Environmentalist and fashion guru, Stella McCartney has partnered with tech giant Google to understand fashion's ecological footprint. The project will consolidate data from diverse sources and use Google's machine-learning algorithms to analyze the information. The focus of the project is to understand the environmental impact of cotton and viscose.
The project will explore granular links in order to best quantify issues in the fashion supply chain. "This topic hadn’t come up in our collective consciousness until a couple of years ago really, so no one was thinking to be able to track emissions down the value chain," said Eliza Niemtzow, managing director of BSR. Fashion's ecological footprint currently lacks relevant and reliable data with which to scrutinize the industry. To overcome this, the project will rely on McCartney's vast experience in the industry to give brands a clear understanding of the impact of their chain of production.
Tech-Driven Sustainable Fashion
Google and Stella McCartney Reduce Fashion's Ecological Footprint
Trend Themes
1. Tech-driven Sustainable Fashion - New technology is being used to reduce fashion's ecological footprint, paving the way for more sustainable practices in the industry.
2. Data Integration and Machine Learning in Fashion - By utilizing data integration and machine learning techniques, the fashion industry can identify previously unknown negative environmental impacts and find ways to address them.
3. Transparent Supply Chains for Sustainable Fashion - With increased data collection and analysis, the fashion industry can create more transparent supply chains to reduce its environmental impact and inspire other industries to follow suit.
Industry Implications
1. Fashion and Apparel - The sustainability issues facing the fashion industry require innovative solutions to reduce environmental impact and meet consumer demands for eco-friendly products.
2. Technology - New technologies such as data analytics and machine learning can help the fashion industry identify and address its environmental footprint, creating opportunities for technological innovation.
3. Environmental Consulting - Demand for environmental consulting services is likely to increase as the fashion industry seeks to reduce its environmental impact and increase transparency in the supply chain.