A PROMISE OF DIVERSITY?
PRACTICING DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION IN DANISH CREATIVE INDUSTRIES
In this new report, published in August 2022, In futurum presents key findings from a research project conducted from 2021-22 in the Danish fashion, beauty and interior & design industries. It gathers research litterature and interviews with 7 case companies, 4 D&I advisors and 10 minoritized individuals working in these industries to present new perspectives and critical reflections on this important topic.
The purpose for the research and for the report is fundamentally to address inequalities, and to push a human-centred approach to how we work together, why and how we produce products and who are allowed to make decisions and participate. Our aim is also to provide insights and offer recommendations on how companies can approach diversity and inclusion in ways that make people feel safe, seen and heard.
SUSTAINABLE FASHION IN ACTION
This report is the first output of a research project conducted by In futurum from 2019-2020. The project sets out to investigate how six Swedish and Danish fashion companies are working with sustainability in their daily business activities. We wanted to investigate how companies are putting strategies and values to work, and how business practices are informed by management decisions, personal choices and internal company pressures.
Therefore, we have collected cases and examples of practices that illustrate how sustainability principles are being applied to the activities that fashion companies engage in. And while the examples in themselves show how challenging a holistic approach to sustainability can be to enact in a corporate context, the cases do highlight how both conventional and innovative businesses go about creating change. They show the decisions that have to be made, how awareness grows, how traditional approaches as well as technological innovation can be part of creating more sustainable production and products.
WORKING WITH A NEW GENERATION OF MATERIALS
Material choices are an important area of focus for fashion and clothing companies in their efforts to create more sustainable products. The environmental impact of different textiles throughout their production, use and waste phases has been widely scrutinized and debated, and while material choices are only one part of what should be considered in the overall equation of sustainability, it is often a starting point for companies.
The aim of this report is to push knowledge sharing and make it easier for companies to work with fibers and leathers from the new generation. Through interviews with six Scandinavian fashion brands and two sourcing and consultancy houses, we explore what experiences they have had working specifically with materials from the new generation. This report is thus important for anyone who is interested in learning more about the new generation of materials, including fashion and lifestyle brands that are invested in lowering their environmental impact by replacing conventional materials with new generation fibers and leather.