Sustainability in the Fashion Industry: Mission impossible?

On Tuesday 3 December at 18:00, the SMART project will organise an evening event about sustainability and the fashion industry at Mesh in Oslo. Everyone is welcome!

Our consumption is growing every year, and the lifetime of the clothes and goods we buy is becoming increasingly shorter. The result is more pollution and emissions, both from the production and from when they are discarded and thrown away.  

Is there a way to make the consumption of clothes and other consumer goods more sustainable? What kind of new regulation is needed to reduce the detrimental social and environmental impacts of the growth in consumption?

And will tackling this problem on the political level be enough? What can businesses themselves do?

The EU-funded research project Sustainable Market Actors for Responsible Trade (SMART) has been trying to find the answers to these questions. It will soon present recommendations to the European Commission for how to reform EU law in order to increase the sustainability of goods consumed in Europe.

At Mesh on 3 December, the leader of the project, law professor Beate Sjåfjell from the University of Oslo, will present insights from the SMART project and give advice on how to make our ever-growing consumption less harmful for humanity and the environment.

We will also hear Jo Egil Tobiassen, the founder and CEO of Norwegian outdoor clothing brand Northern Playground, talk about how this looks from his perspective.

Since its inception, Northern Playground has been committed to seeking a triple bottom line. This means that it does not just evaluate its performance based on economical sustainability, but also on its environmental and social impacts.  

Has trying to establish a company committed to sustainability been a smooth sailing journey? Are the current laws supporting businesses like his?

The conversation will be moderated by the leader of Norwegian environmental organisation Future in our hands, Anja Bakken Riise.

Coffee and snacks will be served from 18:00, and the discussion starts at 18:30.

Attendance is free of charge but requires registration. Please register here by 2 December.

The event will be streamed live on the SMART Facebook page.

Published Oct. 9, 2019 1:26 PM - Last modified Nov. 20, 2019 9:12 AM