Halal cosmetics are gaining traction beyond the core demographic of observant Muslim consumers thanks to the vegan and ethical beauty movements. But running a halal brand has its challenges. Read more (BoF)
Category Archives: manufacturing
Are biomaterials the future of beauty packaging?
A report by strategic foresight consultancy The Future Laboratory, notes that the cosmetics industry creates 120 billion units of packaging a year and predicts that by 2050, the beauty industry will have contributed up to 12 billion tonnes of plastic to landfill.
In an effort to combat the plastic problem, a number of beauty brands are using innovative biomaterial alternatives. Below, we explore some of the most interesting solutions yet. Read more (Wallpaper)
Designer’s amazing creations ask us to rethink waste (Speculative Design)
More than 90 materials, ranging from recycled paper, plastic, metals and leather made from kombucha, were presented at the first workshop, which took place in December. “I wanted to create an open-source space that’s democratised in the sense that it can be added to by designers, artists and other people during workshops,” says Edwards, asking: “What is Johannesburg’s material future?” Read more (Times)
How companies capture the value of sustainability: Survey findings
What makes the difference between a sustainability program that produces business value and one that doesn’t? A new survey identifies practices that distinguish value-creating companies from others. Read more (McKinsey & Co.)
Unilever’s latest laundry capsule is made from CO2 taken from a Chinese steel mill.
The laundry capsules, available through the brand Omo and launching in China April 22, result from a partnership between Unilever, biotech company LanzaTech, and green chemical company India Glycols. LanzaTech, which has a commercial plant running in China that turns carbon emissions from a steel mill into ethanol, has already used its carbon recycling process to turn those emissions into jet fuel and alcohol for fragrances. Read more (Fast Company)
A Letter from 2030, The next nine years will be a time of resilience, rebuilding and reinvention (PATAGONIA)
In hindsight, we were lucky. Many creatures of this Earth didn’t live to see 2030. Humans could not save the animals we’d damned, but at least you and I are still here, right? Some people, though, couldn’t live with the destruction and chaos around them. Others had little choice when death came knocking. I remember the last time I saw you; we sat on your new deck, thinking of the world your sweet, curly haired boy was entering. A world plagued with death—deaths that lie at the feet of elected officials who ignored and denied the many crises we faced, and who took every penny the fossil fuel industry gave them. Read more (Patagonia)
LVMH’s latest venture — a deadstock fabric platform
Nona Source, which launches this Monday, is the brainchild of Romain Brabo, formerly a materials buyer at LVMH-owned Givenchy. “In my role, I would go to warehouses, and I saw the multiplication of deadstocks,” he says. “I thought: on one hand, there are young designers seeking beautiful fabrics to make their collections; on the other hand, couture houses are storing materials they have no use for. How to create a link between them?” Nona is one of the Parcae in Roman mythology, Brabo explains. She spins the thread of life, and Source is a reference to “sourcing”. Read more (Vogue Business)
Sustainability experts are calling on the fashion industry to go beyond harm mitigation and create positive impact.
Investing in development without putting pressure on the outcomes is key, adds Lebanese-Canadian systems designer Céline Semaan-Vernon, co-founder of Slow Factory Foundation. Over the past year, Slow Factory has run an incubator programme called One x One with Swarovski and the United Nations, pairing three New York-based designers with scientists working on sustainable materials. Read more (Vogue Business)
Prada Signs €90 Million Sustainability Linked Loan
Sustainability linked securities and loans are an emerging form of sustainable finance, with attributes including interest payments tied to an issuer’s achievement of key performance indicators (KPIs) and associated sustainability performance targets. Read more (ESG)
Ultra-fast Fashion Is Eating the World
Social media wasn’t just a convenient place to advertise—it was also changing how we think about our clothes. Fashion brands have always played on our aspirations and insecurities, and on the seemingly innate desire to express ourselves through our clothing. Read more (Atlantic)
