The Department of Apparel’s presence at forefront of sustainable fashion continues with Lecturer Zoe Hitchen being invited to the House of Lords this week to represent Hollings in a debate on the future of sustainable fashion supply chains. The debate, ‘Ethical Fashion 2020: a New Vision for Transparency’, set out efforts needed to transform the fashion industry of the future, putting forward a vison of what transparent supply chains could look like in five years’ time.

Zoe was invited to the debate by Baroness Lola Young of Hornsey of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Ethics and Sustainability in Fashion. The Group co-hosted the discussion along with sustainability campaigners, Fashion Revolution and the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health; the day was chaired by The Guardian’s ethical columnist, Lucy Siegel.  The debate mirrors the focus of this year’s Connect Project, which remains to gain momentum internationally.

Co-founder of Fashion Revolution, Carry Somers, set the scene as to why transparency is a crucial issue to urgently address:“Transparency matters because it can drive improved workplace standards. It can also increase recognition of good health and safety performance. And importantly, it can help ensure more people view health and safety as an investment, not a cost – one that saves lives, supports business and sustains communities. Whereas, a lack of transparency can do the reverse. Crucially, it can mean that firms don’t know the factories that are supplying them, so they can’t actively manage their risks – potentially leading to tragedy, disaster and business failure”.

To find out more, view Zoe’s live tweets from the debate @mmu_connect or search #fashion2020