Sustainable Matters
Restored coral can grow as fast as healthy reefs
A new study shows that coral reef restoration initiatives provide a temporary solution to restore compromised marine ecosystems – concrete climate actions for ocean preservation
What is a 4D textile? Is the manufacturing sustainable?
The evolution of 3D printing is 4D. The case of the 4D-Knit Dress by MIT’s Self-Assembly Lab made using only a robot arm, computerized knitting and heat-activated smart textiles
Natural rubber: a raw material linked to deforestation
Between 1993 and 2016, an estimated 4.1 million hectares of forest were destroyed for natural rubber production, with almost three-quarters of this destruction taking place after 2001
Knitwear and wool: the future of a circular economy in textiles
Knitwear comes to the rescue with naturally sourced fibers and artisanal production processes with low environmental impact – some projects presented during the Loro Piana Knit Design Awards 2024
Is cloud seeding a real chance? Colorado and UAE cases
Cloud seeding: from pioneering experiments to contemporary scientific debates. Can weather alteration techniques makeup for land destruction by drought? The Colorado and UAE cases
The Miyawaki: greenify urban sites
The concept of urban planning needs to take climate change into account: urban forestry initiatives adopting the Miyawaki method to plant forests are spreading throughout Europe
The link between hemp and female empowerment
Hemp cultivation as a form of female empowerment and womanity. The story of the European beguines and the hemp work that inspired the Sisters of the Valley
Fashion is not inclusive yet – the disabled community speaks out
The case of Will & Well. The disabled community has been left behind in the movement to make fashion inclusive. Adaptive apparel is underdeveloped within the industry
Bacterial stunts and molds at Margiela – from 1997 till today
Who remembers Martin Margiela’s bacterial stunt from 1997? Mold on clothes, multiplied in the backyards of contemporary museums. Retracing the technique used in the exhibition
Deep Sea Mining: the new gold rush is for minerals
Deep-sea mining: ravaging the oceans in the name of transition. Norway is the first country in the world to say yes to finding raw materials in the ocean depths. Environmentalists...
Old-growth forests: what’s the meaning of “responsible forestry”?
Responsible Forestry: to preserve and maintain old-growth forest conditions, the United States Department of Agriculture and the 128 forest land management plans
Urban forestry: Valencia European Green Capital 2024
Fourteen years ago, the European Commission created the European Green Capital Award to promote green actions, urban forestry and urban life quality enhancement in European cities
Green colonialism: raw materials rush props up
Raw materials – an estimated 100 billion tons (Gt) of raw materials are mined each year. Of these, over 90% came from virgin resources. Less than 10% is coming from...
When length matters: wool carbon footprint’s impact
The wool debate: Environmental Effects of worsted versus woolen processing – insights for sustainable fashion. When fiber fineness is synonym with luxury but carries environmental concerns
What happened to slow fashion?
After the pandemic, fashion seemed to abandon consumerism and make room for slow fashion. All gone. Mosaert and Buena Onda apart
Bogotá Care blocks: a solution against unpaid work
In Bogotá, 1.2 million women dedicate most of their time to unpaid care work. Mayor Claudia López opened the Care Blocks project
Eco-urbanism – strengthening the railway system in the EU
Train transport - Expanding the trans-European night train service can enable eco urbanism, contribute to the EU environmental sustainability goals and bring European cities closer together
What is environmental racism? The voice of marginalized communities
The Not In My Backyard approach of developed countries in contrast with the unawareness of marginalized communities: environmental racism, definition and meaning
Pain or pleasure? The opioid crisis in US
Pain and Pleasure – The opioid crisis in the U.S. turned into an epidemic. It all started with OxyContin and its marketing campaign by Purdue Pharmaceutics
What do you bring to the table? Spuma’s Purpose Economy model
The current driving force of the global catering service. Companies reliance on tailor made catering and quality raw materials service to accommodate the needs of today’s market
Fili Pari on bridging the gap between marble and fabric – Italian raw materials
The Renaissance artist Michaelangelo could free an image from a marble block, as he used to say. Italian start-up Fili Pari has turned a material such as marble into a...
Elsa Peretti’s democratic designs and a glass maker in Venice – Archimede Seguso
From Florence to New York, from fashion model to female artisan Elsa Peretti’s lived an existence of freedom, inspiring the accessibility of her design and creations bought by women, for...
Sustainable textile industry: Lycra Company get rid of fossil-based spandex
Dismissing Plastic. Eyeballing the need for a sustainable textile industry, The Lycra Company replaces synthetic spandex with a fiber made with a naturally sourced ingredient: corn
A sea thermometer – saving Posidonia for ocean preservation
Ocean preservation and climate action in the Mediterranean Sea – exploring Posidonia meadows' effect on marine biodiversity, the global climate, and marine ecosystem’s health
The environmental impact of garments at the center: Filter by fabric
The arrival of EU regulations and the push of brands toward an ethical and transparent system with respect to the consumer, beyond the Woolmark Company initiative
Hong Kong reshaping the future of business after spending resurgence on luxury items
The global pandemic and political uncertainties have changed Hong Kong’s luxury market landscape: LVMH’s come back, the impact of digitalization and the experiential approach
Oceans preservation – updates on the Greenland ice sheet stability’s impact
Science news – new studies show us the effects of anthropogenic global warming on the Greenland Ice Sheet, right now and in the future, highlighting the value of climate action
Prada on the Moon: spacesuit design and the NASA’s next lunar mission
Prada’s venture in space wear: AxEMU (Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit) a legacy of innovation in the use of raw materials, nylons, and manufacturing technology. NASA’s Artemis III mission
Acción Andina: 2.7 million native trees planted in South America last year
Polylepis forests elevate 5,000 meters above sea level. Acción Andina – a community-based initiative operating across South America – is one of the finalists in the Earthshot prize 2023
Sea resources: Bysco’s naturally sourced textile fiber from mussel waste
Bysco developed a textile fiber that comes from mussel secretions. Its technical properties can allow the replacement of synthetic fibers like fiberglass and polyester
From agroforestry to biodiversity: alien species and biological invasion
The impact of invasive alien species on nature’s contribution to people is negative – especially through damage to super food – the IPBES report
A third of all second-hand clothing shipped to Kenya is plastic waste in disguise
Textile waste disposal markets are vital in Kenya. However, discarded dispatches coming from Western countries are responsible for turning the Global South as a textile dumping ground
Latest from the supply chain: how jeans production has changed
What are the steps that have led the industry to a conscious product? From the production of yarns, to natural indigo and the use of new techniques to replicate the...
Eckhaus Latta debuts 3D clothes at NY Fashion Week using Unspun technology
Luxury fashion brands are also to blame for excessive waste in the industry. Eckhaus Latta collection at NYFW features first pieces made with Unspun’s Vega™3D weaving technology
Enea’s zero-waste approach: turning arthropods byproducts into chitosan
Chitosan extraction from marine resources and fungi: Enea Trisaia Research’s goal to achieve sustainable, cost-effective, and large-scale production that doesn’t rely on petrochemicals
Glamping’s impact on national parks and local communities in the United States
The debate over the rise of glamping sites in America’s national parks and deserts: the protests in Bar Harbor, Maine and development projects in the Joshua Tree Desert, California
From beans to buildings: recycle coffee grounds to make eco concrete
New research by RMIT engineers published in the Journal of Cleaner Production shows how we could improve concrete by adding an everyday type of waste to it: spent coffee grounds
Burning paradises: El Niño hitting islands. Does mass tourism take part of the blame?
The wildfires that occurred in the Mediterranean and Pacific islands generated a catastrophe fueled by heat waves. From Greece to Maui, overcrowded island threat ecosystem
Hollywood: since the strikes started, the arthouse cinema thrives
As a result of the strikes causing the shutdown of Hollywood productions, arthouse cinema has filled a gap in the film industry changing the dynamics
The use of AI in migration flows violates human rights: the European double standard
EU, double standard in the use of Artificial Intelligence: protecting EU citizens on the one hand, violating migrants’ human rights on the other. Facial recognition to lie-detectors to GPS trackers
Fashion Fakes: AI can protect retailers and consumers tackling counterfeit crisis
Authentique Verify – Fashion fakes production carries environmental and ethical concerns. Fashion brands are now relying on AI technology to detect counterfeits and preserve brand identity
Heat decreases productivity: climate change and job loss, Indian textile industry
It will get worse for people living and working in cities. Heat rises and climatic events put jobs, and people’s safety at risk. The system must adapt. The case of...
Your obsession over non-Western cultures is not appreciation. It’s fetishization
The origin of Eurocentric superiority of costume dates back to Social Darwinism and the idea of the West and the Rest. How is the fashion industry intended to move forward...
Oil production: a raw material and a sick system – Incuso restores a disrupted supply chain
Producing oil in Italy without owning an acre. From the heart of Sicily to the rest of Italy, Incuso introduces a new win-win business model, working in collaboration with people
Sydney – record release of baby seahorses are set to boost the specie’s population
‘Seahorse hotels’ are multipurpose. They give shelter, can biodegrade and encourage the growth of new coral and sponge. It is the new home of the White’s Seahorse
Archeologia Arborea: a green time capsule preserving almost-lost fruit varieties
Turning back time – Archeologia Arborea preserves the local rural knowledge and history by studying and organically farming local fruit varieties on the brink of extinction
