Every month, our editors round up the news you should know from around the internet. Here are October’s top stories, including a new Fashion Revolution report, material innovations, and regulation news.
Fashion is Failing to Act On Its Most Urgent Opportunity: Clean Heat (Fashion Revolution)
Fashion Revolution’s new What Fuels Fashion? report has revealed key areas of fossil fuel use in the fashion industry where there is a clear opportunitiy to decarbonise, namely, heating in the production stage of manufacturing. “Only 10% of brands disclose supply chain renewable electricity targets and an even fewer 6% disclose broader renewable energy targets. This leaves most brands without a public roadmap to power their supply chains with clean energy – impacting credibility and questioning industry’s intent to change,” the organisation said.
Egypt: Perfume Industry Increasingly Relies on Child Labour as Climate Change Affects Jasmine Yields (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre)
Business & Human Rights Resource Centre reports that as the impacts of climate change result in lower jasmine yields, more workers are leaving the industry and children are increasingly being relied upon to harvest the flowers for use in fragrances. Since this usually takes place between midnight and dawn, children work all night before going to school the next morning.
France Officialises Textile Environmental Labelling (FashionUnited)
In what could become a case study for the rest of Europe, France has implemented environmental labelling on textiles, which requires businesses to publish a clear environmental score on a standardised visual symbol. The score will take into account the item’s lifecycle analysis alongside biodiversity impact, microfibre release, and end-of-life handling, according to FashionUnited.
NFW is ‘Winding Down’ Operations. What Does This Mean for Material Innovation? (Sourcing Journal)
Natural Fiber Welding, maker of the bio-based alternative material Mirum, has announced its closure, which comes as a disappointment to those who considered it one of the industry’s most promising new materials. Sourcing Journal investigates what happened, and asks what is required across industries and supply chains for innovative material companies to succeed.
PlasticFree Opens Global Materials Database to Accelerate Plastic Alternatives (Global Cosmetics News)
Global Cosmetics News reports that PlasticFree has made its materials database free to access for businesses seeking plastic alternatives. The online resource also includes expert-reviewed data, materials advice, and circularity information.
EU to Delay Anti-Deforestation Law by Another Year (Reuters)
For the second time, the EU will delay its anti-deforestation law that would ban imports of commodities linked to the destruction of forests, including soy and palm oil, reports Reuters. This time the delay is due to concerns around the IT system, while the first delay was linked to complaints from policymakers and affected industries.
Manchester Fashion Week Returns Focused On Responsibility, Education And Emerging Design (FashionUnited)
The UK’s Manchester Fashion Week relaunched after a 10-year hiatus with a mission to focus on more sustainable fashion. “Manchester, as the birthplace of the modern textiles industry, has helped shape how the world makes and consumes fashion. With that history comes a responsibility to help lead the next chapter, one that’s more sustainable, ethical, and future-proof,” Gemma Gratton, the event’s project director, told FashionUnited.
‘Good’ and ‘Great’ news
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ISTO. Launches Banantex Suit
“Good” brand ISTO. has launched a new suit made from Banantex—a biodegradable material derived from banana plants which require no irrigation, pesticides or fertilisers to cultivate. The suit’s utility style echoes the rest of ISTO.’s workwear-inspired collection.
Dedicated Unveils Latest Artist Collaboration
Dedicated’s (“Good”) latest artist collaboration is with Budapest-based illustrator Enikő Katalin Eged, who specialises in fun animals and still lifes. The brand’s much-loved series of artist collaborations is part of its efforts to create more sustainable fashion with personality.
Swedish Stockings Presents The Moving Pop-Up (Odalisque)
“Good” brand Swedish Stockings has revealed the latest of its innovative art and design approaches to repurposing tights: a tights vending machine made from 500 pairs of recycled tights. The machine will be moving around boutiques in Copenhagen and Stockholm this autumn.
MUD Jeans Becomes First Denim Brand to Achieve TESTEX Circularity Label
MUD Jeans has become the first denim brand in the world to achieve the Circularity Label from TESTEX, which independently measures the circularity of garments through tests on textiles’ durability, repairability, and recyclability.
Sparxell, MTC, Pangaia Team On ‘First’ Biodegradable Reflective Pigment (Just Style)
A collaborative project by Pangaia (“Great”), Sparxell, and Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) has produced a plastic-free, toxin-free, and biodegradable reflective pigment, which the organisations say is a world-first. According to Just Style, MTC ensured future scalability by creating production systems and “validating performance at an industrial level.”
Study Shows TWOTHIRDS’ Pre-order Model May Have Lower Carbon Emissions Than Conventional Models
A new study assessing the cradle-to-client’s doorstep stage of TWOTHIRDS’ product pre-order programme showed that when compared to benchmark data from a conventional business model, carbon emissions could be up to 20% lower. The findings help to strengthen the case that only manufacturing according to actual consumer demand could lessen some of fashion’s environmental impacts.
BEEN London Uses Recycled Plastic to Create Award Sculptures
For 2025 and 2026, “Great” brand BEEN London has been commissioned to create the sculptural award pieces for the VISA Everywhere Pioneers initiative, which recognises refugee women entrepreneurs across Europe. The brand partnered with Smile Plastics to turn discarded single-use yoghurt pots and plastic packaging into a material for the awards and used localised UK production. “It’s a privilege to craft a symbol worthy of such resilience,” said the brand.
