climatechange

The climate joke

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COP28: hypocrisy & climate change

If hypocrisy always accompanies the climate summit, this COP28 sounds like a joke.

Many traditional Italian jokes start like this: there is an Italian, a French and a German. Now add that they meet up in Dubai to talk about climate change. Okay, for real, COP28, the annual climate summit, is now held in Dubai. Whether you are Italian or not, you’ll laugh because it sounds like a joke!

By the way, we can expand this joke, including other countries. There are three British men who flew on three private jets to Dubai to attend a meeting led by an oil and gas CEO to talk about not using oil. And, of course, not killing the planet to satisfy their lifestyle!
In fact, according to The Independent, Sunak, Cameron and King Charles each take on private jets to travel to COP28. Three private jets to talk about cutting emissions! Surely, the right thing to do!

We could continue with the other countries in the world; the pattern doesn’t change. So, the joke gets shared.

The joke: a petro-state for climate change

Not only is COP “whatever the number,” the conference where world leaders gather to discuss climate change for about five days and then go back home with nothing done. Specifically, they postpone the change for the next 15 or 20 years, which is pure madness. It reveals a total lack of understanding of the climate emergency and a willingness to make change.
But, this year, it is even more absurd: they join in Dubai. Precisely, world leaders gather in a country whose only power relies on oil to talk about climate change. Conflict of interest? It doesn’t concern them! Private jets, helicopters, shopping in giant shopping malls – an energy-absorbing country whose energy and water consumption per capita is the highest in the world.

What are they talking about? Where are we heading?

To conclude, we share Mario Tozzi‘s words:


“There is little use in gathering at conferences like COP28, where it is more important not to step on the toes of a destructive economy than to worry about the health of the Earth. They can spare us the mockery.”


Enough with the climate joke! We cannot listen to politicians and billionaires who travel on private jets telling us how to consume! This hypocrisy is disturbing. We are fed up with it. Aren’t you?

This is Autumn?

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Global boiling & its impact on the fashion industry

September 23rd was the first Autumn day, but this is Autumn? Sunday, the temperature in Milano reached 32 Celsius (about 90 Fahrenheit). In other words, we don’t have to wait for climate change – climate change is here. For brands and fashion retailers, it is particularly odd.

Specifically, it’s the global boiling era. Yet, in every industry, as well as in fashion, people work like nothing serious happens. Do they wear blinders? Don’t they feel the heatwave? Or maybe they think: “Yes, it’s hot, but there’s nothing we can do.”
As a matter of fact, in every field, people like cogs dutifully do their job. No questioning. It seems money, budgets, and turnover is what counts. Who cares if we are boiling?

What’s the impact of climate change on the fashion industry?

Fall/Winter shop windows reveal the inadequacy of fashion. Fashion is out of sync with current times.
First, people still wear lightweight clothing. We don’t need warm garments now. Indeed, stores overflow with wool sweaters, coats, down jackets, and all the winter stuff. But who dares now to try a wool sweater when the temperature invites you to the beach?
Second: sooner or later, cold weather will come. However, because of the heat wave, retailers who sell mass-produced garments will lose about two full-price months from the selling season. That means mass retailers’ unsold stock will be huge. Therefore, they will sell most garments during the end-of-season sale.

Autumn fashion in the global boiling era

In this context, it is clear that the actual pattern (mass manufacturing/ overproduction and distribution) doesn’t work anymore. We must stop and rethink the fashion industry from scratch. Ignoring climate change is dangerous nonsense since it is now a tangible reality.

Also, the above points come from a financial perspective, while ethics should be our first concern. Raising awareness on climate action is crucial. We must reduce our impact on the planet. How do we do it? By limiting by far our consumption to what really counts. Consume less. Don’t buy pointless stuff. Avoid waste.

Above all, start asking yourself: This is Autumn?
Most people pretend nothing happens. But with what conscience do they keep their eyes closed?

Sustainable Fashion Awards 23

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What are we celebrating?

The Sustainable Fashion Awards 23 closed the Milano Fashion Week. Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana arranged this award ceremony to celebrate the designers who stood out for their environmental commitment, ethical practices and social rights.

We should be happy with it, celebrate the winners and move to Paris! No?

Held at Teatro La Scala, the Sustainable Fashion Awards reminded us that although the fashion industry is polluting, the Italian supply chain is progressing towards a greener way of operating the fashion business.

In other words, this event is a counterpart of the Milano Fashion Week. But you find the same names you’ve seen on the runways over the week, just under a different umbrella – a green one. And put into words with those labels so familiar to marketing blurring into greenwashing.

Sustainable Fashion Awards & The elephant in the room

Perhaps industry players, business owners, and designers are developing a higher consciousness about green matters. And, perhaps, some changes could be relevant. However, we cannot understand how these changes can still work in attunement to a production pattern based on overproduction.

It’s one or the other! And since the two elements aren’t consistent, they cannot stand on one plate because they clash.

The fashion industry has one major issue: overproduction, the elephant in the room, which none dares to mention. But if we still have overproduction, there’s no sustainability. No effective change in production chains will be enough without interrupting the overproduction pattern.

Sustainable Fashion Awards 23 witnessed a progression in the fashion industry towards greener practices, elevating environmental consciousness. But, as Mr Pierre-Alexis Dumas, Hermès creative director, said at Triennale: “Sustainability, that’s where we have a problem in fashion. We are making a change with low impact facilities and manufacturing practices. Perhaps in 15 or 20 years we’ll see the result and we’ll finally be sustainable.”

Unfortunately, according to climate scientists, we do not have that time. So, in the end, what are we celebrating now?

The fashion dinosaur

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Why aren’t fashion people adapting to the new context?

The fashion industry looks like a dinosaur that, no matter what happens around it, keeps doing the same stuff as it has always done.

In Milano, we are boiling. Literally. Physically. Around 26 to 30 degrees Celsius. We’d rather go back to the beach! People wear short-sleeved cotton T-shirts and lightweight cotton jackets for the office. But we sweat like in August. And even if there’s a light rain today, it’s definitely not the wool weather. The situation doesn’t seem much different across Europe.

We are going to get Fall/Winter clothing collections soon, which we postponed a little. It didn’t seem so urgent, at least from our viewpoint, to sell wool trousers. Well, unless someone plans to go to Norway! In that case, let us know, and we’ll find something cool for you.
Also, the Milano Fashion Week is about to start, but the fundamentals are always the same.

Climate change & the fashion dinosaur

Hey, climate change is real. In this abnormal context, which seems the new normal, does it make sense to work as we have always done? Can’t we evolve towards something different?

For brands: What’s the point of planning collections as they have always done? Following a pattern totally disconnected from reality – is it what we need now?

For people who buy fashion: Does it make sense to follow brands, shops, or people who urge you to purchase clothes out of the actual context?

More seasonless fashion: the style #formodernhumans

What changes should the fashion industry make to adapt to the new context? The industry needs to set up collections differently, choosing natural materials and leaner selling patterns. Less mass products, more tailoring and made-to-order. More seasonless designs.

However, it would be interesting to understand why people don’t understand brands that offer an alternative fashion concept. Indeed, we would like to hear your thoughts on this point.

Do you know you can buy seasonless items if you need something new? More and more, it makes sense to focus on seasonless clothing because it is more adaptable to different weather conditions. And with a proper layering style, you can wear these garments throughout the year.

In the end, dinosaurs have gone extinct. So will the fashion dinosaur if we do not make a change.

Share your thoughts with us! Comment here below or WhatsApp directly from here!

Small parts to preserve the environment

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Are fashion brands really doing enough?

According to some news, top luxury fashion brands and other popular ones do their small parts to preserve the environment. And, following their reasoning, these “small parts” are enough to make a big difference. But is it true?

Fashion industry & climate change

It is proven that human actions have caused climate change. Also, we know that fashion is a big polluting industry which discards tons of waste everywhere. So, we wonder, what are they trying to say with these pieces of news? How do these messages translate into facts? Are they really making a positive impact?

For instance, in the context of brands doing their small part for a lower-impact fashion industry, a newsletter said that Dior launched a pair of recyclable sneakers. So, they say, the brand is doing its part for climate change. But, for a juggernaut, is this single move enough to preserve our planet?

In today’s world, it’s a common concern whether the sustainability efforts made by corporations are genuine or just a form of greenwashing. Some argue that any small step taken towards sustainability can bring about a positive change. But that could probably work decades ago. At this moment, the situation has gotten so much worse that this news seems ridiculous.

In the face of a climate emergency, forget small steps – we need radical change!

Marketing: The realm of greenwashing

In fact, we agree with those who believe such efforts are simply a PR tactic without any significant systemic change. These news are part of fashion marketing plans, which should be labelled as greenwashing.

Corporations or brands of any size set up their marketing plans and release that kind of information, which has no basis. Magazines, fashion journalists or influencers get paid to share the great news. Hey, it’s business in the end! Who cares if it’s misleading?
The point is that most people take that kind of news for granted. So, whoever shares them is complicit in promoting greenwashing.

Now, please tell us, do you think brands make a big difference by doing their small parts to preserve the environment? Do you really believe it?

Comment here below or WhatsApp directly from here!

Fashion & global boiling

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How can the fashion industry adapt to the extreme weather?

Temperatures are peaking, hitting a record around the globe, and as we have entered the global boiling era, the fashion industry needs to rethink its business models.

“Climate change is here, it is terrifying, and it is just the beginning. The era of global warming has ended and the era of global boiling has arrived.” – said the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres.

Scientists confirmed that July has been one of the world’s hottest months. Of course, what is happening is consistent with the predictions, but the change seems to accelerate faster than expected.

Though Guterres calls for immediate action in order to turn the tide, we are not optimistic. Big corporations will not approach degrowth, which would be the only valuable possibility.

For the fashion industry, global boiling means getting ready with a different plan, a leaner way to operate the business. In fact, this new normal makes it difficult to think in terms of foreseeable seasons, as the industry has done so far.

Therefore, fashion brands should rethink how they set up their Spring-Summer collections by presenting patterns, fabrics, and silhouettes designed for a new reality. Most importantly, they need to reconsider how they sell to retailers.

Retailers, on their hand, need to order from brands that allow them to purchase smaller quantities and give them the possibility to reorder. In fact, ordering six months earlier is not really smart since it is impossible to foresee the weather in the long run.

Global boiling: possible solutions for the fashion industry

Pre-order: retailers can show the products to their customers and then pass an order to the brand.
Made-to-order: products made within certain specifications, such as materials, colours, and dimensions, but in a limited range of options.
Customised product: clothes or accessories created for an individual customer, according to their needs and requirements.

Benefits:
All the above models would limit overproduction and fashion waste. Also, they would help improve inventory allocation.
Retailers would sell during the season, limiting frequent markdowns because of overstocking.
Products would keep a higher value throughout the year.

People would purchase fewer garments but better quality.

Something needs to change in the fashion system. The industry must be flexible and adapt to specific seasons and unforeseeable events.

Fashion must consider global boiling, or it will end up boiled.

Stop sales!

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Things that matter #formodernhumans

In order to promote a healthier consumption pattern, we need to stop end-of-season sales. In fact, sales, in general, are a short-sighted strategy that triggers compulsive behaviour and perpetrates a toxic productive system.

Fighting unsustainable consumption and production patterns is part of the new guidelines the UN released recently. The fashion industry contributed directly and significantly to the triple planetary climate change crisis, nature and biodiversity loss, pollution and waste.

This is what really matters! But changing consumption habits takes immediate action.

So, the purpose is to eradicate overconsumption. Therefore, we address high markdowns as an element of a money-driven system that has generated a devastating environmental impact. But first, we need to understand how the system works. Then, we find solutions.

How the fashion system works:

Brands ask for budgets (minimum amount or quantity) from retailers. Usually, these budgets increase season after season.
Because of this practice, retailers buy way more than they can sell. So, they generate overstock.
This overstock, in turn, leads to a higher retail price. That is because a high quantity of merchandise gets sold during end-of-season sales. And higher prices during the season covers partially this loss.
Because of this overstock, retailers apply frequent promotions, markdowns and sales in order to induce clients to purchase more.

It’s a vicious cycle where everything is connected. Consumption and production go hand in hand. So, we cannot fix one if we do not fix the other.

Stop Sales! How retailers can eradicate overconsumption:

  • reduced quantities of clothing and accessories ordered per season in store
  • avoiding overstock would allow equitable prices throughout the season
  • stop Black Fridays, promotions and sales
  • teach clients to buy less, much less, but only quality products. Clothing and accessories made to last over time. Also, teach them the value of their purchase.

Sales aren’t a sustainable strategy. The more you buy discounted items, the more brands flood the market with pointless products. And where are we heading with this behaviour? Read it here!

What consumers can do:

Don’t be part of the system that has generated the climate crisis. Try to change it instead.
Buy less, much less during the season. Take only quality garments you can match with the clothes you already have and that you can reuse.
Don’t buy trendy items, but choose a timeless aesthetic.
Quality, not quantity. And remember: good design doesn’t have an expiry date.

If you want to share your views or know more, comment here below or WhatsApp!

Where are we heading

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Climate change: are we doing enough?

A true paradise: where are we heading – is the video released by Kevin Anderson, a climate scientist. And you cannot miss it!

“We are 32 years from the first major scientific report on climate change… What have we done since then?” “All we are doing so far is giving rhetoric and optimism and greenwash.”
“There is plenty of talk but no action.”- Anderson says.

When we hear people talking about sustainability, it seems like they limit the debate to specific fields without considering the fact that sustainability regards our whole lifestyle and all of us. However, with the bad habit of passing the buck and, most of all, thanks to a lot of greenwashing, we aren’t making any progress. Indeed, the climate disaster is happening faster than many thought. And it’s frustrating because greenwashing makes it impossible to have honest conversations. In fact, the more governments, companies, and brands fake, the more they get attention. And people trust them! But we would love to ask all these green companies: if they are really doing so good, why are emissions going up?

In the end, some people see the urgency, but most do not move a finger to change their habits! They are not interested in climate change, or change isn’t convenient for them. So they greenwash.

Must-see video!

Kevin Anderson released the video here below: Where are we heading. It’s a warning which invites us to open our eyes and stop believing political rhetoric and greenwashing. And also calls on us to push for bold policy changes.

Every word is precious, but we highlight some passages:
“Pseudo technologies are a facade to avoid asking the difficult political and equity based questions. ‘Net Zero’ is a real dangerous turn in my view, and really means NOT zero. I always say ‘net zero’ is latin for ‘kick the can down the road.”

“I have to be honest and say as someone who has worked on climate change for years, my best guess is that we are going to fail. But it is a choice to fail. Political leaders, academia and journalism, have repeatedly chosen to fail on climate for 30 years.”

His powerful words call for radical change. Furthermore, he makes it clear, politicians or corporations won’t drive the change. The hope comes from the common people, civil society, who can ask for more.

So, where are we heading? With his final words, Kevin Anderson opens to hope:
“It does come down to all of us to play our role as best that we can. It is a choice to fail and it is a choice to succeed.”

Climate change and natural disasters  

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Emilia Romagna: a region devastated by heavy rain and flooding

Climate change, between natural disasters and man-made activities, brings along massive devastation.

In 36 hours, 50 centimetres of rain fell in Emilia Romagna. In other words, the rainfall the region usually sees throughout half a year. The heavy rains and consequent flooding have devastated a large part of the area. 14 rivers had broken their banks. Ten people died and more than 10,000 had to be evacuated. Some rescued from roofs by helicopters.

Over the winter season, the region faced months of drought. Now, during springtime, heavy rains and flooding. According to Mario Tozzi, a geologist and science communicator, drought and flooding are two faces of the same coin: climate change.

In the end, extreme weather events are the result of human actions on the planet. Without any ethical consideration, man acts like the master of nature instead like a part of it. Indeed money is the only concern. Still, humans want to dominate nature, disposing of it in endless exploitation.

“We have traded nature for the economy, but in the end, we all lost. A healthy economy is not possible without healthy ecosystems. Enough with the merchants of doubts: it’s time to act.”

Mario Tozzi

The merchants of doubts are climate change deniers. We shouldn’t even waste time listening to them. Since the 70s, scientists and economists knew what was about to happen. Capitalism is an economic model that brings destruction. Now this destruction is in front of us.

“Here, natural events become catastrophic due to a worsening factor: the concrete with which we have covered the entire territory. If you take away space from a river, sooner or later, it takes it back.” – declared Mario Tozzi.

Concrete monsters, mastodontic shopping malls, intensive farming and, on top of this, fossil fuels are all part of an exploitative system that failed. In fact, climate change and natural disasters are undeniable proof of human activity over nature.

“If we squander our fossil fuels, we threaten civilisation; but if we squander the capital represented by living nature around us, we threaten life itself.”
E.F. Schumacher

We must leave this pattern behind and take action now.

EU Commission: a plan against greenwashing

Can non-mandatory rules fight greenwashing?

On March 22nd, the EU Commission released a plan against greenwashing claims. But these new rules leave some leeway that will probably generate more confusion. 

Environmental claims aren’t reliable!

Over the last five years, we started digging deep into sustainable matters. And how tricky it is for people to understand which label is sustainable or not. That is because of greenwashing: the process of brands and companies deceiving consumers to believe they are green when they are not. Obviously, brands release fake green claims to sell more. Indeed, the sustainability business is flourishing! And perhaps, those who believe in fairy tales are happy with it!

The plan to fight greenwashing

These are the data:
53% of green claims are vague, misleading or unfounded information.
40% of claims have no supporting evidence.
1/2 Half of all green labels offer weak or non-existent verification.
There are 230 sustainability labels and 100 green energy labels in the EU, with vastly different levels of transparency.

Hence, the new criteria want to make green claims reliable across the EU, protecting consumers from greenwashing. Also, contribute to creating a circular economy based on reuse, repair, and recycling.

Expected impacts

“With certain consumers purchasing products that will be truly better for the environment, it is estimated that the impacts on the environment will be highly positive.”

Now the above statement may sound like greenwashing, too! In fact, the only “better for the environment” is a drastic reduction of new products and not more eco-products!

The controversial point

“However, it remains a decision of companies to include (or not) environmental claims in their voluntary commercial communications. This means that the companies can control their costs by determining the scope of the claim (if any) considering its expected return on investment. In short, the costs of substantiation are of a voluntary nature to companies as they are part of one’s marketing strategy and therefore credible estimations of the overall cost for the Union market are difficult.”

Therefore, rules aren’t mandatory for companies. Indeed, businesses have been given leeway on how to provide their evidence. Likewise, governments will be able to decline the guidelines when they transpose them into national legislation. 

In conclusion, without unified regulations, the EU plan to fight greenwashing won’t stop greenwashing!