We were featured recently in California Apparel News' article, "It's Not Easy Being Green: Transparency Within the Textile, Apparel Industry". In this article, Fashion Industry leaders were invited to give their thoughts on the state of transparency within the textile industry and how to establish a relationship built on trust between people within the industry and outside it. We appeared alongside other businesses in the industry such as Thr3efold, Material Exchange, Red Carpet Green Dress, Apparel Impact Institute, and more! We are happy to have been included and given the opportunity to share our ideas in this industry think piece!
Courtesy of California Apparel News
Karri Ann Frerichs
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Circular Fashion LA
We built our commitment to ecological responsibility directly into our corporate structure to ensure that profits share priority with our goals to be regenerative and directly benefit the communities in which we operate. In January 2022, we became a California Social Purpose Corporation, which is similar to a Benefit Corp, and requires us to publish yearly impact stats that are relevant to our special purpose. We’ve also accepted the California Green Business Network’s challenge to become a Green Certified Business by Earth Day 2023. Furthermore, we surround ourselves with mission-aligned organizations and collaborators and have been a part of the L.A. Cleantech Incubator network and programs since 2020.
Beyond certifications and corporate structures, transparency is the best way to demonstrate a company’s commitment to environmentalism. The OuterKnown brand’s transparency has always served as an inspiration, and the company has built it into their marketing. Brands that can weave the storytelling of their ecological benefits into their merchandising will ring more authentically to customers than those brands simply pushing products.
On pushing products—the business strategy of “planned obsolescence” is truly wreaking havoc on the environment. It used to be that consumers could expect home appliances, for example, to last 10 to 15 years but now face the frustration of appliances quitting after less than five. No reusable product that doesn’t last beyond a handful of uses can ever be good for the environment unless a low-emissions takeback or recycling system is baked into the business model. This includes fashion. If brands can figure out how to honor the labor and materials that went into their products by extending the lifespans of their goods—and still see profits—that will be the Holy Grail of true sustainability."
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