The fashion industry and the textile sector have made great progress in recent years, betting on sustainable fashion and a more circular economy. Much is said about that, but do you actually know what ethical fashion is?

Sustainable fashion and ethical clothing consists of making clothes and accessories from materials that come from nature and even waste materials – as long as they can be recycled – such as plastic bottles or paper. These sustainable materials are used to manufacture new fabrics that allow making garments.

In addition, sustainable fashion is beneficial for our health. Ecological garments, or “eco-garments”, are made with natural materials such as organic cotton, bamboo, algae, tencel (cellulosic fiber), nettles, fish skin (used for shoes and bags) and natural dyes that give color to the sustainable fabrics. All these materials are free of toxic and dangerous chemicals, which prevents allergies and skin irritations, in addition to the low environmental impact.

The fashion industry has an important role to play in approaching global sustainability challenges, both because of its impact and its influence, but it is notoriously under-regulated on ethical practices and is the second most polluting industry.

Luckily that is starting to change. In Europe and the US, governments are considering new policies and regulations that could add sustainable practices, improve the wages and working conditions of garment workers and transform the fast fashion industry. Pressure to change is coming from investors, consumers and even brands themselves. Companies are responding with social and environmental commitments to do better.

But are they actually making a difference?

One way for fashion to reduce its environmental impact is by scaling circular business models, through which companies employ a range of strategies to reduce deadstock fabrics and recycled materials to make more efficient use of resources. Measures such as the EU’s carbon border tax will promote circular fashion by making the economics of onshore recycling and other sustainable practices more attractive.

How to Impulse the Future of Circularity?

A more circular fashion industry requires collective efforts in which fashion companies, customers and all participants in the value chain collaborate. The priority must be to set circular strategies, low environmental impacts and tackle scalability challenges.

One company that has embraced ethical fashion design is Dai Wear, a London-based company which employs recycled materials and sustainable fabrics to produce performance wear. The company uses biodegradable yarns for seams and air-dried fabrics to reduce washing needs.

Another American brand that is committed to sustainability is Christy Dawn, a fashion brand that creates vintage pieces with a big 70s influence. All clothes are manufactured in a very limited quantity, the brand uploads about 2-3 new pieces a week and are ethically made by artisans in Los Angeles. The creator Christy Dawn is highly committed to low environmental impact, so in addition to using deadstock fabrics, she makes sure to have fair trade conditions through long-term commitments with the manufacturers, suppliers and artisans who create the clothes.

How can you engage consumers to overcome stigmas and embrace sustainable practices?

As consumers become more engaged with sustainable fashion and ethical practices, circularity will be the key that unlocks the door to more sustainable fashion brands. While circularity is winning fans among some consumer groups, recycled materials still have some negative connotations. Nevertheless, consumers are willing to return recent purchases with the incentive of a refund.

Although social and environmental commitment of sustainable fashion is quite clear, by taking advantage of deadstock fabrics, plastic bottles,organic cottons and other natural resources, as well as fair trade conditions, these are the positive impacts of sustainable fashion brands:

Resources:

Ellen MacArthur Foundation

Clean Clothes Campaign

Ethical Time

Business Of Fashion

The Fourth Industrial Revolution, also known as Industry 4.0, is changing the way companies operate, their internal processes and, therefore, the technological environments in which they must be involved. But before we start analyzing the impact that this tech and digital revolution will have on organizations, people and assets, let’s do a beginners guide to talk about what Industry 4.0 is, what we mean by impacting businesses positively and the benefits of adopting it.

What is Industry 4.0?

Industry 4.0 is an evolution of industry that focuses heavily on interconnectivity, automation, machine learning, and real-time data. It integrates production and physical operations with smart digital technology and big data analytics to create a more holistic and better connected ecosystem. While every organization operating has different business models, physical systems and production processes, they all face the same challenge: the need for connectivity and access to real-time information.

Industry 4.0 is not just about investing in new technology and tools to make process improvements, change the manufacturing execution or boost productivity and efficiency, it’s about revolutionizing the way your entire business operates and grows in all the value chain.

These are exciting new technologies, but leaders of organizations must identify the ones that best meet their needs and support their manufacturing processes to increase efficiency in their companies.

Now that we have a scope of what the Fourth Industrial Revolution is, let’s analyze the impact of implementing this tech revolution in companies and their business process to stay updated. The impact that it has is much broader, affecting all industries, from the United Kingdom to the Middle East and its societies. Technologies related can also lead to entirely new products and services. The use of sensors and wearable devices, AI and machine learning to analyze large amounts of data, autonomous mobile robots, among others, will allow improvements in products from the creation of prototypes to the incorporation of connectivity, to other devices. These changes are reflected in the supply chain and, consequently, in customers.

What are the impacts of Industry 4.0?

The impacts of the Fourth Industrial Revolution can be felt at multiple levels: in ecosystems, at the organizational as well as individual (client) level:

– Ecosystems. In addition to the change in which horizontal and vertical systems operate, Industry 4.0 affects all the people who are part of the supply chain: suppliers, customers, board of directors, partner programs, among others. 

– Organizations. The ability to adjust and learn from data in real time can make organizations more responsive, efficient and productive. It also enables the organization to reduce its productivity risks, have preventive maintenance and smart manufacture in products.

– Individuals: Industry 4.0 can mean different things to everyone. For example, for employees it may mean changes in their inventory management, optimized processes and smart machines that are actual autonomous robots. While for customers it could mean digitally transformed processes and greater customization in products and services that better meet their needs.

What are the challenges of Industry 4.0?

Finding the right Industry 4.0 fit. The true challenge is that it isn’t always clear for companies which innovation initiative to adopt. Fourth Industrial Revolution offers a variety of options which carry high complexity risks due to the little experience we have in the implementation processes. That is why it is decisive for companies to make an exhaustive analysis and have a ROI calculator to make this great investment a success.

And for those companies that have already selected Industry 4.0, there are still barriers to  overcome. A real world example would be: How will companies build paths to select, justify and leverage the functionalities available to them? 

From a technology perspective, increased connectivity and cloud computing mean that issues like cyber physical systems and data ownership must be addressed. Companies must choose projects that are consistent with their business process, identify what the benefits of these technologies are and create the infrastructure to be able to incorporate them successfully.

It’s been awhile since ecommerce platforms started to grow and have become increasingly popular in the retail industry, opening the doors to global online shopping and retail ecommerce sales. Many companies have left behind the traditional physical store to expand on the ecommerce market. Today, partly due to the COVID19 pandemic, online retail sales have become the preferred purchasing method for consumers. As brick and mortar stores temporarily closed their doors, buyers relied on ecommerce retailers to purchase everything, not only through websites, but also through social media, online marketplaces and apps. Retail ecommerce is an informative source with a lot of impact, and allows companies to get closer to their target audience.

This business model has been key for small companies in the supply chain to grow and access other markets, from Asia Pacific to  North America, Latin America or the United Kingdom, something very difficult to achieve with traditional retailers and physical stores. Not needing large infrastructures and being able to do this without limitations such as time, space or logistics, cross border ecommerce has been one of the main causes that have led to its expansion. But how can we take advantage of this technology and implement it in our ecommerce business and shopping experience?

Well, let’s get back to basics and remember that in the retail industry it’s all about the consumer. Delivering a unique and personalized customer experience (CX) is of vital importance for both B2B ecommerce and B2C ecommerce organizations. Those that adopt an ecommerce model with the best-in-class CX will boost loyalty and ensure long-term revenue growth.

Currently, the ecommerce market is booming, and the Covid19 pandemic has given it the final push. Here is some data that confirms the ecommerce growth over the past year:

• U.S. consumers spent $78 billion online in March, up 49% year-over- year, according to the latest Adobe Digital Economy Index.
• Nine out of the world’s 10 largest ecommerce companies experienced double-digit revenue growth during the pandemic year of 2020, according to a recent GlobalData analysis emailed to Retail Dive.
•  83.7% of consumers said that the pandemic has prompted them to use more Internet to buy compared to traditional commerce, according to the 2021 Annual Ecommerce Study of IEB School.

In a recent Harvard Business Review Analytic Services survey, of nearly 1,100 executives, 42% expect the ecommerce leaders in their organizations to play a role when it comes to customer insight and sentiment analysis in the upcoming years.

Online sales are now part of the digital transformation of our everyday life, but still not optimized in many organizations. For an ecommerce system to be maintained over time, it is necessary to study the market situation, the viability of the project and have a team of people trained to carry out the processes. 

These are some focal points to keep in mind in order to carry out a successful ecommerce business:

• Create a business plan and investment feasibility for the ecommerce platform.
• Loyalty and digital marketing strategies.
• Choosing the right platform for creating an online store.
• Logistics and payment methods.
• Internationalization of the company to create a global ecommerce platform.
• Keep track of metrics to monitor social media.
• Study ecommerce trends such as Bockchain, Big Data and Machine Learning.

According to Harvard Business Review Analytic Services, leading retailers can study customers behavior online, via an app or other digital marketing channels, and determine with these technology advances if the CX is working or how it could be improved. Many companies have successfully broken down data using customer relationship management (CRM) systems for online shopping, internal communication tools, application programming interfaces, or cloud computing. For global retail ecommerce to be successful, retailers need the ability to see buyers’ interactions all in one place, whether they are in brick and mortar stores or online shopping.

The 2020 COVID pandemic created a new era of eCommerce and usage of marketing platforms. Customers are increasingly connected, mobile and socially influenced, therefore retailers of all sizes have the ability to create an effective online presence with digital advertising and leverage a multitude of advanced tools to drive more engaging experiences for their customers. Nine out of ten shoppers are now prioritizing experience using retail platforms that enable a seamless experience in store.

The growth of digital and social media platforms carry different responsibilities when exposing personal data. On one hand, users seek data protection since they do not want to be overloaded with digital advertising or have important data like passwords and bank numbers stolen. On the other hand, advertising industries seek to use this data to create personalized customer experience in their websites and targeted ads. However, earlier this year Google announced that by the end of 2023 it will end third-party cookies in Chrome, its proprietary browser and the most used in the world. This was a great shock for companies that use Google Chrome, Adwords and Analytics as part of their marketing and communication strategies, as they will have to rethink their advertising plans to track and target users in the near future.

Third-party cookies are those sent to the computer, cellphone or other device connected to the internet by a third domain, that is, outside the page being visited, and are commonly used to track user habits and offer personalized advertising. They can be differentiated from firstparty cookies sent to the system by the browsing history to facilitate future visits by remembering user names, passwords or browsing preferences. Due to the valuable information they provide about digital users and their preferences, cookies constitute a basic pillar for advertisers and publishers, and are used to sell advertisers digital broadcasting spaces adjusted to the target audience.

That is why when Google made the declaration that they would stop using third party cookies, the obvious question was: does this mean that companies will no longer be able to track user data? And what does this represent for ad businesses that depend on ‘cookies’ to create product positioning, targeted advertising and google ads?

It is important to note that Google makes most of its revenue through paid advertising delivering results for advertisers, and its services rely on third party cookies in one way or another. Until June 2019, 94% of internet searches occurred in a company belonging to Google. (Jumpshot via Sparktoro, 2019). So Google ending Chrome’s support of thirdparty cookies is not the end of tracking in Google Chrome. The need for true end-user consent to process personal data will persist long after third party cookies and the technologies replacing them.

It was not an overnight decision, other web browsers were on the same boat. Apple began to implement it with Safari and Mozilla with Firefox, promoting its own mechanisms to block thirdparty cookies, a basic element of the functioning of the webs and, above all, fundamental for online advertisers. Google’s decision continued this trend to have more privacy for Chrome users, however it also opens the door to consolidate its monopoly. How? Promoting a successor of cookies that is of interest to Ad Managers and the adtech industry in general.

To mitigate the great impact that the suppression of thirdparty cookies in Chrome may have on the digital advertising market, the Mountain View (California, USA) firm relies on its “Privacy Sandbox”  initiative, which is still in development. Announced in 2019, Privacy Sandbox aims to create open standards that improve privacy on the web, allow users not to share their data or online activities as much as possible and, at the same time, be useful for advertisers and publishers to create targeted ads for specific audiences.

The launch of open standards is still a few years off, so what can companies do in the meantime to take care of their users’ data? One option is to use a consent management platform ensuring that your website detects and controls all cookies and trackers, delivers transparency and a choice of true consent to its users before collecting their personal data.