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Innovative Solutions to Fast Fashion Challenges
On June 10, 2020, PBPC Executive Director Jessica Bowman participated in a webinar, Innovative Solutions to Fast Fashion Challenges, hosted by the Environmental Law Institute, a PBPC Advisory Board member.
The event brought together leading experts to discuss how consumer trends, policy obstacles and opportunities, potential for circular economies, and best practices to manage supply chains could influence the future of the fashion industry.
The full event can be watched below, and Jessica Bowman speaks at 43:32.
In her presentation, Jessica covered the role of plant-based products in fashion, bio-based materials currently used in textiles, the benefits of plant-based materials, and additional considerations for their widespread adoption.
By the end of 2019, Americans sent more than 35 billion pounds of textiles to landfills. Yet, around 95% of all used clothing can be reused as apparel, converted into cloth-based items, and redeveloped as fibers for new products. There is a growing movement within the fashion industry to redesign the fashion economy, business models, and policies to promote sustainable solutions to clothing waste.
Jessica also highlighted some extremely innovative uses for plant-based materials in fashion, such as zippers made from molasses, leather made from mushrooms, and cashmere made from soy.
Speaking of the many examples of plant-based products, Jessica said, “It’s innovations like these that show us what’s incrementally possible if we harness what nature gives us.”
If this event was interesting to you, consider attending a future Environmental Law Institute event and sharing this post on Facebook and Twitter.