slasher indigo dye system<\/a> so that we can add to our collection of lighter weight denim fabrics. If you consider the changes \u201cdenim\u201d has gone through over the past three decades since when I first started working for this industry we can call this change a revolution.<\/p>\nDenim has become adaptive and will further mold as culture and the environment changes and we are constantly exploring new fibers, new processes so that we can also innovate for an adaptive denim concept.<\/p>\n
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H:<\/strong> The supply chain for apparel manufacturing is immensely complex and can span half a dozen countries just to produce a single garment. Do you think government regulation is a possible solution to more environmentally friendly clothing when it would need to apply too many many governments to be effective?<\/p>\nED:<\/strong> I believe that regulations are only a part of the solution. Carbon emissions need to be traced and reported but the real change will happen when the consumer starts discussing not the price but the value of our jeans. I have been working on this idea for a while. The full life cycle of a pair of jeans need to be tracked and traceable and this information needs to be translated into being useful for the consumer.<\/p>\nThe real change will happen when people change their behavior and demand to know the value of their clothing. The value definition is not only economical but also social and environmental and these measures have to be translated into meaningful dollar values. I also believe that vertical operations where there is the possibility of growing sustainable raw materials, the possibility of \u201ctiny\u201d factories for near-shoring will help. Government regulations and namely taxation will be a part of the value definition of the supply.<\/p>\n
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H: <\/b>Could you expand on a 21st century definition of pricing? I’m also fascinated by this idea. Would this be a value that takes into account all of the environmental and resource as well as the traditional capital costs of a garment and sets that against what the potential life of the garment might be (cost per wear or some equivalent)?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nED: <\/b>This is an idea that I have come up with after some intense research on the idea of Anthropocene and I am actually working on an article with this idea. It includes all the environmental and social impact a product generates into the \u201cvalue\u201d definition of the products. The value generated is actually embedded into the full life cycle of the product from the fiber to the jeans and thereafter as we have to also consider the post consumer life of the jeans.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
H:<\/strong> Environmentalism and sustainability has become a big part of many clothing brand’s marketing efforts, leading some to believe that it’s disingenuous “greenwashing” by companies that just want to capitalize on the image benefits of being eco-friendly. How can a consumer know that what they’re buying was actually made sustainably and not a marketing gimmick? Do you think a consumer recognized standard (like Fair Trade) is needed for environmental manufacturing?<\/p>\nED: <\/strong>Today’s customers are digitally linked and the skeptical Gen Z have much better tools to understand whether a message is genuine or not. We are also seeing a lot of digital track and trace tools being introduced and we are only at the very beginning of the blockchain reaction which I believe will be widely used in the coming 5 years. The smart contracts and the standards are being digitalized in multiple industries and we will see this happening in the denim industry as well.<\/p>\n \nYou can find out more about Soorty’s sustainability plans at their Future Possibilities website<\/a> and on Instagram<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sustainability is the word on everyone’s lips the past few years in denim. Producing our favorite indigo fabric is incredibly…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":145698,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[651],"tags":[24817,3872,2877],"acf":{"published_feed_date":"2019-10-30 00:01:10"},"yoast_head":"\n
Soorty's Executive Director Ebru Debba\u011f Talks Sustainability - Interview<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n