Electric Runway Episode 91: Green is the New Black

Whether you’re an emerging label or a behemoth like H&M, the name of the fashion game today is sustainability. Consumers increasingly demand to know who made their clothes, and they want to ensure the materials involved are not only high-performing but also ethically sourced and sustainable. Customer desires aside, there’s also an environmental argument for disrupting the fashion industry, which is known to be the second most polluting industry in the world next to oil and gas, responsible for 6 to 8% of carbon emissions globally. Less considered (and often underrated) is the business argument for sustainable fashion. Can going green equal bringing in green, too? In this week’s episode of the Electric Runway podcast, we take you inside a recent and fascinating pitch competition that took place in Toronto Canada. Organized by Stacey Fruitman of SWS Ventures, the competition championed textile innovation in Canada and beyond. Entrepreneurs and startups from all over the country were invited to apply online. Four were selected to pitch to a panel of judges for the chance to receive $10,000 in funding. The event was organized in collaboration with the MaRS Catalyst Fund and the George Brown Fashion Exchange. Fashion Futurist Amanda Cosco had the opportunity to moderate the panel that opened the event, which tackled topics such as the circular economy, water waste, advanced manufacturing, and more. We also had the opportunity to interview a number of experts and participants to learn more about their companies and how they’re working to make fashion a more sustainable industry. In this episode, you’ll hear from: 1. Geof Kime, COO, Co-Founder and Director of Circular Systems: https://www.circular-systems.com/2. David McCann, VP of Strategy & Operations at Colorzen: https://www.colorzen.com/profiles/david-mccann/3. Lauren Smith, Founder of PolyGone Technologies: https://www.polygonetechnologies.com/4. Tyler Schon Founder of Pliant Power Devices: http://pliantpowerdevices.com/5. Dale Floer, Co-Founder of Scalable Garment Technologies Inc.: https://www.scalablegarments.com/6. Katherine Homuth, Founder and CEO at Sheerly Genius: https://sheerlygenius.com/