Author name: plan4sustain

Opinion

What is Slow Fashion?

Increasing awareness of environmental and social issues in society leads to changes in every sector. In connection with this, new efforts are observed in the fashion industry as well. A concept that has come to the fore in recent years is the slow fashion approach. In this article, we discuss the concept of slow fashion. What exactly is Slow Fashion? Slow fashion is a production approach in which environmental and social aspects are at the forefront of all processes in the supply chain. Thus, it proposes the production of products with long-term use. It is a concept that includes design and production activities carried out in line with this purpose. While fast fashion always offers the aim of selling more products for less, slow fashion adopts the philosophy of less is more. In short, we can say that it is the opposite of fast fashion. However, it is not such a simple approach, in fact, it is a philosophy that deals with the entire supply chain with a very holistic and systematic approach. It includes reducing the carbon footprint and increasing the benefits of workers in the supply chain. All stages of the product’s life cycle, from design to disposal, are evaluated. Slow Fashion Movement Sustainability concerns in the fashion industry began to take hold in society. Now people are aware of the wide-angle impact of the fashion industry. In fact, it is becoming a trend to avoid consuming more than necessary. In case of need, consumers prefer certified products. Besides, they research the brands they shop for on social media beforehand and evaluate their ethical values. In this way, this production approach turns into a movement in society. As a result, many sustainable brands have already taken action to meet consumer demands in this regard. In summary, the environmental and social impacts of fast fashion are now apparent. Especially in countries that stand out in textile production such as China, India and Bangladesh, there are environmental problems related to toxic waste from the fashion industry. There are also concerns about unethical social issues within supply chains. But it is hopeful that we hear the term slow fashion more often now. With the changing consumer behaviours, the presence of thematic brands focusing on slow fashion is increasing in the market. At the same time, major players in the market are focusing on sustainable products in order to compete. Thus, we can say that the slow fashion movement accelerates the change in the fast fashion industry. Apparently, we will hear the term slow fashion more often in the near future. *Cover Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash  

Opinion

What are Nature-based Solutions (NbS)?

  An innovative approach to environmental management: Nature-based Solutions (NbS) The negative effects of human activities on nature are now at an unacceptable level. Thus, in recent years, studies have been carried out on a global scale in order to reduce these negative effects. Institutions, companies, and individuals are making a collective effort to tackle global challenges such as biodiversity degradation and global warming. Among these activities, nature-based solutions are a concept that is gaining more and more attention. IUCN has defined nature-based solutions as actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural or modified ecosystems. Nature-based solutions offer a significant opportunity today due to their potential to contribute to all environmental, social, and economic aspects of sustainability at the same time. Nature-based solutions show many successful examples. In particular, green cities are an innovative approach that stands out. Green cities include nature-based solutions approaches such as urban parks, green roofs, and green walls. These green infrastructure systems provide many ecological contributions from flow management to reducing the heat island effect in cities. A second example is the flooding protection. It has been observed that the risk of flooding is reduced with the applications made in the riverbeds or the coastal areas. These practices include activities such as the cultivation of suitable plants in flood zones. Many good practice examples have shown that nature-based solutions are helpful for environmental management. However, it should be noted that nature-based solutions are not the only solution. Global warming and biodiversity loss are holistic problems that concern many interconnected areas. It is not possible for there to be a single and simple solution to solve such problems. For successful environmental management, nature-based solutions and other existing approaches should be applied together. *Cover Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash  

Advice

What is the Corporate Carbon Footprint?

Supply chains are changing! Corporate activities are now more environmentally friendly than ever before. In this sense, the Corporate Carbon Footprint concept has come to the fore in recent years. But what exactly is Corporate Carbon Footprint? Take the first step towards tackling climate change! Calculating the Corporate Carbon Footprint is often considered as the first step in companies before taking steps against global warming. Because it is possible to set an efficient and realistic target only if the carbon footprint is calculated. Corporate Carbon Footprint provides a comprehensive evaluation of all direct and indirect carbon emissions in your company. Corporate Carbon Footprint offers many benefits to your company. It allows to identify and mitigate climate change risks. Potential energy saving ways can be identified. It is also an important factor for corporate image. Moreover, besides all these, it can provide new business areas and collaborations. Today, Corporate Carbon Footprint has become a necessity for many agreements and projects. It is an important criterion taken into account by stakeholders, investors, and customers. How to calculate your company’s carbon footprint There are several standards for calculation. The carbon footprint of a company is completed by following these standards. The most widely used of these standards is the GHG Protocol. Basically, the data is evaluated in three main scopes: As can be seen from the scope categories, all activities in the supply chain are taken into account. The data is collected with the specific determination of the scope categories. Emission factors are determined with computer programs in accordance with the relevant standard. The study should be done specifically according to the limits of the supply chain and the organizational structure. After the Corporate Carbon Footprint is calculated, targets are set on a company basis. Obtained data enable the establishment of institutional strategies to combat the negative effects of climate change. Take action today! Measuring your company’s carbon footprint now will also make it easier to comply with legal obligations that may be encountered in the coming years. Preparing your supply chain towards zero emissions will bring many benefits to your company. *Cover Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash  

Advice

Sustainable Business Models and Bike-sharing Systems

  Bicycles: the symbol of sustainable cities Cities around the world have been undergoing a change in recent years. Cities are turning into more sustainable living spaces. One of the main drivers of this situation is the effects of climate change. Cities and climate change are interrelated in many ways. According to an OECD report published in 2020, urban areas are responsible for 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and one third of greenhouse gas emissions in major cities is generated by transportation. This makes it essential to offer more sustainable transportation options in urban areas. Among sustainable transportation systems, bike sharing is an alternative that has gained importance especially in recent years at a global scale. The most important reason for this is the potential that bike sharing systems offer for cities to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Shared bicycle systems offer many benefits, from creating new job opportunities to creating healthy lifestyles. Thus, they contribute to many Sustainable Development Goals at the same time. Is it always sustainable? Unfortunately, the answer is no. The lack of sustainable business plans leads to many problems. An example of this situation has been seen in China. For many years, bike sharing companies in China have increased the number of bicycles on the streets in order to have a greater share in the market. However, some of these companies had to go bankrupt due to competitive market conditions. As a result of this, the bikes of the bankrupt company become unusable and generate waste. The video below highlights the enormity of the waste bike problem. No Place To Place – The Wonders of Shared Bicycle Graveyards in China by Guoyong Wu The solution: Sustainable Business Models Shared bike companies without the right business plan harm every aspect of sustainable development. In addition to the damage caused by the enormous amount of waste bicycles to nature, there are also economic and social damages. What needs to be done to overcome these problems is that the sharing bike companies establish their business models in a sustainable way. Shared bike companies established with sustainable business models will contribute to revealing the potential of sustainable transportation. The shared bike system is a business line within the sharing economy. While creating business models, the value network should be prepared in this context. Local socio-economic conditions should also be taken into account. A business model that will be created by evaluating all natural, social, and economic conditions will provide optimum profit to the stakeholders. Today, many shared bike companies are starting to develop ideas for the end-of-life stage of bicycles. Many companies are already publishing sustainability reports and presenting their contribution to sustainability in their operations. The spread of this situation around the world will make a significant contribution to achieving the goal of sustainable cities. *Cover photo by Stéphane Mingot on Unsplash

Opinion

Sustainable Business Models

  The first question that emerges when we talk about sustainability is the question of “value”. Companies and business schools talk a lot about value, but what is value?   Value can mean a quantity or number, but in finance it is often used to determine the worth of an asset, a company, and its financial performance. Companies can be valued based on the amount of profit they generate per share, and the value of a good or service can be derived from its “exchange value” (a concept that dates back to Adam Smith). However, more recent debates have shifted away from Smith’s “value in exchange” to thinking more about “value in use”, as manufacturers move towards more service-based business models, with a stronger focus on the customer.   More recently, Michael Porter and Mark Kramer have written influentially about the concept of ‘shared value’, suggesting that economic value should be created in a way that also creates value for society by addressing its needs and challenges. In this way, sustainable value is the well-being, improvement, continuity and preservation of the individual (human life), company, society and the environment, in a way that meets the needs of the present without compromising generational equity.   So when we talk about sustainable value, it can be sustainable economic value which includes growth – profit, return on investment, financial resilience and long-term business viability and stability. Sustainable social value which includes poverty alleviation, social justice, equality, well-being, community development, long-term employment, secure and meaningful livelihoods, labour standards and practices, wages, code of conduct, career development, health and safety and diversity and also sustainable environmental value which encompasses the use of resources at a rate at which they can be renewed, ensuring that emissions and waste are at a level that can be safely metabolised by the environment, protecting biodiversity and creating positive benefits for the environment over time. We therefore need business models that can reconcile how a company can create and add value for its various stakeholders, while capturing value for itself. In this sense, companies must analyze block by block, how to predict how their actions will affect the value they create, taking into account the impacts on the various stakeholders. In other words, there is no point in selling a recycled product if we have activities and partners that are not concerned with sustainability (environmental, social, economic). Companies need to review the sustainability of the fit between their value proposition and the target audience. But also the way we reach the customer (our logistics are sustainable), our operations, resources, partners and suppliers. But to do this, it is necessary to manage network information. At the same time, all business relationships include not only formal contractual activities, but also informal exchanges of information and benefits. Identifying the entire value flow in a network can reveal opportunities for innovation and improvement. The challenge, then, is how to conceive and design the right future business model.  

Opinion

Sustainability: The mantra for retailers and consumers

The search for sustainable products was the subject of a study by the International Trade Center, with funding from the European Commission Directorate General for Commerce. This is a sector that, in 2018, sold over 40.7 billion euros in the European Union. (FiBL Statistics, 2020) The study focused on eight retail product groups: food, beverages, clothing, computers, furniture, mobile phones, printed materials, and toys and games.   The results show that: To improve the supply of sustainable products to consumers, the study recommends 12 measures to be implemented by retailers, suppliers and policymakers: Retailers Suppliers

Advice

Changing the Linear Economy to Circular

The scarcity of resources, global warming and the increasing production of waste force us to look differently at the established economic growth model. The circular economy aims to correct this distortion of the economic model, where it is prioritized for materials to remain in the economy for as long as possible, avoiding the extraction of resources again from nature, making them available for future generations.   There are several strategies to convert the linear economy into a circular economy. Today we present the standards already published to promote the circular economy: BS 8001:2017 and XP X30-901:2018.   BS 8001: 2017 – Framework for implementing the principles of the circular economy in organizations – Guide This standard was published by the British Standards Institution (BSI) in 2017 and aims to be a guide for organizations that want to implement best practices in resource management, resulting in economic, environmental and social benefits. The six basic principles of the circular economy defined by the standard are: The BS 8001:2017 standard aims to promote the circular economy in organizations through an eight-stage process, which includes the development of the business model, with its prototype and implementation. However, the standard does not intend to grant any certification that the business model is a circular economy model, and does not include review by an external entity, which may limit the creation of circular business models.   XP X30-901:2018 – Circular economy project management system – Requirements and guidelines This standard was published by the Association Française de Normalization (AFNOR) in 2018 and also aims to be a guide for the creation of circular business models, with a small difference: it takes into account the three pillars of sustainable development: economy, environment and society. The circular economy approach included in this standard is divided into seven areas of action: sustainable sourcing, ecological design, industrial symbiosis, functional economy, responsible consumption, useful life extension and effective management of end-of-life materials and products.  Unlike the BS 8001:2017 standard, the XP X30-901 standard aims to certify organizations that want to develop circular business models. ISO standard – coming soon ISO has created the ISO/TC 323 – Circular Economy working group dedicated to developing standards on the circular economy in organizations. To date, the following are under development: This is another topic covered by Plan4Sustain. If you want to learn more about this topic, contact us.  *Cover photo by Raphael Schaller on Unsplash