholder partnership of
Established as a global nonprofit organization in 2013, over 90 organizations which is supported by the SLoCaT
SFC’s vision is “Smart Freight”– a transformation to an Foundation. The thematic scope of the Partnership is land
efficient and environmentally sustainable global logistics transport including freight and passenger, both motorized
sector. SFC mobilizes business to reduce emissions and and non-motorized. The policies proposed by SLoCaT are
recognizes leaders. SFC is independent from industry or universal, but the geographical scope of the Partnership is
government, and has a global network across stakeholder mainly for developing countries, its focus is on Asia, Latin
groups with local presence. America and Africa.
Global Green Freight Green Freight Asia

Initiated by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition with Green Freight Asia is a network of Asian road freight
support from the EPA, Global Green Freight is a large- companies working together to improve fuel efficiency,
scale effort to reduce the climate and health impacts and reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and lower logistics costs
improve the energy and economic efficiency of transporting across the entire supply chain. The group is made up of
those goods and materials. large, medium, and small logistics companies and customers
of logistics companies.
SmartWay® Transport Partnership
The EPA’s SmartWay® Transport Partnership helps
companies and organizations achieve their freight supply
chain sustainability goals by providing credible tools, data,
and standards—at no cost—for measuring, benchmarking,
and improving environmental performance. There are three
types of SmartWay® Partners:
1. Shippers are companies and organizations that ship
or receive freight.
CFDA.com P. 179
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Organizations
Green Freight Europe (GFE)
GFE is an industry-driven program to support companies
in improving the environmental performance of freight
transport in Europe. The program drives reductions of
carbon emissions by:
• Establishing a platform for monitoring and reporting
of carbon emissions, to assist in the procurement
of transportation services and based on existing
standards;
• Promoting collaboration between carriers and
shippers in driving improvement actions and
monitoring progress;
• Establishing a certification system to reward shippers
and carriers who fully participate in the program.
It is also a platform for companies to share best practices,
promote innovations and communicate sustainability
improvements. Furthermore, it fosters cooperation with
other related initiatives, programs and working groups
globally.
APICS Supply Chain Council (APICS SCC)

APICS SCC is a nonprofit organization that advances
supply chains through research, benchmarking and
publications. They maintain the Supply Chain Reference
model (SCOR), a framework for evaluating and comparing
supply chain activities and performance. APICS SCC
enables corporations, academic institutions and public
sector organizations to address the ever-changing
challenges of managing a global supply chain to elevate
supply chain performance.
Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC)

The CCAC is a voluntary partnership of governments,
intergovernmental organizations, businesses, scientific
institutions and civil society organizations committed to
improving air quality and protecting the climate through
actions to reduce short-lived climate pollutants. Their
global network currently includes over 120 state and non-
state partners, and hundreds of local actors carrying out
activities across economic sectors, and their scope covers
transportation and much more.
CFDA.com P. 180
NOTE
What is noise pollution?

According to the US Environmental Protection
Agency: Protection from Noise
The traditional definition of noise is Individuals can take many steps to protect
“unwanted or disturbing sound”. Sound themselves from the harmful effects of
becomes unwanted when it either interferes noise pollution. If people must be around
with normal activities such as sleeping, loud sounds, they can protect their ears
conversation, or disrupts or diminishes one’s with hearing protection (e.g., ear plugs or
quality of life. The fact that you can’t see, ear muffs). There are various strategies
taste or smell it may help explain why it has for combating noise in your home, school,
not received as much attention as other types workplace, and the community.
of pollution, such as air pollution, or water
pollution. The air around us is constantly filled Learn more about noise pollution prevention:
with sounds, yet most of us would probably Noise Pollution Clearinghouse
not say we are surrounded by noise. Though
for some, the persistent and escalating
sources of sound can often be considered
an annoyance. This “annoyance” can have
major consequences, primarily to one’s overall
health.
Health Effects
Noise pollution adversely affects the lives
of millions of people. Studies have shown
that there are direct links between noise and
health. Problems related to noise include
stress related illnesses, high blood pressure,
speech interference, hearing loss, sleep
disruption, and lost productivity. Noise
Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) is the most
common and often discussed health effect,
but research has shown that exposure to
constant or high levels of noise can cause
countless adverse health affects.
Learn more about the health effects:

The Noise Effects Handbook, Office of Noise
Abatement and Control, US EPA, 1981
Noise and Its Effects, by Dr. Alice H. Suter,
Administrative Conference of the United
States, November 1991
CFDA.com P. 181
Customer
Care & Repair
CFDA.com P. 182
CUSTOMER CARE & REPAIR
Overview
During the use phase of a product’s life, customer care can have
significant environmental impact. In fact, some studies have found that
the greatest environmental impact of a garment over its life is during
customer use.
Many of these impacts can be significantly reduced through better consumer care. For example,
80-90 percent of the total energy used by a typical washing machine is to heat the water, so energy
consumption can be dramatically reduced if consumers wash in cold water and forego the dryer for a
clothesline. Not only does air drying use less energy, it’s also better for your clothes and increases their
longevity. (Paul Dillinger, VP of Global Product Innovation at Levi Strauss and Company, once called
the dryer “a cruel torture chamber for your clothes.”)
Washing clothes also contributes significantly to water contamination through the use of toxic
detergents and softeners, as well as the release of microplastics from synthetic fibers. Some
detergents and softeners are better than others, one great resource to share with your customers is
the Environmental Working Group’s Guide to Better Cleaning.
In terms of microplastics, studies are still in early phases of understanding the problem and
developing solutions. Possible solutions are currently in development, including filters for washing
machines and coatings or processes that prevent synthetic fibers from shedding. The Guppy Friend
Washing Bag is the only solution currently on the market. Still, these don’t solve the initial problem, so
it is important to take this very seriously when choosing to use synthetic fibers. When you do decide
to use a synthetic fiber, we’d like to emphasize washing these products less!
CFDA.com P. 183
P U L S E O F T H E FA S H I O N I N D U S T RY R E P O RT 2 0 1 8
“Educating consumers
on how to improve the
usage of a garment
increases its durability
and prolongs its
lifetime, lowering
its overall footprint.
A study by WRAP
found that extending
a garment’s life by
just three months
would lower the water,
carbon, and waste
footprint by 5–10%.”
CFDA.com P. 184
WORKSHEET
Design for & educate your

customers about sustainable use
include written or visual guides. For
1. Design for durability and
specialized products or materials you
longevity might even want to provide physical
• Create high quality products that last repair kits.
for years and can be repaired.
• Adopt a Quality Assurance Program to 4. Create an in-house care &
enhance durability and longevity.
repair program
2. Design for low-impact care & • Provide services to repair and refurbish
educate your customers about it products for your customers.
• Track and measure repairs to improve
Design for low-impact care, which includes: product quality and longevity.
• Wash less, wash in cold water, wash
only when loads are full, wash on
shorter cycles, use front-loading,
energy efficient machines, air dry, use
non-chlorine bleach and safe laundry
detergents, don’t dry clean
Educate your customers about it

• Care labels are a great place to
communicate instructions on how to
wash, dry, mend, and further care for
your product (in addition to information
about materials, recyclability, and
instructions for disassembly, if
applicable).
• In addition to providing information
with a product itself, provide resources
on your website. This is a great
opportunity to make creative content!
3. Educate your customers about

repair
• Most people don’t know how to repair
damaged clothing, so you have a great
opportunity to help them. This can
CFDA.com P. 185
EILEEN FISHER
“We’d like our

clothes back now.
Renew is more
than a take-back
program. It’s part
of our vision for
a future without
waste.”
CFDA.com P. 186
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Examples
Examples of customer care Eileen Fisher

& repair initiatives:
Eileen Fisher established a take-back program called EILEEN FISHER
Renew. Customers are encouraged to bring back old EILEEN FISHER
clothes and receive a $5 Rewards Card for each item. The old items are
then re-sold online and in stores as the Renew Collection, turned into
one-of-a-kind pieces as the Resewn Collection, or saved for recycling.
Patagonia
Patagonia’s Repair & Care Guides walk customers through everything
from simple fixes like how to fix an unthreaded drawstring, patch a small
hole, or remove all sorts of specific types of stains, to more complicated
things like how to install a completely new zipper. As they put it, “Learn
to repair tears, remove stains, figure out what those hieroglyphics on the
care tags mean, and more.”
Stella McCartney
Stella McCartney’s #Clevercare video series offers fun videos that
demonstrate how to care for different items, from the iconic Fallabella
bag to tailored pieces.
Levi’s
Levi’s advises its customers to stop washing their jeans after every wear
and provides washing tips to minimize damage and keep denim looking
better, fitting better, and lasting longer. Levi’s has gone to great lengths
to encourage customers to air-dry their jeans, including hosting a design
competition for air-drying racks called the Care to Air Design Challenge.
Reformation
Reformation encourages their customers to “wash smart” and provides
them with easy ways to lower a garment’s environmental impact. As they
put it, “Good news: up to two-thirds of clothes’ carbon footprint occurs
after you take it home. That’s incredible because a lot of all the nasty
stuff in the fashion industry is in your hands to fix.”
Nudie Jeans
Nudie Jeans offers free repairs on their products for life in Nudie Repair
Shops and a Mobile Repair Station. If a customer doesn’t live near a
Nudie Repair Shop, they can order a free-of-charge Repair Kit.
CFDA.com P. 187
NUDIE JEANS
“Every pair of Nudie

jeans, no matter where
you buy them, comes
with a promise of free
repairs. In 2017 we
repaired 49,235 pairs of
jeans, collected 7,463
pairs for reuse for new
products and as patching
material, which means
we saved 40,000 kg
of clothes from being
thrown away and saved
345,000,000 liters of
water.”
CFDA.com P. 188
CFDA.com P. 189
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Organizations & people

Craft of Use ethnographic research methods with design process. It
What if we pay attention to tending and wearing gathers stories and images from the public of how people
garments? What if we favor their use as much as their use their clothes at community photo shoots. These use
creation? The Craft of Use – the satisfying and resourceful practices are then the basis and inspiration for design
ideas and practices associated with using clothes – projects in the UK, USA, Canada, Denmark, Australia and
changes the way we think about care for the future in New Zealand which aim to amplify these practices and
unprecedented, profound ways. For what the craft of use explore their integration into larger programs or original
represents is compelling possibilities and practicalities business models.
for fashion mainly within the clothes we already have.
Use is not dependent on producing and consuming more. Tom of Holland & The Visible Mending
It takes its bearings from the skills, practices and ideas Programme: making and re-making
of tending and wearing, in the context of real lives. The The Visible Mending Program seeks to highlight that
craft of use is a glimpse of fashion not dependent on a the art and craftsmanship of clothes repair is particularly
growth economy or rising consumption alone. Despite relevant in a world where more and more people voice
evidence that highlights the major limitations of dealing their dissatisfaction with fashion’s throwaway culture.
with sustainability issues primarily in a business context, By exploring the story behind garment and repair, the
this context continues to dominate the environmental Program reinforces the relationship between the wearer
response of the fashion sector. The craft of use offers and garment, leading to people wearing their existing
a different point of departure for fostering change, clothes for longer, with the beautiful darn worn as a
by favoring sensitivity to people’s lived experience badge of honor. By writing this blog, running darning
rather than industrial or commercial ideas about what workshops and taking repair work commissions Tom
sustainability actions are or should be. It sees sustainability provides mending inspiration, skills and services to people
in fashion as a political challenge more than a technical and hopefully persuade them that shop-bought clothes
one, exploring its relationship with consumerism alongside deserve care and attention too, just like a precious hand-
alternative ways and infrastructures of consumption. It knit.
builds ideas of a new responsibility in fashion tied to new
knowledge, skills, satisfaction and connectivity in the life
Denim Therapy
A denim repair shop based in NYC with over four
world of users of clothes: the craft of use.
decades of experience restoring and reconstructing
Local Wisdom jeans, jackets, and more. No matter the adjustments
A sister project of Craft of Use, Local Wisdom was needed on your blues, they offer a wide range of denim
originated by Dr Kate Fletcher in 2009 and is now funded repair services, including hemming, tailoring, stitching,
by The Leverhulme Trust. The project, which links together and many other restoration techniques. They also offer
a network of partners and design activity in seven customization services, including inserts, distressing,
centers of high fashion consumption spread across three chainstitch embroidery, patches, and many more.
continents, explores satisfying and resourceful practices
associated with using clothes. This ‘craft of use’ aims to
challenge the dependency of the fashion industry on
increasing material throughput and propose solutions
through sustained attention to tending and using garments
and not just creating them. Local Wisdom combines
CFDA.com P. 190
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Organizations & people, cont’d

Celia Pym
Celia Pym is a London-based artist, knitter and darner
who specializes in visible repairs. From a recent article in
the Financial Times: “Pym describes her style of mending
as ‘unapologetic’. Her work uses a mix of threads, colors
and texture so that something as simple as a pair of socks
or a scarf becomes a strange visual kaleidoscope under her
attention. ‘I’m interested in what’s wrong and off,’ she says
of her mending skills, which invariably make old moth- eaten
cashmeres and long-loved heirlooms far more beautiful in the
remaking. ‘I like it when things are lumpy and bumpy. It’s nice
when you can see the landscape of damage, which although I
am mending, I am also distorting.’”
Reknit
A small operation based out of Boston, MA. People can
send them a knit sweater or clothing and they will unravel and
restore the yarn and knit a new scarf and send it back within a
few weeks.
CFDA.com P. 191
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Suggested reading
Books: Craft of Use: Post-Growth Fashion

Kate Fletcher
Fix Your Clothes: The Sustainable Magic of Mending, Patching,

and Darning
Raleigh Briggs
Mend & Make Fabulous

Denise Wild
Mending Matters: Stitch, Patch, and Repair Your Favorite

Denim & More
Katrina Rodabaugh
CFDA.com P. 192
End of Use,
Reuse &
Recycling
CFDA.com P. 193
END OF USE, REUSE & RECYCLING
Overview
When a product is discarded, there are different routes it can take. It
could be donated to charity for re-use, downcycled into a lower value
material ( insulation, for example), recycled or upcycled into a new
product or material of equal or superior value, biodegrade back into
the earth, be incinerated, or get buried in a landfill.
Understanding that at current consumption rates we’ll not be able to continue “business as
usual”, fashion sustainability initiatives are currently focusing much of their energy on creating
a circular fashion economy, in which all products will either be infinitely recyclable or renewable
and biodegradable, without negative harm to people and the planet. In May 2018, 94 companies
had already signed the 2020 Circular Fashion System Commitment. As Eileen Fisher puts it, “we’re
working toward a world in which the clothes we wear today become tomorrow’s raw materials.”
While many exciting circular innovations and programs will likely reach scale in the next 5-10 years,
for now circularity is not a reality. Less than 1 percent of materials used to produce clothing are
recycled into new clothing, according to A New Textiles Economy Report 2017, which includes
recycling after use, as well as the recycling of factory off-cuts. Expert interviews and some reports
suggest that the rate of recycling clothing after use could be below 0.1 percent.
The EPA estimates that the recycling rate for textiles in clothing and footwear in 2014 was 15.6
percent , with 84.4 percent either going to landfill (the vast majority) or into an incinerator. Overall,
charities sell only 20 percent of the clothing donated to them at their retail outlets. Some of the
bigger charities sell more than that—30 percent at Goodwill, 45 to 75 percent at the Salvation Army
and 40 percent at Housing Works, to give a few examples.
CFDA.com P. 194
CFDA.com P. 195
WORKSHEET
Reuse, recycling, and proper

disposal
Find circular opportunities Take responsibility for your
• Try to design products and packaging own waste
that are reusable and either infinitely
Create a Take Back Program
recyclable or compostable. No waste
should be created along a product’s • Encourage your customers to bring back
entire lifecycle. the products you sold them when they
• Aim to design products that not only do are no longer wanted. Some companies
no harm, but benefit society. provide store credit, for example.
• If it is not possible to design a circular • Analyze what has been returned to
product, find other ways to support the measure the quality, longevity, and
development of a circular economy. value of your products and improve
For example, you could choose to them.
incorporate a single circular element • Properly dispose of, reutilize, or recycle
into your product, or you could the products you take back.
financially support circularity innovation
through investment or charitable giving. Recycle, compost, or otherwise utilize your
pre-consumer waste
Label how consumers should • This includes things like fabric offcuts
recycle or dispose of products and deadstock.
• You should be working to minimize and
The care label on your product should specify completely eliminate pre-consumer
what customers should do with unwanted waste.
items. This may include donating, recycling,
disassembling, throwing in the compost, or
returning it to your company.
• You could make it easier for your
customers by providing this information
in other places as well, like at the point
of purchase or on your website.
CFDA.com P. 196
EILEEN FISHER
“We’ve always believed in design

that stands the test of time. In
2009, we started a take-back
program, part of a circular system
that preserves the value of our
clothes at every stage. So when
you’re done with your clothes, we
take them back, in any condition,
to be resold or renewed through
techniques like overdyeing and
mending. And the pieces we can’t
use? We save every scrap, because
they’re tomorrow’s raw materials.
Damaged garments are resewn
into one-of-a-kind designs—just
one of the solutions we’ve created
to address the mounting problem
of textile waste.”
CFDA.com P. 197
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Examples
Theory repurposing. Anything that can be refurbished is
Through their Theory for Good program, Theory collects re-sold through their Worn Wear program, and customers
gently used Theory clothing on behalf of Year-Up, a non- are given store credit for turning in these pieces.
profit devoted to empowering young adults. Customers Non-resellable items may be turned into brand new fabric
who donate clothing can exchange it for new items at a or repurposed in other ways.
reduced price.
Madewell
Nudie Jeans In collaboration with the Blue Jeans Go Green™ denim
Through their ReUse program, Nudie takes back their recycling program, Madewell asks its customers to bring
jeans through a trade-in program (giving customers 20 them pre-loved jeans, and in return gives customers $20
percent off a new pair when they hand in an old one) , towards new ones.
refurbishes them, and resells them both online and at
Nudie brick-and-mortar stores. Nudie Jeans has also made NIKE
chic rugs and campstools out of recycled denim. Nike’s Reuse-A-Shoe program recycles athletic shoes at
the end of their life, giving them a new life through Nike
Hanky Panky Grind. Nike Grind materials are created from recycled
First, Hanky Panky encourages customers to donate athletic footwear and surplus manufacturing scraps to
gently worn bras to a local homeless or women’s shelter make performance products, ranging from new footwear
or to national organization such as Support the Girls. and apparel to sports surfaces. Today, Nike Grind materials
For items that are not suitable for donation (for hygiene are used in 71 percentof Nike footwear and apparel
purposes or because they’re simply worn out), they products, in everything from yarns and trims, to some of
created the Lingeriecycle™ initiative. Hanky Panky sends their premium jerseys and shoes. Premium sports surfaces
customers free Lingeriecycle mailers upon request, include running tracks, courts, turf fields, gym floors,
which customers can send back with their old bras and carpet padding and playgrounds.
panties (from any brand). Items are finely shredded. Metal
items such as underwires and hooks are separated out
by magnets and sent to a metal recycler while fabric
components are ultimately converted into carpet padding.
The RealReal x Stella McCartney

The RealReal and Stella McCartney are working in
partnership to make a positive impact and advance
their shared values: sustainability and the promotion of
the circular economy in luxury fashion. For every Stella
McCartney item you consign on the RealReal, Stella
McCartney will give you $100 credit at her store.
Patagonia Worn Wear

In addition to sharing extensive information on how to
repair your Patagonia clothes and offering repair services,
Patagonia takes all of their products back for recycling or
CFDA.com P. 198
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Textile collection & recycling organizations
Collection, sorting & repair American Textile Recycling Service (ATRS)

resources:
ATRS is a US-based donation bin operator that collects, sorts, donates and
resells gently used, out of season, unwanted clothing, shoes, toys and household.
ATRS ensures almost everything is used, nothing is wasted. – About 45 percent is
usable “as is” in the growing second-hand clothing market – 20 percent is used for
upholstery and automotive stuffing – 30 percent is used for industry wiping rags –
ATRS gives away 3 percent for disaster relief. This equates to several trailer loads
of blankets, warm wear, suits and household items every month.
Bank and Vogue

Bank and Vogue works to provide innovative and relevant solutions for the crisis
of stuff. They work with suppliers across the US and Canada, from thrift stores and
manufacturers to well-known retailers and have a distribution network that spans
the globe. Bank & Vogue buys credential clothing (original, unsorted, unopened
clothing donations) from charities and for-profit collectors across North America
and then re-purposes it through multiple channels.
Blue Jeans Go Green Denim Recycling Program

Drop off your or mail used denim to Blue Jeans Go Green and they will turn
it into UltraTouchTM Denim Insulation made from 80 percent post-consumer
recycled denim. They’ve been at it for over a decade and have recycled over 2
million pieces of denim. Brand collaborators include Madewell, Guess, and Saks
Fifth Avenue.
I:CO
I:CO is an international circular solutions provider for the collection, certified
sorting, reuse and recycling of discarded clothing and shoes. They put great
emphasis on continuously supporting innovative, new recycling technologies with
the aim of closing the loop of production cycles. The I:CO take-back system makes
it possible to collect used clothing and shoes at a retailer’s point of sale and give
them a new life through reuse or recycling. Headquartered in Germany, I:CO has
additional branches in the USA, Japan, China and France. Partners include H&M,
Adidas, American Eagle Outfitters, The North Face, and more.
Fashion Positive Material Reutilization Tool: Find a Textile Collections

and Processing Provider
Learn about textile or garment collections and material processing, and find a
provider in your area.
CFDA.com P. 199
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Collection, sorting & repair Materials for the Arts

resources:
Materials for the Arts is New York’s premiere reuse center, collecting unneeded
items from businesses and individuals, and making these donations available for
free to its recipients: nonprofit organizations with arts programming, government
agencies, and public schools. They collect items like art supplies, art books, beads
and jewelry, fabric (large pieces), trim and sewing notions, office supplies, paper,
and office supplies. They do not collect clothing or fabric scraps. The MFTA
warehouse is operated by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs with
additional support from the City’s Departments of Sanitation and of Education.
refashionNYC
refashionNYC is NYC’s official clothing reuse program in partnership with NYC
Department of Sanitation and Housing Works to make textile donations as easy
as possible, through a convenient in-building service. You can enroll your building
to receive a refashionNYC collection bin. Tax receipts are available on the bin.
Their partnership with Housing Works provides this convenient collection while
fighting the dual crises of homelessness and AIDS. They’ll visit your building to
discuss how many bins you’d like, what sizes are best and where they should be
placed. Buildings simply call or email for a free pick up when the bin is full. Eligible
buildings include apartment buildings with 10 or more units, office buildings,
commercial businesses, schools and institutions. Accepted items include clothing
(from women, men & children), shoes, purses, gloves, scarves, hats, belts, towels,
curtains, bedding and linens, clean rags and torn clothing. You can also read about
GrowNYC Zero Waste Programs: Greenmarket Clothing Collection.
Revolve Waste
Focused on taking circular textiles to the next level, REvolve began in 2013
and re-launched in The Netherlands in 2019. They aim to address the technical,
data-driven, and systemic components of circular textiles. Their work builds and
develops the connections of a new, circular industry. Collaborations are focused
on cotton and polyester resources and address the biggest short-term hurdles to
circular textiles. Individual projects are tailored to each client.
Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles (SMART) Association

SMART is a global organization of companies involved in the reuse and recycling
of textiles and related secondary materials. As an international trade association
working to promote the for-profit textile recycling industry SMART serves the
common interests of its members through advocacy, networking, and education.
CFDA.com P. 200
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Collection, sorting & repair TEXAID

resources:
Materials for the Arts is New York’s premiere reuse center, collecting unneeded
items from businesses and individuals, and making these donations available for
free to its recipients: nonprofit organizations with arts programming, government
agencies, and public schools. They collect items like art supplies, art books, beads
and jewelry, fabric (large pieces), trim and sewing notions, office supplies, paper,
and office supplies. They do not collect clothing or fabric scraps. The MFTA
warehouse is operated by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs with
additional support from the City’s Departments of Sanitation and of Education.
The Renewal Workshop

Based in Oregon, the Renewal Workshop takes discarded apparel and textiles
and turns them into Renewed Apparel, upcycled materials or recycling feedstock.
Data is collected on everything that flows through the system and is given back
to their brand partners to help them improve the production and design of future
products. It is a zero waste system that recovers the full value out of what has
already been created as a way of serving customers, partners and planet. Partners
include Coyuchi, Prana, Nau, and Outerknown, among others.
Wearable Collections
Wearable Collections is a NYC based company focused on keeping clothing,
textiles and shoes out of landfills while generating funds for charities. They accept
all used clean clothing including shoes, sneakers and hats in addition to household
items such as linens, towels, handbags and belts.
Yerdle Recommerce
Yerdle makes it easy for brands to buy back and resell used items by providing
technology and logistics to develop white-label re-sale programs. Patagonia, Eileen
Fisher and REI partnered with Yerdle to launch and operate their recommerce
programs. Find out more here.
CFDA.com P. 201
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Textile scrap recycling: FABSCRAP

FABSCRAP provides convenient pickup and recycling of textiles for businesses
in New York City. Any business creating textile waste can recycle fabric scraps,
cuttings, headers, mock-ups, samples, overstock, bolts, production remnants, and
any other unwanted excess fabric. FABSCRAP provides reusable recycling bags in
two colors (black for proprietary materials and brown for everything else). Once
filled bags are picked up from your business, FABSCRAP processes, sorts, and
consolidates scrap to prepare materials for recycling and reuse. They work with
brands like Eileen Fisher, Oscar de la Renta, Marc Jacobs, Loomstate, Tracy Reese,
and more.
Companies producing new
textiles from textile waste:
Re:Newcell
TEIJIN Recycled Polyester
The Infinited Fiber Company
ECONYL
Pure Waste Textiles
Recover
SaXcell
Worn Again
CFDA.com P. 202
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Suggested reading
Articles: “Fast Fashion Is Creating an Environmental Crisis”

Alden Wicker, Newsweek, September, 2016
“The hidden trade in our second-hand clothes given to

charity”
Andrew Brooks, The Guardian, February, 2015
“Here’s where your donated clothing really ends up: Only 25%
of clothing collected for thrift shops actually sells in the stores.
What happens to the rest of it?”
Paul Jay, CBC News, May, 2018
Reports & studies: EPA Textiles Specific Data

The US Environmental Protection Agency measures the generation,
recycling, combustion with energy recovery, and landfilling of textile
material in municipal solid waste.
The impact of second-hand clothing trade on developing

countries
Sally Baden and Catherine Barber, Oxfam, September 2005
Developments in global markets for used textiles and

implications for reuse and recycling
Hanna Ljungkvist, David Watson, Maria Elander, A Mistra Future Fashion
Report, 2018
Mistra Future Fashion Reports

The Mistra Future Fashion program is a cross-disciplinary research
program that holds uniquely a system perspective on the fashion
industry. Its vision is to close the loop in fashion and clothing –
enabling a systemic change in the Swedish fashion industry, leading
to a sustainable development of the industry and society. They have
produced many reports around the topic of textile recycling, which can
be found here.
A New Textiles Economy: Redesigning fashion’s future

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation & Circular Fibres Initiative, 2017
CFDA.com P. 203
Event
Production
CFDA.com P. 204
EVENT PRODUCTION
Overview
Events and fashion shows often take an unnecessary
environmental toll, involving large amounts of energy, transportaition,
water, and waste. It is not uncommon for all set design materials from
a fashion show to go directly into the trash. Event organizers should
take sustainability into account when organizing all aspects of an
event, including:
• Site selection
• Transport of attendees
• Recruiting and training of the event workforce & participants
• Sourcing of materials, supplies and services
• Managing impacts on communities, environments, & economies
• Planning and managing potential legacies
• Accessibility of an event
With large events it is best to ensure an independent report, which

complies with international standards, such as the Global Reporting
Initiative (GRI). These standards can be a useful reference for smaller
events too.
CFDA.com P. 205
WORKSHEET
Make your event more sustainable

from brands that use minimal and more
Choose more sustainable sustainable packaging and sourcing. For
vendors example, a paper carton is preferable to
• Choose vendors that have their own a plastic bottle.
sustainability policy. • Use low water-use facilities (like
• Use venues and materials that already kitchens and toilets) and look for
exist. solutikons to reduce industrial water
• If possible, use an existing venue use even more.
that already offers the services
you need, minimizing transport
Use less & cleaner energy
requirements. This could include
• Aim to reduce your footprint
things like catering and A/V.
• You can use a free event online carbon
Choosing venues with good natural
calculator, like those from MyClimate or
lighting and insulation can further
Carbonfund.
reduce energy use.
• If you can’t eliminate your carbon
• Most of the time, renting flatware,
footprint, consider carbon offsets.
dishes, and glasses is more
• Use Renewable Energy
sustainable than using ones that are
• Monitor, measure and reduce your
disposable (even recycled, recyclable,
power consumption. This could include
and compostable ones). There are
solar, wind, or biofuels.
exceptions, depending on transport
• Use low-energy lighting and equipment
• Turn things off when not in use
Don’t pollute
• Don’t use chemical or other products
that could harm people, animals, or the
environment.
• Work with your venue and vendors to
ensure that all cleaning solutions and
any other wastewater are disposed
or appropriately so as to not cause
damage to the local environment.
• When possible, we request that all
cleaning products be environmentally
friendly.
• Don’t contribute to noise pollution
Use less water

• Ideally, for drinking water serve tap
water in reusable cups
• Avoid bottled water. If required, choose
CFDA.com P. 206
WORKSHEET

cont’d
• If your guests don’t need giveaway items,
Reduce or eliminate waste don’t give them any stuff
• Aim for zero waste
• Work with local suppliers to donate
• This means that none of the waste
used materials in the community
generated at your event goes
• Ask your venue/caterer to donate
to landfill, but is recyclable or
unused food items to local
compostable. Given the current US
organizations, such as shelters
recycling dilemma, check with your
local recycling facility to ensure
recyclables will actually be recycled. Use low-impact modes of
Composting is an idea option, but transportation
be sure to use due diligence in
• Take transportation into account when
selecting a compostable product.
selecting a venue
Many compostable products are only
• Select a venue with easy access
compostable in industrial compost
to public transportation and, if
facilities, so you need to make sure
long-distance travel is required,
the products will make it to one
transportation hubs.
(many don’t). Many compostable
• If you are offering accommodation,
products are also made out of less-
make it within walking distance of
than-ideal materials, so you must
the venue.
also do due diligence to ensure the
• Promote and/or provide low-impact
wood/paper/bioplastic is sustainably
modes of transportation
made.
• If possible, encourage biking or
• Choose electronic over paper
public transportation
• If possible, choose digital marketing,
• If driving is required, offer carpooling
tickets, run-of-show, brochures, etc.
services and utilize low-emission
• Use less and non-disposable decor
vehicles.
• Too often, décor used at fashion
• Consider a digital event. For example,
shows is simple thrown away after
teleconferencing or live-streaming. This
the event.
is certainly lower-impact than hosting a
• Whenever possible, use materials
large event.
that already exist (either rented, or
• Use low-impact transportation and
invest in materials you know you’ll
shipping for the transfer of all goods
use repeatedly).
related to the event
• If possible, reduce décor materials
• See our Transportation & Logistics
(perhaps aim for a more minimal
section for more detail
aesthetic). Otherwise, use materials
that can be rented or re-used.
CFDA.com P. 207
WORKSHEET

cont’d
Work with local vendors
• There are many well-documented
benefits to supporting local vendors.
Benefits include reduced environmental
impact, job creation, better service,
and community benefit, among other
things - we’ve listed them in the People
section.
• You can read more about it and create a
Local Purchasing Policy with this B Lab
Resource Guide.
Start planning your event well

in advance
• Avoid last-minute event planning and
execution, which often results in a
much heftier social and environmental
impact including long, inhumane
working hours, rush air shipping, etc.
CFDA.com P. 208
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Examples
Examples of sustainable CFDA Fashion Awards 2018 sustainable carpet, carpet made
event production:
from regenerated waste
Carpeting used at the 2018 CFDA Fashion Awards was created by
Aquafil and ege carpets, and made with ECONYL® regenerated nylon
fiber. Italy-based Aquafil takes waste from oceans and landfills, then
transforms it into ECONYL® yarn. This yarn performs in the same way
as virgin nylon and can be recycled infinitely without ever losing its
quality. After the awards, worn parts will be recycled at Aquafil’s carpet
recycling plant in Phoenix, while areas in good condition will be reused
as they are.
CFDA Fashion Awards 2017 sustainable meal

The CFDA Fashion Awards sourced décor and menu items with an eye to
the environment. All produce was grown specifically for the evening at
Brooklyn Grange and other sustainable local farms for culinary designer
Jane Coxwell, author of Fresh Happy Tasty and CFDA Chairwoman
Diane von Furstenberg’s personal chef, who created the Mediterranean-
inspired menu. After the event, Hammerstein Ballroom composted all
uneaten food with plans to return the compost to Brooklyn Grange.
The tabletop was dressed in sustainable items, from 100 percent linen
napkins completely free of optic brighteners and table linens, glasses,
plates, flatware, and décor that were entirely reusable and recyclable.
The Special Event Company

Read about the Special Event Company’s Sustainability Policy.
Sustainable Music Festival

Read this article about a music festival going green.
CFDA.com P. 209
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Standards & certifications for ISO Sustainable Events

sustainable event production:
ISO 20121 is a management system written to inform the process of
organizing an event. It offers guidance and best practice to help you
manage your event and control its social, economic and environmental
impact. Every action counts, from relying on tap water instead of plastic
bottles to encouraging use of public transport. You might find that it
also helps you cut unnecessary costs. ISO 20121’s flexible approach
means that it can be used for all types of events. The standard has
been developed with input from many different stakeholders, including
representatives from the event industry, to make it practical and
useful. It addresses all stages of an events’ supply chain, and includes
monitoring and measuring guidelines.
APEX/ASTM Sustainable Event Standard

The APEX standard provides definitions of specific operational actions
with key performance matrix and scoring that comprise a sustainable
event. Spearheaded by the US Environmental Protection Agency and
the Green Meeting Industry Council, the standards were developed in
collaboration between APEX (the Events Industry Council’s Accepted
Practices Exchange) and ASTM (an ANSI certified international standard
development organization). Hence the standards are referred to as
the APEX/ ASTM Environmentally Sustainable Event Standards. They
cover nine areas or sectors of meeting management: Audio Visual /
Production, Destination Selection, Meeting Venue, Accommodations,
Exhibits, Onsite Office, Communications, Food and Beverage, and
Transportation. They use eight categories intended to capture the
environmental and social areas to consistently be included in each sector
that are measured under the standard including Staff Management and
Environmental Policy, Communication, Waste Management, Energy, Air
quality, Water Procurement, and Community Partners.
GRI Event Organizers Sector Supplement (EOSS)

This summary guide provides organizations in the event organizers
sector with an overview of sustainability reporting, the Global Reporting
Initiative (GRI), and the GRI Event Organizers Sector Supplement (EOSS).
CFDA.com P. 210
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Suggested reading
Event production organizations: The Sustainable Event Alliance

Offers a self-paced online course “Implement ISO 20121” that leads
participants step by step through the standard – not just focusing on
how to comply with its requirements, but opening up why the various
elements are important to set up and implement.
Suggested reading: “When Will Fashion Week Finally Go Paperless?”

Paul McLaughlan, Fashionista, July, 2017
Green Event Book has a lot of great resources:

http://www.greeneventbook.com/
http://www.greeneventbook.com/event-sustainability-checklists/
CFDA.com P. 211
Communication
& Marketing
Strategies
CFDA.com P. 212
CO M M U N I C AT I O N & M A R K E T I N G S T R AT EG I E S
Overview
Data shows employees and consumers care about the social and
environmental impact of what they buy. You can read more about it in
The Business Case for Sustainability section of this guide.
Rule # 1 is Honesty. There is no perfect path to sustainable fashion,

and nobody is totally sustainable. Consumers know this too. Many
companies choose not to talk publicly about sustainability (even
some companies with big sustainability programs) because they don’t
want to communicate progress until achieving “perfect sustainability
performance.” They fear accusations of ‘greenwashing’ as well as
public dissatisfaction with their efforts.
(According to the Okala guide, Greenwashing is making claims that lack real merit or misrepresent
facts about environmental performance – do not do it.) The industry needs a new paradigm where
perfect is not the enemy of good. An approach that works well for many brands is to be transparent and
honest about sustainability efforts, both successes AND failures. Conscious consumers are good at
cutting through the greenwash, but don’t forget their end goal is to support you- and haters always
gonna hate!
Sustainability shouldn’t be a thing we need to point out, it should be inherent to all design. But the
thing is, it’s not yet. We hope that you will choose to talk about sustainability with your customers
instead of not. Engage them in the conversation. Since CFDA designers play an important role in
influencing culture, everyone talking about sustainability would lead to a shift in consumer attitudes.
We’d argue that honesty and brand story matter more to consumers than sustainability, so just be
honest and ask your customers to join you in your journey. Tell the truth. Include your customers in
your sustainability journey, and they will root you on!
In this section you will find some suggestions and examples of sustainability communication and
marketing. But remember that each brand’s sustainability story is unique. Make your sustainability
story personal.
CFDA.com P. 213
MELISSA JOY MANNING
“We all have

inherent power.
However we want
to use our voices,
we can all effect
change. It’s just a
matter of standing
up and talking
about what you
believe in.”
CFDA.com P. 214
CO M M U N I C AT I O N & M A R K E T I N G S T R AT EG I E S
Internal
Communication
Internal communication is just as important (if not more) than
external communication. Sharing your sustainability strategy and
goals with your team is important. We’ve talked about it throughout
this entire guide, including The Business Case for Sustainability,
Create a Company Sustainability Strategy, Sustainable Buildings
& Offices, and more. Why? Internal communication unites the
organization on sustainability.
Only when information is communicated through the entire

organization can sustainability become an integral part of the
company’s core business, values, strategic objectives and, ultimately,
DNA. Companies need to share leadership’s commitment, explain the
approach, strategy and targets, and set transparent expectations.
You should consider your suppliers to be part of your extended team

and extend the same resources to them. Make it personal!
CFDA.com P. 215
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Examples
In their words: “An Update on Microfiber Pollution” from Patagonia
In this post Patagonia talks about a big problem they have not solved and what they’re
doing about it (microplastic ocean pollution from washing synthetic textiles (such as
nylon, acrylic or polyester).
Mara Hoffman
“There are options and alternatives in this industry to manufacture responsibly. In
2015, we began learning and uncovering these possibilities and chose to address,
change and relay the shifts we were making. With time, we realized that we are always
at the beginning - there is always something new to discover and a challenge to tackle.
We will continue to set goals to achieve greater levels of sustainability. The aim is
to design and manufacture our clothes with greater care and to reduce our impact,
generate awareness, and ask you, our lovely customer, to join us in taking action and
holding us accountable.”
Natalie Chanin (Alabama Chanin)

“All facets work together to create a collaborative community and idea exchange,
healthy growth, and a love of quality goods that last. Our guests can visit to shop with
us, eat with us, learn with us (through our workshops), and tour our facility to see the
entire operation.”
CFDA.com P. 216
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Examples
Examples of supply chain Patagonia
transparency:
On the company website, Patagonia shares its supplier information through The
Footprint Chronicles. All textile mills, factories, and farms can be viewed on a map of
the world and clicked on for more detailed information about each specific supplier.
When looking at a specific product online, customers can see which facilities they
came from, linking back to the Footprint Chronicles.
Eileen Fisher
On the Eileen Fisher website, they provide detailed information about the farms,
factories and faces behind their clothing.
H&M
H&M provides a supplier factory list on their website. It includes first tier
manufacturing supplier factories that account for about 98.5% of all commercial
pieces produced for the H&M group. It also includes all processing factories, which
can be subcontracted by their first tier manufacturing supplier factories for specific
tasks. In 2015, they expanded the scope of the list further to be the first major
fashion brand to communicate the names and locations of the most important mills
that provide their suppliers with fabrics and yarns, making about 60% of the pieces
produced for the H&M group.
Everlane
Everlane’s motto is “Exceptional quality. Ethical factories. Radical Transparency.”
Their #KnowYourFactories.webpage shares all their factories. In addition to supplier
information, Everlane reveals the true costs behind all of their products—from
materials to labor to transportation. They believe their customers have a right to know
how much their clothes cost to make.
People Tree
People Tree’s Makers List invites customers to meet the Fair Trade farmers, artisans
and producers who make People Tree products.
Icebreaker
Icebreaker publishes a Transparency Report to share their commitment to build an
ethical and sustainable business. They begin with the words, “We’re not perfect, and
we’re always striving for better.”
CFDA.com P. 217
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Tools
Marketing tools: The Okala Green Marketing Guide
In this guide, Okala shares guidelines on green marketing claims, as well as information
about how to avoid greenwashing.
Transparency tools: The Fashion Transparency Index

Produced by Fashion Revolution, the Fashion Transparency Index is a review of 150
of the biggest global fashion brands and retailers ranked according to how much they
disclose about their social and environmental policies, practices, and impact. You may
find yourself on this list whether you want to or not, but regardless the information
and methodology used can be an extremely helpful and informative resource.
CFDA.com P. 218
I N D U S T RY O F A L L N AT I O N S
“It’s not what we do, but how

we do it… We are inspired by
how things are done. We are not
creating a new brand just to fill up
shelves. In this modern time it is
so easy and in everybody’s hands
to do most anything, so the most
important thing should be how
we do these things. We aim to not
negatively affect those around us
and to provide opportunities to
anyone who is out there working
locally and well. We work together
to develop clean and sustainable
industries around the world. We
use all this to create products with
the most simple and desirable
aesthetic. This is the industry of
the people, the Industry of All
Nations.”
CFDA.com
CFDA.com P. 219
Appendix
CFDA.com P. 220
APPENDIX
Philanthropy &
civic engagement
Your company has an opportunity to create change and positive
impact through philanthropy and civic engagement programs. Not
only can these programs help you improve the communities where you
work and contribute to positive change on global issues, you can also
increase employee engagement and generate business value. There are
many ways you can make a difference, including financial donations
to non-profit organizations, creating opportunities and incentives for
your employees to volunteer their time, investments in start-ups and
new technologies, backing political campaigns to make the world a
better place, and many more.
Even without making any changes in your business practices or supply chain, you can contribute to
improving the industry by donating to or investing in those working to make change. For example,
H&M wants to make fashion circular, so every year at the Global Change Awards they award one
million Euro and yearlong coaching to five innovators who come up with solutions to spark the shift
towards a circular fashion. The goal is to find innovations that allow major change for the entire
industry and help them scale (neither the non-profit H&M Foundation nor H&M group take any
equity or intellectual property rights in the innovations).
At the CFDA we have multiple grant programs to support sustainability, local manufacturing,
nurturing recent fashion graduates and emerging talent, and much more. We also established the
CFDA Foundation as a separate not-for-profit organization to raise funds for charity and industry
activities. Through innovative partnerships with brands, retailers, and CFDA designers, the Foundation
is able to leverage fashion and effectively generate awareness and funds for these charitable causes.
Our initiatives include Health, Safety, and Diversity, HIV/Aids, Disaster Relief, and Breast Cancer.
CFDA.com P. 221
Y VO N C H O U I N A R D, PATAG O N I A
“Science without
activism is dead
science. We
want to fund
the little activist
organizations that
are out there on
the front lines,
the grandmothers
in front of the
bulldozers.”
CFDA.com P. 222
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Examples
Examples of corporate philanthropy Tory Burch
& civic engagement:
In 2009, Tory Burch created the Tory Burch Foundation to support the empowerment
of women entrepreneurs. Drawing on their experiences and conversations with
businesswomen from around the world, the foundations has developed programs
and initiatives that invest in the success and sustainability of women-owned small
businesses by providing: Access to Capital, Entrepreneurial Education, and Mentoring
and Networking Opportunities.
Patagonia
Patagonia calls itself “The Activist Company.” Supporting grassroots initiatives has
always been part of the company’s DNA, but in 2018 they sued President Trump in
a bid to protect Bears Ears National Monument. You can read their Environmental +
Social Initiatives 2017 Booklet to learn a lot more. Some of their initiative include:
• 1% For The Planet: Since 1985, Patagonia has pledged 1% of sales to the
preservation and restoration of the natural environment. They’ve awarded over
$89 million in cash and in-kind donations to domestic and international grassroots
environmental groups making a difference in their local communities.
• Patagonia Action Works: Understanding that it’s often hard for individuals to
know the best way to get involved, this web feature connects people with their
local organizations (Patagonia grantees) in order to take action on the most
pressing issues facing the world today.
Brother Vellies
In addition to creating limited edition pieces to raise funds for Planned Parenthood,
Brother Vellies creative director Aurora James called upon a group of designers to hold
a pop-up market in New York City to raise funds for the 2018 Women’s March and
Planned Parenthood.
Warby Parker
An early adopter of the One-for-One model (Along with TOMS), Warby Parker works
to alleviate the problem of impaired vision by working with a handful of partners
worldwide to ensure that for every pair of glasses sold, a pair is distributed to
someone in need. Since day one they have distributed over 4 million pairs of glasses
have been distributed through their Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program.
CFDA.com P. 223
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Examples
Examples of corporate philanthropy Urban Zen Foundation
& civic engagement:
Urban Zen was founded by Donna Karan in 2007 and is dedicated to three initiatives:
preservation of culture (past), bringing mind, body and spirit to healthcare (present)
and education (future).
Diane Von Furstenburg

Diane Von Furstenberg is committed to empowering women, not only through fashion
but also philanthropy and mentorship. She serves on the board of Vital Voices, a
non-governmental organization that supports female leaders and entrepreneurs
around the world. In 2010, with the Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation,
Diane established the DVF Awards to honor and provide grants to women who have
displayed leadership, strength and courage in their commitment to their causes.
They also support organizations including the International Rescue Committee (IRC),
Friends of the High Line, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and more.
Michael Kors
Michael Kors’ philanthropy initiative Kors Cares launched the Watch Hunger Stop
campaign in 2013 with a singular focus: recognizing that the elimination of world
hunger is at the core of securing children’s futures. Since then, they have helped the
United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) deliver 10 million meals to children in
hunger-stricken areas around the world.
CFDA.com P. 224
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Suggested tools & reading
Tools to help you understand and “Corporate Philanthropy: The Ultimate Guide”
implement a corporate philanthropy
program:
Double the Donation Organization
“Increasing Impact, Enhancing Value: A Practitioner’s Guide to

Leading Corporate Philanthropy”
Council on Foundations
Articles: “How To Win At Corporate Philanthropy”

By Alan Fleischmann, Forbes
“10 Ways Small Businesses Can Give Back Without Breaking

the Bank”
By John Rampton, Entrepreneur Magazine
“Why Female Designers Are Pledging Proceeds to Planned

Parenthood, Standing Rock Sioux, and More Organizations
This Holiday Season”
by Steff Yotka, Vogue
“15 Iconic Female Designers on Where Fashion—and the

World—Are Going”
Vogue
Fashion Revolution Week

In the words of Mara Hoffman
“24 Brands You Can Shop To Support International Women’s

Day”
By Emily Silverman and Lauren Alexis Fisher, Harpers Bazaar
CFDA.com P. 225
APPENDIX
Child labor
Child labor is complicated It should be noted that for many cultures around the
world it is socially acceptable for children to work and
In an ideal world, children would not have to work imposing a complete ban on foreign producers imposes a
and could devote all their time to learning and play. But western mindset.
this is not an ideal world, and many families surviving
at subsistence level often have little choice. Child labor At a glance
is usually the result of other problems, like poverty and According to the International Labor Organization study
conflict. In order to solve the problem of child labor you Global Estimates of Child Labour: Results and trends,
have to address these problems, the root cause. Simply 2012-2016, on any given day in 2016 152 million children
putting a ban on child labor rarely solves the problem, and were in child labor.
often makes it worse. Of the 152 million:
• 73 million were in hazardous work.
Children should not be put to work if the supplementary • 48% were age 5-11, 28% were age 12-14, and
income they earn is not necessary to meet their basic 24% were age 15-17.
needs (like food, housing, healthcare, and education). • 58% were male, and 42% were female.
But if children do have to work, fair labor standards need • 70.9% worked in agriculture, 11.9% in industry, and
to be in place. They need fair wages and safe working 17.2% in services.
conditions. Working hours and the nature of the work Regional prevalence of child labor:
should be commensurate with the physical and mental • Africa 19.6%
abilities of the children performing them. Work should • Americas 5.3%
never prevent a child from getting an education, and • Arab States 2.9%
ideally companies will provide educational and other • Asia and the Pacific 7.4%
opportunities for improvement, for example on-site • Europe and Central Asia 4.1%
schooling after work.
“For families with subsistence incomes who cannot rely
Bans on child labor can actually have a negative effect on a societal safety net, an efficiently enforced ban can be
on children, and in some cases child labor bans have devastating. These families must either acquiesce in abject
resulted in an increase in child labor. Many countries poverty or earn money from activities not affected by a ban.
where child labor is prevalent are not capable of This often means adults and children resorting to underground
effectively enforcing child labor bans. When children are jobs, such as prostitution. In either case, children bear the loss
no longer legally allowed to work, they sometimes resort of such a ban.” - Frank Wijen
to illegal kinds of work, for example prostitution. Legal
wages, hours, and workplace safety are not enforced. Bans
often result in lower wages for children. For families that
require children to work in order to meet basic needs,
lower wages for children means they have to work more
hours. Well-enforced bans could reduce child labor, but
whether those bans improve household welfare that might
depend on income from child work is not clear.
CFDA.com P. 226
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Organizations
Teach A Man To Fish Italian Presidency. Their mission is to protect the rights of
The Teach A Man To Fish organization has established children in developing countries, without racial, religious,
a model of school-based businesses that serve both as political, cultural or gender-based discrimination. Terre des
learning platforms and as income-generating activities hommes Italy assists directly almost 2,2 million people,
for the school. Through this school-business model, mostly children, with 130 projects in 21 countries. The
students work on the businesses alongside their academic Federation is present in 67 nations and runs 816 projects,
education. Their School Enterprise Challenge provides benefitting directly over 6.6 million people. With your
a suite of inspirational educational resources and tools, help, we could do even more.
a vibrant support program, and social media networks
to lead teacher and student teams through the school Unicef For Every Child
business journey; from coming up with a viable business This website is a gateway to reliable and open data
idea to writing a robust business plan and launching and and analysis on the situation of children and women
running a sustainable business. Through the process, worldwide.Over the past 20 years, UNICEF has supported
students develop 21st-century skills such as teamwork, governments to generate, analyse and use many different
leadership and communication, while gaining the hands- forms of data, from longstanding and statistically
on business experience to become the employees and job robust household survey programmes to government
creators of tomorrow. administrative data and new forms of community feedback
mechanisms. All of these data are within the scope of
No Lost Generation Initiative UNICEF’s Data for Children Strategic Framework, which
Programming under the No Lost Generation initiative is provides guidance to countries on investing in data
embedded within the humanitarian plans for the Syria and demand, supply and use.
Iraq crises, as well as the Refugee Hosting Countries in the
region (Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey). It reaches International Labour Organization (ILO)
children and young people under three pillars of programs: The ILO is devoted to promoting social justice and
education, child protection, and adolescents and youth. internationally recognized human and labour rights,
The No Lost Generation partners who will undertake pursuing its founding mission that social justice is essential
the programming under No Lost Generation comprise of to universal and lasting peace. Only tripartite U.N. agency,
around 30 humanitarian or development organizations, the ILO brings together governments, employers and
including UN agencies and ngos, each of which has workers representatives of 187 member States , to set
programs in at least three of the six No Lost Generation labour standards, develop policies and devise programmes
countries. These partners convene in a working group at promoting decent work for all women and men. Today, the
the regional level and have jointly agreed on the No Lost ILO’s Decent Work agenda helps advance the economic
Generation goals and the regional level workplan. and working conditions that give all workers, employers
and governments a stake in lasting peace, prosperity and
Terre Des Hommes progress. They do extensive work and research in the area
Terre des hommes Italia (TDH Italy) was founded of child labor.
in 1989 in Milan (Italy), by a group of prominent
entrepreneurs and lawyers sensitive to Human Rights, as
a non-profit organisation. TDH Italy is part of the Terre
des hommes International Federation, with headquarters
in Geneva and Brussels, which is currently run by the
CFDA.com P. 227
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Suggested reading
Articles: “Banning child labour imposes naive western ideals on complex

problems”
By Frank Wijen, The Guardian
“Child labour in the fashion supply chain: Where, why and what can be
done”
By Josephine Moulds, The Guardian
“Child Labor Laws Can Be Counterproductive in a Weak Nation”

By Leah K. Lakdawala, The New York Times
Reports & studies: “A Dark Side of Institutional Entrepreneurship: Soccer Balls, Child
Labour and Postcolonial Impoverishment”
By Farzad R. Khan, Kamal A. Munir and Hugh Willmott.
“Global Estimates of Child Labour: Results and trends, 2012-2016”

The International Labor Organization, 2017
“World Report on Child Labour 2015: Paving the way to decent work for
young people”
International Labor Organization, 2015
CFDA.com P. 228
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Suggested reading
Reports & studies cont’d: “The impact of minimum age of employment regulation on child labor
and schooling”
By Eric V Edmonds and Maheshwor Shrestha, IZA Journal of Labor Policy, 2012
Edmonds and Shrestha use data from 59 mostly developing countries and find
that minimum age restrictions do not have any consistent effects on child work or
other activities like attending school.
“Perverse Consequences of Well Intentioned Regulation: Evidence from

India’s Child Labor Ban”
By Prashant Bharadwaj, Leah K. Lakdawala, and Nicholas Li, National Bureau of
Economic Research, 2013
While bans against child labor are a common policy tool, there is very little
empirical evidence validating their effectiveness. In this paper, we examine
the consequences of India’s landmark legislation against child labor, the Child
Labor (Prohibition and Regulation) Act of 1986. Using data from employment
surveys conducted before and after the ban, and using age restrictions that
determined who the ban applied to, we show that child wages decrease and
child labor increases after the ban. These results are consistent with a theoretical
model building on the seminal work of Basu and Van (1998) and Basu (2005),
where families use child labor to reach subsistence constraints and where
child wages decrease in response to bans, leading poor families to utilize more
child labor. The increase in child labor comes at the expense of reduced school
enrollment. We also examine the effects of the ban at the household level. Using
linked consumption and expenditure data, we find that along various margins
of household expenditure, consumption, calorie intake and asset holdings,
households are worse off after the ban.
“Child labor and the law: Notes on possible pathologies”

By Kaushik Basu, Economics Letters
The paper demonstrates that the standard policy for controlling child labor by
imposing a fine on firms caught employing children can cause child labor to rise.
This ‘pathological’ reaction is, however, reversed as the size of the fine increases.
CFDA.com P. 229
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Suggested reading
Reports & studies cont’d: “Poverty Alleviation and Child Labor”

By Eric V. Edmonds and Norbert Schady, American Econommic Journal: Economic
Policy, 2012
Poor women with children in Ecuador were selected at random for a cash transfer
that is less than 20 percent of median child labor earnings. Poor families with
children in school at the time of the award use the transfer to postpone the child’s
entry into the labor force. Students in families induced to take up the transfer
by the experiment reduce paid employment by 78 percent and unpaid economic
activity inside their home by 32 percent. Time in unpaid household services
increases, but overall time spent working declines.
“Small hands heavy burden: How the Syria conflict is driving more
children into the workforce”
Save the Children & Unicef
According to this report, released by Save the Children and UNICEF, the continued
conflict and humanitarian crisis in Syria are pushing an ever growing number of
children into an often exploitative labor market. The risk of a “lost generation” of
Syrian children has reached critical proportions as children drop out of school to
work and contribute to family livelihoods, putting their physical and psychological
wellbeing at risk. UNICEF and Save the Children call on partners, governments,
civil society, the international community and members of the No Lost Generation
Initiative to embark on a series of measures to address child labor inside Syria and
in the host countries affected by the humanitarian crisis.
“Flawed Fabrics: The abuse of girls and women workers in the South
Indian textile industry”
By Martje Theuws & Pauline Overeem, SOMO - Centre for Research on
Multinational Corporations & ICN - India Committee of the Netherlands
“Global estimates of modern slavery: Forced labour and forced

marriage”
ILO and Walk Free Foundation, 2017
“Child Labor and Learning”

By Patrick M. Emerson, Vladimir Ponczek, and André Portela Souza, Economic
Development and Cultural Change
“2016 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor”

US Bureau of International Labor Affairs, 2016
CFDA.com P. 230
APPENDIX
Circularity
Instead of trying to rewrite a definition, we’ll use the reducing the negative impacts of the linear economy. Rather,
words of experts. it represents a systemic shift that builds long-term resilience,
generates business and economic opportunities, and provides
Section 1: Annie Gullingsrud environmental and societal benefits.
In the words of Annie Gullingsrud of Design for AllKind:
“Circular Fashion is a concept that, in successful Technical and biological cycles
orchestration, could ensure the future of our planet and all The model distinguishes between technical and biological
living things. This approach supports the development of safe, cycles. Consumption happens only in biological cycles, where
sustainable materials, clean production and energy, fair labor food and biologically-based materials (such as cotton or
and continuous material loops through reuse, refurbishing, wood) are designed to feed back into the system through
and recycling back to virgin quality materials that go into processes like composting and anaerobic digestion. These
new fashion. Design for scale, design for the system, and cycles regenerate living systems, such as soil, which provide
collaboration are all pillars of a functioning Circular Fashion renewable resources for the economy. Technical cycles recover
system. Circular Fashion is the future of fashion. It will and restore products, components, and materials through
guarantee that we have continuous streams of materials strategies like reuse, repair, remanufacture or (in the last
without relying on the extraction and production of virgin resort) recycling.
and finite materials.
Origins of the circular economy concept
Section 2: Ellen MacArthur The notion of circularity has deep historical and
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation was launched in 2010 philosophical origins. The idea of feedback, of cycles in real-
to accelerate the transition to a circular economy. Their world systems, is ancient and has echoes in various schools of
definition and explanation of the Circular Economy is philosophy. It enjoyed a revival in industrialised countries after
excellent: What is a circular economy? World War II when the advent of computer-based studies
Looking beyond the current take-make-dispose extractive of non-linear systems unambiguously revealed the complex,
industrial model, a circular economy aims to redefine growth, interrelated, and therefore unpredictable nature of the world
focusing on positive society-wide benefits. It entails gradually we live in – more akin to a metabolism than a machine. With
decoupling economic activity from the consumption of current advances, digital technology has the power to support
finite resources, and designing waste out of the system. the transition to a circular economy by radically increasing
Underpinned by a transition to renewable energy sources, the virtualisation, de-materialisation, transparency, and feedback-
circular model builds economic, natural, and social capital. It driven intelligence.
is based on three principles:
1. Design out waste and pollution Circular economy schools of thought
2. Keep products and materials in use The circular economy model synthesises several
3. Regenerate natural systems major schools of thought. They include the functional
service economy (performance economy) of Walter
The concept of a circular economy Stahel; the Cradle to Cradle design philosophy of William
In a circular economy, economic activity builds and McDonough and Michael Braungart; biomimicry as
rebuilds overall system health. The concept recognises the articulated by Janine Benyus; the industrial ecology of
importance of the economy needing to work effectively at all Reid Lifset and Thomas Graedel; natural capitalism by
scales – for large and small businesses, for organisations and Amory and Hunter Lovins and Paul Hawken; and the blue
individuals, globally and locally. Transitioning to a circular economy systems approach described by Gunter Pauli.
economy does not only amount to adjustments aimed at
CFDA.com P. 231
CFDA.com P. 232
Thank you
This document will continue to grow and evolve to mirror our
industry and the sustainable fashion movement.
The most recent edits were made on January 14, 2019.
CFDA.com P. 233

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CFDA Guide to Sustainable Strategies

Council of Fashion Designers of America

In order for the industry to change we need to work together. This

How to use this

P. 27 The Business Case for Sustainability

P. 40 Create a Company Sustainability Strategy

P. 51 Design for Sustainability

P. 122 Jewelry, Accessories & Footwear

P. 143 Sustainable Buildings & Offices

P. 171 Transportation & Logistics

P. 182 Customer Care & Repair

P. 204 Event production

P. 212 Communication & Marketing Strategies

Sara Kozlowski Stephanie Soto Jackie Shihadeh

Our mission is to strengthen the impact of American fashion in the

The fashion industry is not currently sustainable. We are using up

Failure to embrace sustainable practices neglects a key factor for long-

How can you make the

Company Policy &

Companies, governments, non-governmental organizations, academia,

The 17 Sustainable Development

The goals call for action by

The Sustainable Apparel Coalition

The Sustainable Apparel Coalition

The Global Fashion Agenda (GFA),

The Copenhagen Fashion Summit

The CEO Agenda

Pulse of the Fashion Industry Report

The Circular Fashion System

The BIG PICTURE! Think of fashion as part of the larger, interconnected

How can we rethink it?

Systems Thinking allows us to look

In this video from BEE

Examples of Systems Thinking

“The goal is to showcase a wealth

Standards, strategies or tools that

“Sustainability relies on the human

LCA looks at the social and environmental

One concern of LCAs as Kate Fletcher

Nonetheless, we recommend them whole

Standards or tools that utilize LCA:

Reformation created RefScale to

Read Levi’s “The Life Cycle of a Jean:

Most designers choose to start working

There’s nothing wrong with starting

This guide aims to serve as a resource for brands to immediately

PULSE OF THE FASHION INDUSTRY

“Even without considering

“In a matched sample of 180 ‘High

“The boards of directors of

Some initiatives such as Canopy Style, which works to protect forests

• 3 million tons of water

TOOLS & RESOURCES

Kering’s Environmental Profit & Loss (E P&L) Methodology

TOOLS & RESOURCES

Reports & studies: Sustainability Pays

Investing for a Sustainable Future

Fashion is Old Fashioned: Disruption, Sustainability, and

Labor Lens Investing: The Business Case for Fair Labor