The idea of sustainable fashion is completely mind-boggling, I know. I mean how can fashion, an industry which is based on turning around products at an increasing pace, ever be sustainable – my simple answer to that is that it can’t. Not unless companies change business model fundamentally. That change in business models will happen (bold statement i know) but until that point, there are interesting changes taking place in how products are made and how the people making those products are treated. An extra facet to that issue is the ability of CEO’s to speak with authority about the key issues impacting their business and how they are tackling those issues – CEO’s like Paul Polman, the late Ray Andersen of Interface Inc, Mike Parker of Nike and Chip Bergh of Levis come to mind.
Let’s turn our attention to Chip Bergh and his interview with Fortune Magazine on The Levi’s Mantra. Curiously, what I thought would be a traditional interview based on financial aspects of a company like Levis was in fact an exposition on the sustainability attributes of Levis and how that fits into their long term strategy and their products.
Take a look for yourself: