11:01 a.m., June 11, 2009----What does it mean for a clothing or footwear company to be environmentally sustainable? What specific policies can apparel retailers and brands implement, and how does pursuing environmental sustainability impact a company's bottom line?

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These and other questions will be explored during the University of Delaware's next FIBERcast, set for Friday, June 19, at 2 p.m. Eastern. Register now at this Web site.

FIBERcast is a 45-minute audio program broadcast live over the Internet. It is sponsored by the Fashion International Business Education Response (FIBER) project, developed by the UD Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

The goal of the project, which is led by Hye-Shin Kim, associate professor of fashion and apparel studies, is to share the insights and knowledge of leaders in business, academia and government on timely issues of importance to the international fashion and apparel industry.

The next FIBERcast will feature Rick Horwitch, vice president of solutions business development and marketing, Bureau Veritas - Consumer Products Services; 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. Marsha Dickson, professor and chairperson of the Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies, will serve as host.

Horwitch has 28 years of experience in the apparel industry covering all facets of the business - sales, marketing, operations, sourcing, manufacturing and IT. He joined Bureau Veritas, the world's oldest and one of the largest providers of quality, health, safety, environmental and sustainability services, in 2005. The company's customers include 47 of the top 50 retailers in North America and 41 of the top 50 consumer products brands. His focus is on developing quality assurance and quality control solutions that encompass the entire supply chain.

Loker 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 Marsha Dickson and Molly Eckman.

Cao co-directs UD's Sustainable Apparel Initiative (UDSAI), which has published guidelines to help brands and retailers become more environmentally sustainable. He developed a course on sustainability issues for designers and merchandisers and advised several student projects that were entered in the EPA People, Prosperity and the Planet Student Design Competition for Sustainability (P3 Award).

For more information, visit this Web page.

Listeners to the live FIBERcast can e-mail their questions to add to the discussion. You can listen to past FIBERcasts at any time on this Web site.

Article by Tracey Bryant