SUSTAINABILITY
Lyfcycle
By Trudi Bishop, Bee Licensing
Making fashion transparent and sustainable.
Fashion is one of the largest sectors in the brand licensing industry with apparel accounting for around 15% of the total Licensing Industry. Globally, the fashion industry is worth almost $3billion USD (around 2% of the global GDP). The apparel industry accounts for almost half of this number. Staggering numbers. Unfortunately, the fashion industry also has some other, less salubrious numbers it is accountable for. According to the IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change), fashion is responsible for almost 10% of the global CO2 emissions (more than aviation and shipping combined). 1.5trillion litres of water is used annually to create what effectively is delayed landfill as around 85% of textiles purchased end up being thrown in the trash. More recently with the Covid19 pandemic, fashion has come under scrutiny again, not just for its huge environmental impact, but also its social impact. The pandemic hit the industry hard in 2020, (according to a report by McKinsey & Company, economic profit is down 93%), with all sectors of the supply chain effected. With perhaps the worst effected being the manufacturers, particularly in Bangladesh where much of the world’s apparel is produced. Stories in the media were`
rife of large retailers (receiving government handouts for furloughing staff in the UK) refusing to pay manufacturers for garments already produced and waiting to be shipped. Workers went unpaid and unable to provide for their families. Bangladesh, used for its cheap labour, is also one of the most adversely affected nations from climate change. Having witnessed this first-hand after many years visiting the country from working in the fashion industry, father and daughter duo, Tony and Adriana, founded Lyfcycle, a fashion sourcing company with a difference. We speak to Adriana, the co-founder here. So, can you tell us a little bit of the background to Lyfcycle and your vision as a brand? Building on my father’s 30+ experience in the garment industry, I founded the company with him in 2019. From spending so much time in Bangladesh over the years, we'd seen first-hand the effects of fast fashion on both the environment and also, the toll on social norms in export communities. Together we had a vision to create an open dialogue between buyers, suppliers, and consumers within the industry to work collaboratively towards a common goal: maximise transparency – minimise resources & consumption. What do you see as the key issue in the fashion industry? Lack of transparency is a huge issue, across multiple facets: 1) Where materials come from 2) Who provides them 3) How they are made & what goes into them 4) Environmental cost of production Misinformation / lack of knowledge is also a problem – we’re barely scraping the surface
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of what it means to be making ‘sustainable’ products and we run the risk of sustainability becoming another ‘tick in the box’ exercise for brands rather than encouraging truly systemic changes in the way products are sourced and manufactured. Bearing in mind your vision of maximising transparency, could you tell us a little more on how you work and how you approach sustainability at Lyfcycle? True sustainability simply put means you should be able to do something forever. At Lyfcycle, everything we make is centred around considered design. How can we change the construction of a garment, the weave of a fabric, the threads that hold them together, to maximise the product Lyfcycle®. We work with brands to help them deliver eco-conscious products by breaking down the elements of a conventionally made garment and really working to improve each and every component that makes it up. That includes more than just the fabric but the labelling, accessories, and packaging too. Product traceability is put right into the consumer’s hands via the Lyfcycle app® which enables them to see what went into their clothes and who made them. We hold ourselves accountable to our own values – everything we do is against the following parameters: Sustainable, Responsible, Traceable, Visible. It’s important that the companies we work with uphold the same values and are that they share our genuine passion for doing things better. In challenging financial times, we have seen a big race to the bottom on prices, with the controversial 8p dress during the Black Friday deals recently being an extreme example. Is this a challenge you also face? What other TOTAL BRAND LICENSING
