SUSTAINABILITY Transparency
(in Bengaluru) making a commitment of sourcing Fairtrade uniforms and in the hospitality sector with the Novotel and Ibis Techpark Bengaluru sourcing Fairtrade bath linen across the property.” Jani agrees with Somers, and believes that “we still have our job cut out to get larger mainstream fashion brands in India to make significant commitments towards sustainable and fair fashion and getting more consumers to demand for fair and sustainable fashion as a fundamental requirement that ensures that farmers and factory workers have access to better living conditions and that our environment is also protected. A wide range of sustainable start-up and designer brands have started in the country over the last four to five years. This year with brands like Huetrap, Soul Space, Deivee and Aizome joining the movement we are beginning to break into the next tier of scale and commitment. We are also noticing the change in the conversation with the larger fashion brands in India who are now seriously evaluating making commitments towards sustainable and fair fashion.” Then again, transparency itself needs to be transparent. Asserts Somers, “I think there is less and less greenwashing around. Debbie Coulter [acting head of practice, evidence & learning at the Ethical Trade Initiative (ETI)] said at our Fashion Transparency Index press briefing that it is no longer a question of whether brands are moving towards transparency, but how.
The 2018 Fashion Transparency Index shows that many brands and retailers are still lagging far behind, and that is why we still need a Fashion Revolution, says Carry Somers (in pic), co-founder of the Fashion Revolution movement.
HueT rap
“Disclosing key supplier, supply chain and operational information helps NGOs, unions, local communities and the workers themselves to more swiftly alert brands to human rights and environmental concerns. It can also help to protect brand reputation by enabling the company to more swiftly take action if any unauthorised facilities are being used to make its products.” Adds Jani, “The global Fashion Revolution movement has been successful in getting some of the mainstream brands to demonstrate greater supply chain transparency. Transparency is the starting point for initiating change and implementing a more systematic sustainability programme across the various operators that are involved in the complex textiles value chains.” Indices such as the Fashion Transparency Index also help to motivate brands to improve. That’s what Somers found when she compared the 98 brands and retailers that were included in both the 2017 and 2018 Fashion Transparency Index: “We have seen these brands Huetrap’s products are dyed using 90 per cent recycled water and 10 per cent fresh water. So, every kg of fabric is dyed with less than 5 litres of fresh water compared to global average of 30–80 litres. and retailers increase their level
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