The made-to-order industry is the answer to some of the big problems presented by our current fashion industry. By only producing what has been ordered by a customer, textile waste is almost entirely eliminated. But there are limitations to this system. Can made-to-order brands maintain this production model as consumer demand grows?

Trend forecasting is a crucial part of the product development process, and likely the starting point to the majority of products we buy, wear, and throw-away each year. While Trend Forecasters are rarely recognised for their considerable contribution and artistry, they are also rarely challenged for their role in our wasteful industry.

Labour Behind the Label - a UK-based not-for-profit co-operative organisation which campaigns for workers' rights in the clothing industry - on how the global pandemic has had a huge impact on workers in global fashion supply chains. Image: Kalpona Akter, president of the Bangladesh Garment and Independent Workers Federation (BGIWF)

This bulletin includes the latest information on the Job Support Scheme, the taskforce for safe return to global travel launched, new and updated guidance, webinars, and travel corridors in England.

Fashion Roundtable are extremely proud that the industry has been so pivotal in the national effort to domestically produce PPE, simultaneously by creating hundreds of new jobs and reducing reliance on overseas companies. Before the pandemic, just 1 percent of PPE was produced in the UK.

Yesterday the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Ethics & Sustainability in Fashion held its third evidence session as part of an ongoing inquiry into modern slavery, labour exploitation and sustainability in the UK fashion sector for the upcoming Cleaning Up Fashion report.

Fashion Roundtable joins industry stakeholders and calls on the Government to reverse plans to bring an end to the VAT Retail Export Scheme.

The Job Support Scheme (JSS) will be expanded to support businesses across the UK required to close their premises due to coronavirus restrictions. Plus a new Global Travel Taskforce to support the travel industry and the safe recovery of international travel has been launched.

Threat actors are launching new attacks on businesses and individuals during the Covid-19 pandemic. A study revealed that every 19 seconds, a small business in the UK is hacked. However, only 52% of companies acknowledged they have a strategy in place to manage cyber threats. Here’s 5 tips on how to mitigate the threat…

As efforts to achieve a more sustainable fashion industry are on the rise, it seems a crucial area for improvement has been overlooked: fashion education. With Covid-19 causing an upheaval of the way practically every fashion course was delivered in 2020, a shift from physical to digital working occurred almost overnight. This poses the question, why can’t we make dramatic changes to the way fashion is taught when it comes to sustainability?

Lockdown caused havoc in fashion publishing which has seen its ideological ups and downs over the past few years. However, the Covid-19 pandemic gave a whole new meaning to the term “chaos”. Editorials produced by models at home, heartwarming messages of community support and hope have been shared, repeated and re-shared over and over again. So what awaits the next generation of fashion journalists?

AMMA provides relief for the most marginalised people living on Sri Lanka’s tea estates by employing local mothers to make their zero-waste, natural garments and accessories. Justice is crafted directly into their product making to ensure both people and the environment are placed above profit.

“For too long communities like the one I come from have been trapped in a marginalised reality of under representation and exclusion, this has to stop. I implore every designer, agent, creative and CEO reading this to open the doors to real change. In this moment, in 2020, a year of unimaginable hardship, now is the time to act.”

“I am delighted that our work lobbying the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) to revisit their work on the fashion industry, with the support of our wider community, has been effective.”

The fashion industry strives for images where women are placed at the forefront of power, yet behind the scenes they are left vulnerable to gender-based harassment and predatory behaviours. We need greater allyship to improve gender equality— without a collective effort, people who engage in destructive behaviours will continue their cycle of abuse. Time’s up on the fashion industry’s gender imbalance.

While ending relationships with suppliers linked to Uyghur labour is necessary, fashion brands have already profited from this exploitation. If the industry wants to act on forced labour in its supply chains in the long term, it needs better transparency and more balanced power dynamics between brands and suppliers.

The UK has left the EU, and the transition period after Brexit comes to an end this year. Take action now to get ready for new rules from January 2021.

Compare Ethics is an organisation working to rebuild trust in a system that can often abuse sustainability and appear broken. Through their use of technology, Compare Ethics are on a mission to empower consumers to make better choices by verifying brands sustainability claims. This latest industry report is an in-depth exploration of the current trust deficit.

This article provides the latest information for employers and businesses on coronavirus (COVID-19). All coronavirus business support information can be found at gov.uk/business-support.