Academic speaks at Global Fashion Summit

Dr Hakan Karaosman, Lecturer at Cardiff Business School, delivered a keynote address at the Global Fashion Summit, the renowned forum for sustainability in fashion, in Copenhagen on 27-28 June 2023.

During his address, Dr Karaosman urged fashion brands to stop moving suppliers to cut costs. His talk at the event was built on his research into environmental and social sustainability issues in complex fashion supply chains.

The Global Fashion Summit was attended by key decision-makers in the fashion industry, including brands and retailers, materials and tech innovators, and policymakers.

Dr Karaosman said he is seeing brands dropping suppliers to reduce costs, which can force manufacturers, often in developing countries, to cut corners on sustainability and safety in order to compete.

He told the summit that brands must collaborate more with their supply chains and garment manufacturers to find sustainable solutions on the ground.

“Top-down governance structures and exclusive decision-making are a disastrous recipe for all of us,” he said. “We need to understand plural voices and their representation in decision-making.”

Dr Karaosman said suppliers often have effective solutions on issues like water usage and waste but are often ignored by brands, which can be detached from manufacturers.

He joined a line-up of renowned speakers at the summit, including the European Commission, LVMH Group, and Kering.

His speech at the summit led to widespread media coverage, including articles in Forbes, Vogue Business, Yahoo News, AOL News, The Industry, and Evening Standard.

Find out more about Dr Hakan Karaosman’s research into climate action and social justice in supply chains.