Sustainable Fashion and Textiles: Benchmarking a Competitive Corporate Sustainability Strategy

This short course includes:

• A discussion of the business case and the values case for sustainable business approaches, include enhancing your brand, growing your revenue, reducing risk, responding to consumer demands and competitive positioning.
• Understanding the core sustainability issues within a sustainability strategy and the corporate responses expected.
• Comparison of the sustainability strategy of key fashion brands.
• Consideration of the aspects assessed by external organisations and apps such as Good On You and Rank A Brand.
• Consideration of the current position of your company in relation to these issues.
• Identifing your long term business sustainability aims and priorities for a sustainability strategy.

The course is for business professionals who are:

• Independent fashion or textiles businesses.
• Entrepreneurs starting a fashion or textiles business.
• Sustainable business development managers.

This course is available to organisations looking to book a minimum of eight people.

This course provides the foundations for understanding how to develop a sustainability strategy and therefore no prior knowledge is required. 

Delegates will learn:

• An understanding of the key sustainability issues identified within corporate sustainability strategies.
• An awareness of the benchmark standards followed by companies in the sector, and the assessment criteria for external campaigning organisations and fashion sustainability ranking apps.
• A clearer understanding of the broad current positioning of your business on sustainability criteria.
• Definition of the long term aims and priorities of a sustainability strategy for your business.

Delegates attending this short course will be given a Certificate of Attendance.

Attendees will gain an understanding of sustainability approaches, concepts and practices in fashion and textiles, and an exploration of the relevance of these to your company to develop corporate sustainability approach, values and goals.

Dr Emily Baines is a Senior Lecturer teaching PhD, MA and undergraduate students. She specialises in sustainable design and corporate sustainability strategy, industry analysis and the influence of industry structure on design innovation, and consumption and retail structure changes in dress textiles and ready-to-wear fashion.

Dr Claire Lerpiniere is a Senior Lecturer in textile design with over 20 years of teaching experience. This has been particularly focused on the studio practice of textile design, and its intersection with the human and ecological impacts of textiles. Claire’s research is centred on practical and conceptual approaches for paradigm shifts to create a fully ethical and sustainable fashion and textiles industry. 

Delivery of this short course will be subject to current Covid-19 guidelines, and can be discussed to determine the most suitable method for your organisation. It is typically delivered over two sessions, for two hours each time (total of four hours).

In 2021-22 we will continue to follow UK Government guidance and adopt measures to keep our community and staff safe. This may include offering some contact hours and other elements of our provision via online technology. Find out more about these measures here.

Please get in touch for details on cost.

Please get in touch to discuss available dates.

Sustainable Fashion and Textiles: Building a Sustainability Approach for your Business

Textile Testing and Performance Short Course

Textile Materials Short Course

Branding Short Course

For more information about this short course contact businessservices@dmu.ac.uk