The fashion industry's accelerated industrialisation has resulted in a lack of consideration for nature and natural resources in the production and consumption of fashion.

With the prevalence of fast fashion, the fashion industry has now claimed the position of being the second-largest global polluter.

The world is consuming an estimated 80 billion new pieces of clothing annually, an increase of over 400 per cent over the last twenty years even if less than one per cent of those clothes are being recycled.

With the fashion industry now transforming from linear to more circular business models, the focus is on the key parameters of 4Rs - Recycling, Repair, Resale and Rental.

As per a study, a massive 72% of end users claimed they only buy clothes when necessary, 46% preferred to avoid fast fashion brands while 47% of respondents held they try to mend/repair items even as buying and selling of second-hand clothes gained in prominence.

Shifting from a linear to a circular system involves fundamental business changes and entities that make the switch may initially face some challenges, but the long-term benefits for People, Planet, and not to mention Businesses, is just enormous.  

Embracing the circular economy, on one hand, is a powerful way for brands to meet their sustainability goals, while on the other hand, it continues to provide numerous benefits, including building a better brand image and reputation; offering product innovation opportunities; giving competitive advantage over others; opening up new business opportunities; increasing customer loyalty and employee satisfaction, and last but not the least, helping optimise cost and resources.

However, the real change can only happen when sustainability is accounted for at every stage of the fashion value chain and no one understands it better than us.

With this in mind, Apparel Resources decided to dedicate the first day of the much-awaited third edition of Apparel Sourcing Week (ASW) 2023 to sustainability through the platform of SustainableNXT, an audited showcase of innovations and innovators throughout the supply chain.

The day culminates into SustainableNXT Conference & Awards which aims to recognise the sustainable efforts of 25 individuals and entities across 5 different categories.

Join us at ASW as we celebrate the spirit of circularity to give direction to the future growth of fashion retail.

ASW 2023 is on 20th and 21st of July and the venue is Hotel Grand Sheraton, Bengaluru.