Ecotextile Talks

Fresh from his high-profile appearance at a recent US Congressional-Executive Commission on China hearing , Scott Nova, Executive Director of the Workers Rights Consortium in Washington DC, gave Philip Berman a hard-hitting interview questioning the reliability of social compliance audits in China.  Scott says about auditing companies working in the Xinjiang region: "I'm sure there are some that a...

In the final edition of our four-part podcast series, produced in partnership with Cascale, formerly the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, we discuss the need for collective action and pre competitive collaboration to deliver real impact.  Regular host Philip Berman is joined by Joyce Tsoi , senior director of the decarbonization program at Cascale, and Magnus Dorsch, Head of Corporate Sustainability...

We sit down with Sean Cady, vice president of global sustainability, responsibility and trade for VF Corporation and also elected board director for Cascale, and Andrew Martin, executive vice president of Cascale for our latest podcast on decarbonising the fashion supply chain. This third of a four part podcast series, features a deep dive into how best to tackle carbon reductions in the global ap...

In the second of a four part podcast series in partnership with Cascale , formerly known as the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, we look at the potential impact on the textile industry of revolutionary new EU laws on green claims and eco-design.  Regular host Philip Berman is joined by Elisabeth von Reitzenstein , senior director of public affairs at Cascale and Baptiste Carriere-Pradal , co-founder...

Welcome to a new four part podcast series in partnership with Cascale , formerly known as the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, about the big challenges facing the industry, and Cascale's role in co-creating solutions at scale.  The first episode is about Measuring for Impact with host Philip Berman in conversation with:  Quentin Thorel, the Group Head of Sustainability of CIEL Textile with its HQ in...

In the second episode of this podcast series, produced in partnership with the  Apparel Impact Institute about its Climate Solutions Portfolio (CSP), we take a look at the tool it's built to help decide who should get the funding, and what a winning application looks like.  As a quick re-cap, the CSP aims to find, feature and fund any initiative, project or piece of tech with the potential to redu...

In partnership with the Apparel Impact Institute , Philip Berman takes an in-depth look at its new The Climate Solutions Portfolio which aims to find, feature and fund any initiative with the potential to reduce energy use and/or greenhouse gas emissions at scale in the industry.  And it has up to 250,000 dollars per year to award to projects that have the data to show they have the potential to m...

In partnership with the  Apparel Impact Institute , host  Philip Berman takes an in-depth look at its new The Climate Solutions Portfolio which aims to find, feature and fund any initiative with the potential to reduce energy use and/or greenhouse gas emissions at scale in the industry.  And it has up to 250,000 dollars per year to award to projects that have the data to show they have the potenti...

To coincide with the week of World Soil Day 2023 , our third and final episode of our  Threaded Together: cotton and sustainability podcast series, sponsored by Cotton Incorporated , looks at the US Climate Smart Cotton Program - a bold, new and exciting initiative in the US, which aims to measure and improve the country's cottons' carbon footprint. We look at what it is, how it works, who can tak...

In the second of this three-part podcast series: 'Threaded Together' about cotton sustainability, host Philip Berman talks to  Dr Jesse Daystar, from Cotton Incorporated and Joel Mertens from the Sustainable Apparel Coalition , about the best way(s) to measure sustainability in the cotton industry and how it can drive change. Jesse and Joel discuss the purpose of a life cycle assessment (LCA), the...

Many fashion brands and retailers talk a good game on circularity, but will they ever consistently pay a premium for materials made using 100% textile-to-textile recycling? Acting CEO of Renewcell Magnus Håkansson joins Ecotextile Talks to discuss the company's current challenges in receiving a higher price for a product offering the circularity so often discussed at textile sustainability confere...

In a new three-part sponsored series entitled, Threaded Together, podcast host Philip Berman looks at Cotton Incorporated's role in improving the sustainability of cotton in the textile industry.    Cotton Incorporated a US-based, not-for-profit company, provides resources and research to help companies develop and market innovative, and profitable cotton products.    It's probably best known for...

Following a report outlining the potential benefits for fashion brands looking to integrate resale into their business model, Ecotextile Talks hears from Andy Ruben, founder of recommerce specialist Trove, who shares his insights on where the greatest opportunities lie. In a conversation dominated by statistics rather than rhetoric, Ruben speaks to Ecotextile News editor John Mowbray at an industr...

As a formal partnership between the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) and International Apparel Federation (IAF) is signed, a key figure involved in the collaborative process speaks to Ecotextile Talks about what the duo hope to achieve. Andrew Martin, executive vice president of the SAC, sits down with podcast host David Styles to discuss what a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two...

In an extended episode of Ecotextile Talks , the way in which the apparel sector responds to natural disasters is placed under the microscope. Podcast host David Styles is this week joined by two guests to discuss reports which respectively shine a light on the past, present and potential future of the industry's collective response to crises caused by catastrophes such as earthquakes or extreme w...

The latest instalment of the Ecotextile Talks podcast series explores the motivations behind a campaign calling on the fashion industry to move away from conventional care and content labels in favour of digital alternatives.   Steve Lamar, president and CEO of the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA), who is one of the most prominent industry voices behind the #CutTheTape campaign, si...

Earlier this summer host Phil Berman sat down with Carolina Ledl, Lenzing's head of product and application management, to discuss the company's ambitious plans to start producing its Ecovero-branded viscose in its manufacturing plant in Indonesia.    Lenzing first launched its 'EcoVero' branded viscose in 2017, in response to growing a demand for more transparent viscose fibres. And with the expa...

In the latest episode of  Ecotextile Talks , Jeffrey Thimm from Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) discusses an initiative exploring the potential of combining artificial intelligence and satellite technologies to monitor organic cotton production. Podcast host David Styles discusses with Thimm how GOTS reached the point at which, with project partners the European Space Agency and tech firm M...

The latest report from Cotton Campaign insists the time has come for the fashion industry to act conclusively on forced labour in Turkmen cotton fields, with human rights lawyer and researcher Allison Gill telling Ecotextile Talks that legal obligations must now be met.   Speaking on behalf Cotton Campaign, an interdisciplinary coalition of human and labour rights organisations focused on cotton s...

As an apparent global push to include extended producer responsibility (EPR) frameworks in legislation gathers pace, podcast host David Styles catches up with Claire Kneller, managing director of WRAP Asia Pacific, to discuss the Australian Government's approach. Claire joins the latest episode of Ecotextile Talks as a representative of the consortium behind Seamless, an initiative aiming to convi...

In our latest Ecotextile Talks podcast, Philip Berman catches up with John Murphy, Hohenstein's technical director for Europe, for an update on the company's testing and certification process for its new Oeko-Tex organic cotton standard that was launched in April. The new testing procedure has been created to verify the labelling of organic cotton textiles, but with additional criteria that meets...

In a special edition of Ecotextile Talks to commemorate the ten year anniversary of the Rana Plaza collapse, host David Styles is joined by a range of expert guests who share their opinions on the disaster's wide-ranging impacts. The podcast explores how the catastrophe occurred, its lasting legacies for victims and the global apparel sector, as well as looking ahead to what the next decade may ho...

Host Phil Berman sits down with Eva McGeorge, Lenzing's Head of Marketing and Communications, to discuss the company's recent global survey on consumer attitudes to sustainability in fashion. Lenzing says the aim of its new survey – the key insights of which will be launched exclusively in next month's edition of Ecotextile News – was to find out what drives and motivates consumers when it comes t...

Host Philip Berman talks to Oeko-Tex's Melanie Teutberg about Responsible Business - a new tool launched by the global certification company in a bid to help textile businesses navigate legal obligations under the deluge of new due diligence laws. The standard is based on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), the OECD Guideline for Multinational Enterprises, the OECD Due...

In today's edition host, Philip Berman, talks to Dr. Krishna Manda, Vice President of Corporate Sustainability at the Lenzing Group, and Roberta Vernocchi, a Senior Materials Manager at Timberland Apparel, about launching a new traceable apparel collection using Lenzing's Tencel Refibra technology. Manda and Vernocchi talk listeners through the new Timberland Fall 2022 collection that uses Tencel...