“Environmental Sustainability in the Apparel Industry”

Day: Friday, July 31, 2009
Time: 2:00 – 2:45 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
The audio podcast is now available — click here.

FIBERcast, is a 45-minute audio program broadcast live from the University of Delaware, sharing the insights and knowledge of leaders in business, academia, and government on timely issues of importance to the international fashion and apparel industry. Join co-host Marsha Dickson, professor and chairperson of the Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies at the University of Delaware, for an insightful discussion about environmental sustainability in the apparel industry with experts from industry and academia, including Rick Horwitch of Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services; Will Phillips of Under Armour; Suzanne Loker, professor emerita of fiber science and apparel design at Cornell University; and Huantian Cao, associate professor of fashion and apparel studies at UD.

The FIBERcast guests will explore:

• What does it mean for a clothing or footwear company to be environmentally sustainable?
• What specific policies can apparel retailers and brands implement to become more environmentally sustainable?
• How does pursuing environmental sustainability impact the bottom line?
• How can companies measure environmental sustainability in a transparent and cost-effective manner?

The FIBERcast will also delve into recent findings from the University of Delaware's Sustainable Apparel Initiative's guide, “Creating a More Environmentally Sustainable Apparel Business: Policies for Apparel Brands and Retailers," which contains best environmental practices companies can use to promote sustainability throughout their supply and value chain, from production to consumption to re-use.

Suzanne Loker is a professor emerita in the Department of Fiber Science and Apparel Design at Cornell University. She has published widely on topics about the apparel industry, international apparel production and marketing, and home-based work. Her research focuses on innovative business strategies in the apparel industry, specifically socially responsible approaches to business and the use of body scanners and mass customization technologies to improve apparel design and manufacturing. She recently co-authored the book, Social Responsibility in the Global Apparel Industry, with Profs. Marsha Dickson and Molly Eckman.

Loker came to Cornell in 1998 after holding faculty and administrative positions at the University of Vermont, University of Idaho, and Kansas State University. She earned her B.S. and M.A. degrees in apparel design at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Syracuse University, respectively. She earned her Ph.D. degree in educational psychology at Kansas State University.

Rick Horwitch is vice president, solutions business development and marketing, for Bureau Veritas – Consumer Products Services, the world's oldest and one of the largest providers of quality, health, safety, environmental, and sustainability (QHSES) services. The company's customers include 47 of the top 50 retailers in North America and 41 of the top 50 consumer products brands. Horwitch’s focus is on developing quality assurance and quality control solutions to encompass the entire supply chain, which help their retail and branded customers achieve faster deliveries and improve costs and total quality. Horwitch started his carreer in 1979 with Deena, Inc., his family’s intimate apparel manufacturing business (founded in 1916). Over 17 years, his positions included national sales manager, executive vice president of sales and merchandising, and president. Deena was acknowledged as an industry leader in a variety of areas including IT (including being the beta site for Manhattan Associates, Gerber and Lectra), production, and quality assurance systems. From 1996 to 2000, Horwitch was president of Solutions Providers consulting, specializing in sales and marketing, supply chain process, and operations. In 2000, he caught the “start-up” bug and joined Fasturn as vice president of industry solutions. Fasturn was a web-based supply chain and sourcing application provider. From 2003 until 2005, he was with Warnaco, Inc., as vice president, private brands, where he was responsible for developing and managing programs for Wal-Mart, The Gap, Soma by Chico’s, Sears, JC Penney, and others. He is a graduate of Tulane University.

Will Phillips has served as manager of the corporate environmental strategy at Under Armour, Inc. for 1-½ years. Alongside Under Armour Senior Vice-Presidents Kip Fulks and Scott Plank, Will initiated the environmental program at the company. Outside of Under Armour, Will has worked with the Outdoor Industry Association’s Eco Working Group, the American Apparel and Footwear Association’s Environmental Committee, and the University of Delaware’s Sustainable Apparel Initiative. Prior to that, Will spent three years in marketing at Under Armour after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania.

Huantian Cao is an associate professor of fashion and apparel studies at the University of Delaware. He co-directs UD's Sustainable Apparel Initiative (UDSAI), which has published guidelines to help brands and retailers become more environmentally sustainable. Cao holds bachelor and master of science degrees in dyeing and finishing engineering from China Textile University (now Dong Hua University) and a master of science in computer science and Ph.D. in textile science from the University of Georgia. His research interests include protective clothing for agricultural, industrial, homeland security, and military applications, and sustainable design and development in textiles and related areas, including sustainable apparel, interior, and housing design. He developed a course on sustainability issues for designers and merchandisers and advised several student projects to participate in the EPA People, Prosperity, and the Planet Student Design Competition for Sustainability (P3 Award). His research has been published in a variety of peer-reviewed journals including Textile Research Journal, American Journal of Environmental Sciences, Dyes & Pigments, Journal of ASTM International, and others.

Marsha Dickson is professor and chairperson of the Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies at the University of Delaware. She has published in such journals as the Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, Journal of Business Ethics, and Business & Society and is internationally known for her research and teaching on social responsibility. Dickson is president of Educators for Socially Responsible Apparel Business. She is also a member of the board of directors of the Fair Labor Association, a non-governmental organization originally formed by President Clinton to improve working conditions in factories around the world. Recently, she was named chair of the Fair Labor Association's monitoring committee. In 2008, she received the University Continuing Education Association's Award for Outstanding Programming, Mid-Atlantic Region, for the University of Delaware's new certificate program in Socially Responsible and Sustainable Apparel Business. She recently co-authored the book, Social Responsibility in the Global Apparel Industry, with Profs. Suzanne Loker and Molly Eckman.

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