This month, a new report about the viability of microplastics studies could have implications for sustainable beauty and fashion, a PETA investigation exposes cruelty at so-called “responsible” mohair facilities, and stories about garment workers’ struggles around the world keep reaching the media. Read about these and more in our editors’ news picks for February.
Opinion: An Un-MAGA Proposal to Bring Back American Manufacturing (Business of Fashion)
Menswear writer Derek Guy, who faced off with JD Vance on X last year, writes in an op-ed for Business of Fashion about the state of American clothing manufacturing and the complexities around restoring it, speaking to brand founders in the region about their challenges, and what the solutions might be.
Prada Cuts Ties With Over 200 Suppliers After Labour Abuse Audit (Financial Times)
Financial Times reports on Prada’s “zero tolerance” audits on its suppliers amidst scrutiny of Italy’s luxury fashion industry following allegations of labour abuse. Prada’s audits, which it has been conducting since 2020, have led it to cut ties with 222 suppliers (of more than 850 audited) where labour law or compliance breaches were found.
‘A Bombshell’: Doubt Cast on Discovery Of Microplastics Throughout Human Body (The Guardian)
The Guardian reports that the results of some studies published on the presence in the human body of microplastics (which can be shed by synthetic fabrics and found in cosmetics) may not be as reliable as initially thought, with scientists noting they could simply be down to contamination or false positives. The article emphasises that while plastic pollution is in no doubt, less clear is the health damage caused by microplastics and the chemicals they contain, since they’re “tiny and at the limit of today’s analytical techniques, especially in human tissue.” The race to publish results in combination with limited expertise and overlooked scientific checks are of biggest concern to the researchers who spoke to the newspaper.
Cambodia: Workers Claim Their Livelihood and Living Standards Remain Low Despite Increasing Garment Export (Business & Human Rights Centre)
A report shared by the Business & Human Rights Centre details the ongoing gap between garment workers’ pay and the country’s growth as a manufacturing region and exporter. The minimum wage rose slightly by $2 to $210 in 2026 and inflation is easing, the report says, but higher living costs for things like food and transport means workers are continuing to struggle.
Paul Smith Implicated in PETA Exposé Revealing Goats Beaten, Dragged, and Left Bleeding for Mohair (PETA)
A new investigation by PETA Asia has exposed cruel practices at mohair facilities in Lesotho and South Africa that are certified by the Responsible Mohair Standard, including one linked to Paul Smith’s mohair supplier. “PETA is calling on Paul Smith to join the hundreds of other brands that have banned mohair and urging anyone upset by cruelty to animals to please choose only vegan materials,” said PETA President Tracy Reiman.
In Minneapolis, Vintage Dealers Build Mutual-Aid Networks as ICE Raids Intensify (GQ)
For GQ, journalist Emily Stochl shares a report originally published on her “Pre-Loved” newsletter, which details the vintage shops that have transformed into hubs for mutual aid and neighborhood defense networks in the face of ICE raids.
Resale Is Booming. Why Is There Still So Much Waste? (Vogue Business)
Bella Webb reports for Vogue Business on the impact of the resale boom in the Global South, finding that increasingly, the better quality clothes are removed from the loop before they reach secondhand retailers and sorters in regions such as Ghana and Egypt, leaving them with low-value, poor quality clothes that are only good for waste. “The knock-on effect is that secondhand retailers in places like Kantamanto Market are now trapped in cycles of debt, looking to make ends meet while grappling with the environmental and health ramifications of living among textile waste they have no use for,” Webb writes.
‘The Pressure is Too Much’: Lesotho’s Garment Workers on the Frontline of Trump Tariffs (The Guardian)
Opportunities for garment workers in Lesotho—many of whom are women—are dwindling since Donald Trump imposed trade tariffs on the region, according to The Guardian. In a report that features footage of factories and interviews with garment workers, Rachel Savage and Majirata Latela explore the impact of the tariffs on the manufacturing industry and those who rely on it for essential work.
