SDG Decoded: SDG #17 – Partnership for the Goals
No man is an island, and certainly no denim company can be in pursuit of a meaningful sustainability mission alone. In the next segment of SDG Decoded, we’re learning how companies are working in tandem to pursue all the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Here, we chat with Orta, Kipas and Saitex to check in about the progress they’ve made for SDG #17–Partnerships for the Goals.
Orta
Carved in Blue: How are you tackling SDG #17
Zennure Danışman, marketing and washing manager: We’ve been a member and great supporter of Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) since the beginning in 2011. We also actively played role in the establishment of IPUD (The Good Cotton Practices Association), strategic partner of BCI in Turkey. Orta has been and will always be one of the strongest promoters of sustainable cotton cultivation.
We are also partnering with Alliance for Responsible Denim (ARD) and Circle Economy. The ARD is an Amsterdam-based initiative led by Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, Circle Economy, Made By and House of Denim and brings together a collective denim brands to work together to make denim more sustainable. The overall aim of PCRD (Post-consumer Recycled Denim) focus area run by ARD is to scale-up the market for PCRD by organizing demand and in turn boosting supply and scale of the PCRD in the market.
Orta and Circle Economy have been partners since 2016, and we assumed the primary sponsorship of a special event Beyond Green that is brought out by Circle Economy and The Amsterdam Fashion Institute to create a circular fashion world. By using the collective power of students and industry to tackle critical issues throughout the fashion system, Beyond Green brings together new and established minds to push the boundaries of what we know, and realize what we dare to imagine.
Finally, this year we partnered with Biodesign Challenge, an international competition and education program that brings top design school students with a team of biologists and experts to guide them as they develop their ideas to create products and services inspired from biology. We opened a challenge for these students to change the sustainability narrative of denim from scarcity to abundance. The Orta Prize was awarded to a team of Australian students from RMIT University who developed Enzer, a water filtration and treatment system that can be retrofitted to washing machines, which captures microplastics.
Carved in Blue: What does this goal to mean to your company?
Zennure: Awareness of issues around sustainability and ethics is becoming a key concern for many in their not only in apparel but all purchases especially for millennials, often called the Ecomodern generation, whose purchasing decisions are becoming more discerning. This Ecomodern generations’ consumer behavior—combined with rising consumption around the world causing a landfill and waste crisis—is challenging Orta to reimagine denim and turn waste and scarcity of resources into abundance.
This inspiring collaboration with Biodesign Challenge motivated us to be more committed than ever to next-generation sustainable and bio-engineered processes.
Kipas Textiles
Carved in Blue: How are you tackling SDG #17?
Halit Gümüşer, board member: We believe real change happens through a combination of continuous improvement, innovation and strategic collaboration. Kipaş has invested in long-term partnerships with companies like Lenzing and Unifi (Repreve) for their innovative fibers.
Since last summer we are working together with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation for the Jeans Redesign project. Our products also meet with the highest requirements of standards and independent certification organizations, such as BCI, GOTS, GRS, REACH, ZDHC.
Saitex
Carved in Blue: How are you tackling SDG #17?
SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
Sanjeev Bahl, founder: Saitex has a Charity Project Committee who works with local organizations to find sustainable solutions to their needs. The team selects a location every month to support, and will discuss how to use the monthly budget to provide not only immediate relief but a long-term impact. This is both an internal and external partnership that helps to drive an SDG-focused mindset within the team and the community.
Saitex also works closely with LIN, an organization focused on connecting nonprofits with the private sector. Saitex will be speaking at LIN’s Cross-Sector Partnership Workshop to share their experience working with both local and international organizations on how to increase collective impact.
With all partnerships, Saitex supports specific projects related to their values, goals and operations in Vietnam to further development in its operating country. This allows us to have stronger partnerships by providing not only funding, but also expertise and direction on how to maximize efforts while managing each project with close proximity.