The Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI) in partnership with IMG Reliance hosted the first SU.RE B2B workshop on Sustainable Supply Chain at IMG Reliance, One BKC in Mumbai. The workshop was a key step towards the Sustainable Resolution (SU.RE) initiative that was launched with 16 of the biggest Indian fashion retail brands at Lakmé Fashion Week in August 2019, supported by Ministry of Textiles and the United Nations in India.
Project SU.RE is a commitment by India’s apparel industry to set a sustainable pathway for the Indian fashion industry. The day-long workshop was exclusively conducted for senior supply chain and sustainability representatives from each of the 16 signatory brands.
The workshop was driven by the objectives of discovering trends and innovations for sustainability in the apparel value chain globally and in India, connecting and forging new relationships with innovative stakeholders in the sustainability sector and creating a roadmap for SU.RE with short term to long-term sustainability goals and success metrics.
The sessions focused on building a responsible and viable supply chain in terms of sustainable raw materials, chemical management, sustainable consumption and production, reduction of carbon footprint & technology; the sessions concluded with a discussion of fashion brand case studies.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) addressed building a responsible and viable supply chain. They focused on the restorative and regenerative role of circular economy in fashion and addressed the social, economic, and environmental aspects of the 17 SDGs. C&A Foundation spoke about their initiatives towards ensuring sustainability across the apparel value chain. C&A Foundation works with change-makers all over the world and gives them financial support, expertise, and networks that help accelerate their impact. Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) addressed issue of sustainability and chemical management in textile processing. Setting the roadmap for the future Circular Apparel Innovation Factory (CAIF) shared their inputs on goal setting and future course of action for SU.RE.
India’s first study on Sustainability is underway by The Voice of Fashion (www.thevoiceoffashion.com), the online fashion and design magazine. The Positive Fashion Survey will study and document consumer awareness, communication, commitment and clarity on sustainability issues as well as Indian fashion brand’s commitment, choices, solutions, and challenges in the implementation of sustainability. The 16 signatory brands were a part of this survey.
Rahul Mehta, Chief Advisor, CMAI said, “The agenda of the first SU.RE workshop was to persuade some of the top brands to partner together and create a resolution to shift the industry to a more sustainable supply chain. This would be a very crucial first step in making the world slightly cleaner and slightly better for the future generations.”
Jaspreet Chandok, Head – Lifestyle Businesses, IMG Reliance Ltd said, “Sustainability has always been at the center of all our objectives and it is a matter of great privilege for us that an initiative of this magnitude was pioneered at Lakmé Fashion Week. The first SU.RE workshop is an organic extension of the resolution and we look forward to continued engagement with brands to help them achieve their SU.RE goals by 2025.”
The closing remarks were given by Rahul Mehta and Jaspreet Chandok who addressed the forum and workshop as a beginning of immense work that will be done in the field of sustainable fashion in the years to come and expressed belief in the participating SU.RE members to be the torchbearers for the other industry stakeholders.
The sixteen signatories of India’s top fashion and retail brands are Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail, Arvind Fashions, Bestseller, Biba, Future Group, House of Anita Dongre, 109F, Lifestyle, Levis, Max, Raymond, Shopper’s Stop, Spykar, Trends, W and Westside.
