Yesterday, on June 3, they held the third edition of the United Nations Fashion and Lifestyle Network Annual Meeting, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.
The Conscious Fashion and Lifestyle Network is led by the United Nations Office for Partnerships and the Fashion Impact Fund. The platform serves as a catalyst for sustainable development in the fashion and lifestyle sectors.
The event brought together industry stakeholders, media representatives, and United Nations officials to showcase actions, solutions, and progress in the fashion and lifestyle sectors.
Photo: United Nations Fashion and Lifestyle Network
United Nations Fashion and Lifestyle Network Annual Meeting
With a focus on increasing sector engagement in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this year’s meeting wanted to address most significant challenges across various sectors, including fashion, apparel, textiles, jewelry, lifestyle, and travel and examined how these sectors are leveraging expertise, innovation, technology, and resources to create a fairer and more equitable future for all.
The fashion industry is responsible for approximately ten percent of global carbon emissions and nearly 20% of wastewater production. The lifestyle sector, encompassing home goods and travel, significantly contributes to resource depletion and environmental degradation. However, these two industries are also taking actions to be a bigger part of the solution.
Participating in the event there were representatives from the fashion and lifestyle industries, including Swarovski, Parsons School of Design, Swedish School of Textiles, UNESCO, UNWTO, and United Nations Fashion and Lifestyle Network 2024 thought partners Calik Denim, Lenzing, Messe Frankfurt Texpertise Network, Recover, The LYCRA Company, Theory and U.S. Cotton Protocol.
Among the participants, Karin Landahl, a senior lecturer and researcher at the Swedish School of Textiles, announced a new collaboration between the School and the United Nations.
Rukiye Kuzu
As a partner of the United Nations Fashion and Lifestyle Network Annual Meeting, Calik participated in the panel “Thread by Thread: Navigating Sustainable Textile Practices in the Fashion Industry” to discuss its latest sustainable textile initiatives featuring Rukiye Kuzu, marketing executive, Calik Denim.
Jean Hegedus, sustainability director, The Lycra Company, was also on stage participating in the panel discussion “Elevating Fashion: Sustainable Practices and Strategic Insights in the Apparel Industry.”
Hegedus spoke about the company’s recent collaboration with Qore for the use of its Qira product. The patented bio-derived Lycra fiber will be available by early 2025 and will consist of 70% renewable content derived from waste corn. The new achievement could potentially help reduce Lycra fiber’s carbon footprint by up to 44%.
“Collaboration among various stakeholders in the textile industry along the supply chain is critical if we are to achieve our sustainability goals and reduce our carbon footprint,” Hegedus said. “We are committed to providing our customers with solutions to some shared challenges such as decarbonization,” she continued.
Jean Hegedus
Recover, a materials science company and a producer of premium recycled cotton fiber, also joined the initiative as a Thought Partner for 2024, reaffirming its commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and as a supporter of the Ten Principles of the United Nations Global Compact.
“Partnering with the UN Fashion and Lifestyle Network is a milestone for Recover, as I believe that strategic partnerships are completely necessary to drive meaningful change within the fashion industry. We also believe that true innovation lies in creating value not just for our business and the industry but for society and the environment in order to contribute to a more sustainable future for fashion.” Commented Anders Sjöblom, CEO.
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