MBDC supports Fashion for Good initiative

MBDC is also supporting the organisation with a detailed guide for innovation that will allow Fashion for Good innovators to continue to design products that align with the Cradle to Cradle Certified Product Standard. Fashion for Good takes a Cradle to Cradle-inspired approach to circular economy product development, aligning product innovators with tools to design the best possible products that take a value-based path to creating value, and eliminate the concept of waste.

As part of its work with Fashion for Good, MBDC supported C&A, a leading European fashion retailer, in their work with two of their India based garment manufacturers – Cotton Blossom and Pratibha Syntex – to successfully develop and produce the Cradle to Cradle Certified Gold shirts - an achievement level never before seen in a fashion garment. A noteworthy achievement in the design stages of the products was eliminating all of the sensitising and halogenated dyes, and instead sourcing and utilising dyes which MBDC determined would both create a healthy, safe and attractive product and meet Cradle to Cradle certified standards on a high level.

"Receiving Gold under the Cradle to Cradle certified product standard was not an easy feat, but ultimately, these products have both surpassed what many have thought possible, reshaping expectations for an apparel supply chain and showing evidence that it is indeed capable of producing widely-accessible products that can fully reenter the biological nutrient cycle and eliminate the concept of waste," said Howie Fendley, MBDC director of projects and senior chemist, who worked with supply chain partners to instruct on and assess the products prepared for certification.

"As a leading fashion retailer, we joined forces with Fashion for Good and MBDC to develop a garment that exceed all current levels of sustainability. But we know we can't change the industry alone and we want others to follow the example," said Jeffrey Hogue, chief sustainability officer of C&A and C&A Foundation board member. "So we are happy to share these experiences through Fashion for Good to encourage other retailers to join our efforts to drive change in the supply chain."

Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India