Suppliers ‘left to carry the can’ for climate innovation

AMSTERDAM - Fashion’s rush to climate innovation is being undermined by “systemic misalignment” between brands, suppliers and start‑ups, leaving suppliers to shoulder an unsustainable share of the risk, according to a new report.

Entitled 'Unlocking Equity in Innovation: Balancing the Scales in Supply Chain Partnerships', the study from the Transformers Foundation argues that most promising technologies are stuck in pilot mode because the industry’s short‑term, transactional business model is an “unnatural fit” with the long timeframes and capital needs of hard‑tech innovation.