In this roundtable, CRIS in partnership with BGIF (Bhajan Global Impact Foundation) and CBS Sustainability will discuss the challenges, as well as potential solutions by bringing together views from academics, fashion designers, entrepreneurs, consumers, and policymakers.
Register for the event, beginning at 12:00 UK time, here:
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_2cMjyKt9TKCLkTo68vjOzQ
The textile industry is the second most polluting industry after oil, and contributes significantly to climate change, the generation of greenhouse gases, resource exploitation, the release of production related chemicals, hazardous waste, and toxicity. The love for fast fashion means that we are expected to hit 300 million tonnes of clothing manufactured waste annually by the year 2050. This has led to a catastrophic increase in textile waste, equivalent to an estimated $500 billion worth of clothes annually, most of which ends up in landfills. Furthermore, recycling is challenging not only because of high costs, but also due to the use of blended fabrics in many garments. Indeed, the dark side of fashion is not limited to environmental exploitation, but also covers animal cruelty, child labour, poor wages, long working hours, gender inequality, health and safety issues, sexual harassment, and so on.
The panel will discuss whether or not sustainability in fashion is ever feasible, current trends and innovations in sustainable fashion, the role of the consumer in pushing for sustainable products, and the role of higher education in catalysing change in the fashion industry.
The panel brings together speakers from CRIS (RHUL), Copenhagen Business School, De Montfort University, SNDT University, Beijing Normal University and business professionals from India.
ABOUT THE PANELLISTS
DR KIRSTI REITAN ANDERSEN
Kirsti Reitan Andersen is a Post Doc at Copenhagen Business School. In her current work she explores barriers and opportunities to change towards practicing sustainability in the textile and fashion industry, focusing on local production and alternative business models. As part of the H2020 project Artsformation, she also explores the ways in which the arts might take the role as a mediator in the digital transformation. Kirsti is engaged in the development of teaching material for business students and practitioners. Amongst other material, she has helped develop a MOOC on sustainable business models for the fashion industry targeting business school students and practitioners that is available on Coursera. Kirsti also led MAKES, a project under Innovation Express that uses film, image and text to bridge design and production across Norway, Sweden and Denmark to further business opportunities in the textile and fashion industry. Kirsti has extensive experience working with design and innovation, both in consultancy and research, drawing on her background in European Cultural Studies and applying and exploring ethnographic research methods in her work.
DR EMILY BAINES
Dr. Emily Baines is a Senior Lecturer at De Montfort University, Leicester. She is module leader of a specialist MA module in sustainable design in the fashion and textiles industry and has taught in the field of sustainable design and CSR since 2004. Other teaching includes marketing, corporate strategy and industry analysis at MA and textile and fashion history with historical sustainability analysis at BA level. She also supervises PhD students in sustainable fashion and international creative industry analysis. In 2010, she co-organised the Textile Society ‘Rewind: Textile Sustainability and Recycling’ conference at De Montfort University. Her publications have focused on issues of industry strategy, design production, the formation of taste and changes in consumption and distribution in the textile industry and the role of heritage and sustainability in the value structure.
BHAVYA BISHNOI
Bhavya Bishnoi is the Vice Chairman of BGIF, is a young entrepreneur and social change maker from Adampur (Haryana, India). He founded BGIF in 2018 as a think-and-do tank to tackle pressing social and economic challenges through strategic partnerships, community engagement, evidence-based research, and high-impact interventions. Having completed his Master’s degree from Oxford University in 2016, Bhavya joined the Leadership Development Programme at the Global Education & Leadership Foundation (tGELF) in Gurugram (India) to effect high impact projects. He was part of the founding team for Global Citizen India, a citizen-led movement that raised more than INR 43,000 crores in commitments to the UN’s SDGs. BGIF has piloted several impact projects in the realms of menstruation, solid waste management, healthcare, among others. Recently, BGIF led the nation-wide Youth Feed India initiative in the state of Haryana to bring ration and other essential relief supplies to daily wage earners, single mothers, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Through his effort, nearly 3,50,000 meals were provided to those in need in Haryana alone.
DR VANDANA JAGLAN
Dr. Vandana Jaglan has varied experience related to academics, research and management in the field of design. As a professional, she specialises in costume studies, design process, craft studies and surface design developments. Her research explores Textile Documentation, Fibre Quantification of cellulosic blends and Knowledge Management. She has served as an Assistant Professor in key organisations like National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) and University of Delhi. She has handled craft cluster development programmes and facilitated craft documentation activities in Brocades, zardozi, applique work and carpet weaving in Uttar Pradesh, India as Cluster Initiative Coordinator (CIC). She has also conducted technical workshops and talks for technology up-gradation with weavers in Uttar Pradesh. Dr. Jaglan have been an expert for course writing in ‘Handloom weaving’ developed by National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) for vocational courses.
MS SONIA JETLEEY
Sonia is a celebrated fashion designer in India known for her creations inspired by Indian heritage and culture. Her designs are handcrafted by highly talented artisans with awesome execution skills. Her label ‘Sonia Jetleey’ takes pride in having a sustainable business model which combines ethics and environment with modern day technology and age-old craftsmanship.
DR. AN LIU
An Liu is a lecturer at Beijing Normal University with 11 years of teaching experience in fashion design and brand management, 9 years of international cooperation in fashion education projects and teaching experience, and successfully planned and held 6 Fashion activities about university students. Her current research fields are: sustainable fashion design, slow fashion.
DR MELTEM TURE
Meltem Türe received her PhD in Business Administration from Bilkent University in Turkey. She worked at Skema Business School in France as an assistant professor of marketing before joining Royal Holloway, University of London as a senior lecturer in marketing. Her research interests involve object disposal, waste and sustainability, value and materiality, and ethics, ideology, and consumption. Her work has been published in journals such as Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Business Research, Consumption Markets & Culture, and Marketing Theory as well as in edited book chapters.