Market Update: October 2024

At Vegan Fashion Repository, we celebrate each milestone, and keep our ears on the ground for every essential development in the vegan and sustainable fashion industry. Here’s a brief summary of the highlights from September and October 2024:

The Responsible Textile Recovery Act SB707 has been signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom, and will come into force on July 1st, 2028. This is America’s first Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) act to date. Technically, the act was signed on September 28th, but it was in October that the governments of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Australia experienced a mounting pressure to implement EPR. Read more on Sourcing Journal

Levi Strauss & Co has signed the Pakistan Accord, a legally binding agreement ensuring safe working conditions in garment factories in Pakistan. This crucial milestone marks a shift from big brands’ inaction to tangible actions to protect workers in the off-shore factories. Read more on Fashion United

Innovative fibers are gaining traction in luxury fashion. Following a range of new gen fabrics The SS25 fashion month saw a range of new Following a series of collaborations that premiered during the fashion month, such as Christiano Siriano’s phantasmagoric premiere of Circ Lyocell gowns, made from 40% textile waste, in his SS25 collection as the first lyocell fabric made from textile waste to ever be showcased at New York Fashion Week. Burberry has partnered with Mediterranean Agro Technologies (Magtech), the first company to grow hydroponic cotton in Europe, to develop a fabric comprised of hydroponic and organic cotton. In London, Patrick McDowell showcased a collection of garments dyed with fermented sugars (Octarine Bio’s behind this), and mycelium bags (Ecovative’s Forager). Burberry has also launched a blended scarf made from 70% wool and cashmere, and 30% Brewed Protein™, a lab-grown plant-based fiber. Stella McCartney has used seaweed-based Kelsun for tank tops in her SS25 collection. At Ganni, a range of new gen fabrics was featured in the SS25 collection, including Cycora®, Simplifyber, Oleatex™ and Tex2tex™. Read more on Ecotextile and Vogue Business

Milanese prosecutors identified labour exploitation within the supply chains of several luxury brands, including Armani and Dior. As a result, a draft plan is reportedly being developed by the Prefecture of Milan to create a supply-chain database that would address incidents of labour exploitation in fashion by allowing businesses to submit certifications of compliance with tax and labour laws. However, submission would be voluntary, and limited to Italy’s Lombardy region. Read more on Business of Fashion

As the popularity of re-commerce grows, eBay UK partnered up with Luxe Collective Fashion to launch a luxury handbag consignment. Check out the article about why vegan fashion shall embrace the re-commerce model. Visit eBay UK

Fashion journalist Fleur Britten and her 12-year-old daughter report on the harsh reality of fashion overproduction and unregulated waste dumping in Ghana. This situation prompts a critical question: is this still a wake-up call, or has it become a cautionary tale? Read more on The Guardian

Last but definitely not least, researchers from Northwestern University have discovered the mechanism by which the Comamonas bacterium breaks down plastic for food. This discovery is expected to pave the way for breakthrough solutions to biodegrade plastic. Read more on Northwestern Now