The future of the fashion industry’s C-suite

And the emergence of new sustainability-related directorships

By Renee Fortune

Cyril Naicker is Plain Tiger’s Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO). As a business founded with the vision to transform the luxury industry towards a more sustainable future, appointing a Chief Sustainability Officer was intuitive. What’s interesting about his role however, is that it’s a phenomenon of our current period in human history.

Just a decade ago, executives in roles that relate to a company’s carbon footprint and sustainability objectives were few and far between. Today, the world’s most ubiquitous fashion brands have sustainability officers at various levels of leadership: Nike has a Chief Sustainability Officer, Prada recently appointed ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) experts to its board and Gucci has appointed a Head of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) and Sustainability. Strategic appointments such as these are indicative of an evolving fashion landscape that is more cognisant of the industry’s impact on people and the planet.

New roles and responsibilities

According to Vogue, “Chief sustainability officers are fashion’s new influencers.” That’s pretty accurate, given that CSOs in fashion houses hold a significant degree of sway over major decisions relating to the sourcing of materials, the wellbeing of fashion producers, manufacturing processes and ultimately, profitability. Considering that the fashion industry is one of the world’s biggest contributors to landfill waste and carbon emissions, it’s a necessary development.

In the fashion industry, the role of sustainability officers is extensive. Where before, these roles were seen as ‘nice-to-haves’ and a way of garnering public support, the decisions of CSOs now play a pivotal role in how fashion brands develop as businesses. It is their responsibility to ensure that companies are compliant in terms of new and emerging environmental laws. This involves navigating complexities that arise in cases where legislations differ in the various jurisdictions that fashion houses have a presence. They are also responsible for liaising with stakeholders such as environmental activists and lobbyists, who play a key role in shaping and changing legislation according to global sustainability objectives. Beyond these responsibilities which are fairly technical, their duties also include fine-tuning a brand’s operations. This includes broad considerations like the carbon efficiency of machinery and equipment, as well as aspects as granular as whether factory workers are allowed adequate lunch breaks to support their mental wellbeing.

Renewable energy as a driver of the circular economy

Some of the major shifts that fashion brands are making within the sustainability space include making the transition to renewable energy as a way of powering their production lines. This is an important part of the progression towards a circular fashion economy, given that the textile industry supply chain is energy-intensive. Some of the most exciting innovations in this space include solar-powered sewing machines, which are proving to be exceptionally useful in places like rural India where sustainable energy sources are rare and the demand for clean energy is increasing year on year.

Resham Sutra, a company that manufactures solar-powered sewing machines has succeeded in reducing the power that industrial sewing uses by 90%. The bigger picture is that improved carbon efficiency in factories throughout India presents opportunities for more job creation, as well as the reduction of pollution from coal. A study conducted by India’s Council on Energy, Environmental Water found that the annual income of tailors increased by almost 40% after fashion companies transitioned to solar-powered sewing machines. In working towards making fashion more sustainable, we are working towards a better world in general.

Job opportunities for the next generation

For learners, students and young professionals, there has never been a more exciting time to consider building a career in sustainability. Recent research indicates that in today’s business environment, over 70% of job seekers won’t apply to a company that does not have values which align with their own. The fact that this is particularly true of millennials and Gen-Z job seekers is an encouraging prospect. We hope that this is an indicator of much-needed change in the contemporary workplace – a change that signifies that the demand for aspects such as social justice, fair compensation, worker’s rights and company culture is on the rise.

Fashion finds itself at a crossroads, which has necessitated a brand new generation of executives who have an uncompromising ‘people- and planet-first’ mindset to business. Once, profitability and sustainability were seen as mutually exclusive notions. Today, with slow but steady developments at leadership level, these notions are becoming synonymous. And we’re honoured to be a part of that change.