Winter 2020 - Inside Outdoor Magazine

Inside Outdoor | WINTER 2020 22 Ingredients Fashion’s Five-Year Plan By Martin Vilaboy O utdoor apparel brands, both large and small, certainly have been out front in the efforts to clean up the rather dirty processes of tex- tile and apparel production. Hardly a week goes by in the outdoor community without news of an eco-material being adopted or a new fair-trade certification being achieved or a corporate social respon- sibility promise being updated or a transparency program enacted. Once again, hat’s off on leading another charge for positive change. But let’s face it, outdoor apparel is just a small sliver of the overall apparel marketplace, and therefore just a small part of the problem and the solution. So, it pays to keep tabs on the environmental sustainability plans of the greater industry, including fashion and large vertical apparel retail- ers, since sustainable materials at “speed and scale” is somewhat reliant on the scale driven by their initiatives and advancements. Recently, McKinsey surveyed 64 chief purchasing officers (CPOs) – who cover the full spectrum of the apparel market and are responsible for a total sourcing value of more than $100 billion annually – about their sustainability plans during the next five years. The findings suggest social and environ- mental sustainability has become a burning priority for appar- el company C-suites, just as it is becoming an increasingly important issue for consumers and governments. “The clear majority of survey respondents expect the industry to transition to a much more sustainable model by 2025,” said McKinsey analyst. “They foresee wider use of sustainable materials, an improved ecological footprint, increased transparency and strengthened supplier relation- ships and purchasing practices.” Even so, most apparel companies will need to make dramatic shifts in current sourcing practices if they are to deliver on expectations. Indeed, the report makes it clear that it will be challenging to deliver true progress in the complex arena of sustainabil- ity. On the other hand, several “dramatic shifts” appear on the horizon for textile and apparel sourcing, which actually could help environmental sustainability efforts be enacted, or at least attempted. Opportunity in Disruption In some ways, it’s encouraging that sustainability and transparency is anywhere near the center of CPOs’ strategic agendas. After all, they have lots to worry about right now. Ongoing demand volatility is pushing companies toward more flexible, demand-driven sourcing models; increasing margin pressures remain at a time when there are diminish- ing returns from the old model of moving continually from one low-cost sourcing country to the next; pressures exist from all fronts to digitize internal process; and ongoing trade tensions have created uncertainty and accelerated the shift The state of sustainable material sourcing