Sustainability
Can AI make fashion more sustainable?
AI can help fashion make fewer unwanted products and manage new EU rules, but it also uses energy and cannot fix a business model on its own. A sober look at both sides.
How Shein uses data and algorithms: the on-demand model and its criticism
Shein says it orders new designs in batches of 100 to 200 pieces and scales them on demand signals. How the data-driven model works, what is claimed, and why regulators and designers criticise it.
AI in denim: how finishing, laser technology and water use are changing
Denim's look is made in finishing, traditionally with water, chemicals and manual abrasion. Digital design and laser finishing, increasingly guided by AI, change that, but the evidence base is still thin.
ESPR explained: what the EU ecodesign regulation means for textiles
The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation extends EU product design rules to clothing and footwear. What it requires, what is already in force and what is still being drafted.
Extended producer responsibility for textiles, explained
The revised EU Waste Framework Directive makes producers pay for the collection, sorting and recycling of used clothing and footwear. Who counts as a producer, what it costs and when it starts.
Overproduction in fashion: causes and levers
Making more than can be sold at full price is built into how fashion plans, buys and produces. Why it happens, why regulation now raises the stakes and which levers actually work.
Green claims in fashion: how to communicate without greenwashing
From 27 September 2026, new EU consumer rules ban vague environmental claims and unreliable labels. What changes for fashion marketing, product pages and wholesale copy.
Textile certifications decoded: what the main labels actually cover
Organic, recycled, tested for harmful substances, responsibly sourced: textile certifications cover very different things. A guide to the main standards and how to use them in claims.
Made-to-order and pre-order as sustainability tools
Producing against confirmed demand rather than forecasts can reduce surplus stock. Where made-to-order and pre-order work, what they demand from operations and where their limits lie.