Going beyond buzzwords, brands acknowledge that collaboration is required to accelerate sustainability in the apparel and footwear supply chain.
Adidas is the latest company to join Fashion for Good’s global initiative to make fashion good. The Amsterdam-based group creates open-source resources for its partners and programs geared toward scaling sustainable designs and circular apparel systems.
Other corporate sponsors include C&A, Galeries Lafayette Group, Kering and Zalando.
As a partner, Adidas will play a significant role in setting Fashion for Good’s innovation agenda, including defining focus areas, participating in the selection of new innovators and providing expertise and mentorship to circular apparel startups.
In turn, Adidas will gain specialized scouting and screening support, as well as preferential access to market-ready innovations through Fashion for Good’s extensive network.
The partnership reinforces Adidas’ commitment to sustainability and its ongoing projects like the integration of materials made from ocean plastic waste.
“We want to be a driver for sustainable innovation, both within the industry and towards consumers,” said James Carnes, Adidas vice president strategy creation. “At Adidas, we have an open source approach where we believe in solving problems through collaboration with others. In this line of thinking, our partnership with Fashion for Good reinforces our commitment to sustainability and to building a network that impacts the world of consumers—together.”
Adidas will also contribute to the development of the full Fashion for Good Experience, an experiential, consumer-facing concept space slated to launch in the fall.
“As a global apparel and footwear leader with strong commitments to innovation and sustainability, we are excited to welcome Adidas to the Fashion for Good platform,” said Katrin Ley, Fashion for Good managing director. “Together with Adidas and our other partners, we are accelerating the transition to a circular apparel industry and reimagining the way fashion is designed, made, worn and reused.”