Although most people do not typically associate the fashion industry with STEM or science policy, fashion and science are intricately tied to one another due to the detrimental effects the fast fashion industry has on the environment and public health. Not only does the fashion industry generate >92 million tonnes of textile waste and contribute to 10% of global CO2 emissions per year, the chemicals and heavy metals used in the dyeing process are also toxic to humans and aquatic life. Former COO of Timberland and sustainable investing expert, Ken Pucker, then discusses the hurdles of increasing sustainability in the fashion industry. 
-
-
Leading the Charge: Ken Pucker on the Future of Sustainable Fashion
In this incredible episode, we are joined by seasoned professional and sustainability expert Ken Pucker. With a wealth of experience in the fashion industry, including serving as COO of Timberland, Ken offers a unique and knowledgeable perspective on the future of sustainable fashion. Whether you are looking to learn more about the challenges and opportunities in the industry, or simply want to hear from one of the most insightful voices in the field, this episode is a must-listen. So sit back, relax, and get ready to be inspired by Ken’s incredible knowledge and expertise.
https://podcasts.apple.com/fr/podcast/moda-m%C3%A9tiers/id1565826832?l=en&i=1000604277141
-
How Climate Change Is Transforming the Way We Shop
Shifting weather patterns are making shopping behaviour harder to predict, adding to inventory management challenges for brands and retailers.
https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/sustainability/climate-change-weather-consumer-spending-seasonless/
-
As Brands Lurch Towards Green Goals, a Booming Business of Climate Change Is Emerging
‘Sustainability has become big business,’ said Ken Pucker, senior lecturer on sustainable business dynamics at The Fletcher School at Tufts University.
https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/as-brands-lurch-towards-green-goals-a-booming-business-of-climate-change-is-emerging/
-
Resale Exploding Is Not an Automatic Win for the Climate
More people are buying pre-loved items as they make greener choices, but there’s a long way to go to fix the fashion industry’s
https://www.adweek.com/commerce/resale-exploding-is-not-an-automatic-win-for-the-climate/
-
Rethinking the Rules of Sustainable Fashion
In the latest podcast from Ecotextile Talks, former Timberland chief operating officer (COO) Ken Pucker shares some home truths about the success of current ESG (environmental, social and governance) frameworks in play across the fashion industry.Pucker, now an advisory director at Berkshire Partners, as well as providing advice to groups pressing for the New York Fashion Sustainability and Social Accountability Act, says the sector has jumped from one initiative to another over the past 25 years in the hope of finding a formula to drive transformative environmental and social change in the apparel industry, but concludes that “it hasn’t worked”.
https://www.ecotextile.com/2022021728979/fashion-retail-news/podcast-re-thinking-the-rules-of-fashion.html
-
The Myth of Sustainable Fashion and ESG
The following is a conversation with Ken Pucker.
Ken is an Advisory Director to Berkshire Partners, and currently teaches Sustainability at the Boston University Questrom School of Business. In addition to this, and among many other things as well, Ken also formally served as Chief Operating Officer of Timberland.
This conversation is broken down into two distinctly defined chapters. The first being ESG and the second, Ken’s viral article on the myth of sustainable fashion.
-
Can Fashion Lower Its Climate Impact While Selling More Products?
Business of Fashion“The narrative we’ve told ourselves around win-win solutions has deceived everyone into thinking there are no trade-offs,” said Kenneth Pucker, a senior lecturer at the Tufts Fletcher School and an advisory director at Berkshire Partners. “There are huge trade offs.”
* Decoupling = green growth. Attractive conceptually. Very hard practically. Especially post elimination of easy waste.
* Conceptual win-wins = eco efficiency, fortune at the bottom of the pyramid, creating shared value, circularity, regeneration…have yet to yield much, beyond rhetoric. Patagonia’s Worn Wear = < 1% of revenue.
* New Business Models = rental, reuse, repair …are not yet sustainable …meaning profitable. Hard to fund especially in an environment when profits matter.
* BioBased Materials = often replace less environmentally destructive processes, face valley of death funding challenges and often rely on scarce feedstocks. Also, harder to fund when profit matters.Net. Change the rules. Make excess consumption less profit rich. Pass the NY Fashion Act.
-
Decarbonizing the Runway – The Nuance
“Market based solutions in fashion have proven ineffective.”In reality, consumers had little to no influence over the business direction of fashion brands, leaving companies to operate as they wished with minimal oversight or accountability. Pucker explained that carbon emissions in the fashion industry have more than doubled in this timeframe. In 2000, the fashion industry produced around 50 billion units of clothing. Today, they produce more than 100 billion. Due to a lack of disclosure requirements, the exact number is still unknown.
The Nuance ISSUE 08 – JULY 6, 2022
-
The Myth of Sustainable Fashion
Ryan McVay/Getty Images Harvard Business Review
by Kenneth P. Pucker
January 13, 2022
Few industries tout their sustainability credentials more forcefully than the fashion industry. But the sad truth is that despite high-profile attempts at innovation, it’s failed to reduce its planetary impact in the past 25 years. Most items are still produced using non-biodegradable petroleum-based synthetics and end up in a landfill. So what can be done? New ESG strategies such as the use of bio-based materials, recycling, and “rent-the-runway” concepts have failed. Instead, we must stop thinking about sustainability as existing on a spectrum. Less unstainable is not sustainable. And governments need to step in to force companies to pay for their negative impact on the planet. The idea of “win-win” and market-based solutions has failed even in one of the most “progressive” industries.