The second edition of the international summit dedicated to sustainable fashion opened today. This year the “Venice Sustainable Fashion Forum” is part – as a collateral event – of the Biennale della Sostenibilità 2023 “The Mose Era”.
A delegation from the Venice Sustainability Foundation (VSF) took part at the kick-off, which took place today at the headquarters of the Cini Foundation on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore.
The Forum, conceived by The European House Ambrosetti, is establishing itself as one of the reference events on sustainability in the fashion supply chain, with thematic focuses useful to analyze the present and future of a key sector for sustainable transition.
Among the conclusions, it emerges that: «producing a sustainable item appears to be twice as expensive as a traditional one, but promises up to four times higher margins…margins are a key factor in determining the readiness of companies to shoulder the costs of a sustainable production transition».
As for consumers, it has been ascertained that: «limited product availability and lack of information remain the main barriers to sustainable shopping. Even today, one in three products purchased online is returned and is often destined to end up in a landfill in an African country».
The study also found that the second-hand luxury market grew 28 percent in one year. There is a long way to go towards workers in the sector, as less than 2 percent receive a living wage and risk factors appear to be increasing. On the other hand, great attention is been paid to climate, with twice as many companies reporting on their emissions.
Venice is thus increasingly becoming the place to address the issue of sustainability.
