Copyright © EcoWatch 2017 Fast Fashion Is the Second Dirtiest Industry in the World By Glynis Sweeny “The clothing industry is the second largest polluter in the world … second only to oil,” the recipient of an environmental award told a stunned Manhattan audience earlier this year. “It’s a really nasty business … it’s a mess.” While you’d never hear an oil tycoon malign his bonanza in such a way, the woman who stood at the podium, Eileen Fisher, is a clothing industry magnate. On a warm spring night at a Chelsea Piers ballroom on the Hudson River, Fisher was honored by Riverkeeper for her commitment to environmental causes. She was self-deprecating and even apologetic when speaking about the ecological impact of clothing , including garments tagged with her own name. Fisher’s critique may have seemed hyperbolic, but she was spot-on. When we think of pollution, we envision coal power plants, strip-mined mountaintops and raw sewage piped ...
A new paradigm in retail can secure higher, more stable profits and a better future for the planet Published on March 20, 2017 Featured in: Customer Experience , Retail & E-Commerce Marleen Vogelaar Entrepeneur, Advisor, Board Member In this series, retail experts at Shoptalk discuss the most pressing issues facing their industries today. Write your own #Shoptalk17 article here . Every few days there’s a headline of an apparel company in trouble and, next to big oil, apparel is the second largest polluting industry in the world. But now companies have the ability to break this cycle and propel themselves forward with smart solutions in digital manufacturing; improving their bottom lines drastically, while making significant improvements in sustainability. The Retail industry is in trouble. Macy's quarterly earnings announcements talk about shortfalls, layoffs and store closings. The Gap's profitability continues to decline. T...