#45 Sylvia Happel, Head of Business Development Europe at Lenzing (Sustainable Fibers Company)
06/01/22 • 33 min
At the essence of our clothes, fibers are the first step towards a sustainable production.
Following the government’s request, Lenzing group has developed for many years fibers made from natural wood in order to reduce water consumption and involve renewable energies. You may already know one of them. Such as Viscose, different fibers have come out using the same process based on cellulosic fibers.
Sylvia Happel, Head of Business Development in the Europe market at Lenzing believes in the idea that what comes from nature, is by definition something that can go back to it. She explores the great potential of those promising fibers through the lens of innovative technologies, business and market wise as well as circularity stakes.
The Austrian company with an international outreach has lately set up new challenges, such as extending circularity to the post-consumer waste use.
In this episode, Sylvia shares all the perks of cellulosic fibers, giving their properties and the certifications that follow. Far from greenwashing, and truly dedicated to what producing consciously means, Lenzing also shows a great example of what political decisions can involve in the fashion industry.
CONTENT TO FIND YOUR WAY IN THE EPISODE
0:57 : Sylvia presents herself and the company
4:15 : What does sustainable mean to her?
6:20 : The certifications they use
7:58 : Are all their products sustainable?
9:05 : What's the difference between those fibers?
12:13 : Her favorite fiber
12:58 : What makes Lenzing stand out from the others?
14:34 : Why did they invest that early in sustainability?
16:15: How can the fashion industry accelerate its transition?
17:40 : How can we avoid greenwashing?
20:20 : The cost of sustainable fibers
21:18 : What’s her advice regarding sustainable fibers?
22:30 : What are the KPI’s she’s looking at?
23:40 : The future of their company
26:13 : Is she optimistic regarding the times we are living in?
27:42 : How to convince customers to buy sustainable clothes?
30:20 : What does she want to close the door to in our industry?
30:28 : What does she look at to get inspired?
31:28 : What is the last piece of clothes she bought?
31:45: Who would she like to listen to in this podcast?
KEY LEARNINGS
«Circularity is very important, it means for our fibers that they come from nature and they go back to nature. All our fibers are compostable.»
«People working at Lenzing believe in what they are doing, they do what they are saying, they are trustful.»
«Most people are not doing greenwashing on purpose, it’s just a lack of knowledge.»
«Post-consumer waste can be anything, any blend and dyed stuff with different finishes. Our goal is to reach 50% post-consumer waste.»
Learn more about Lenzing
Lenzing: https://www.lenzing.com
TO SUPPORT SMART CREATION THE PODCAST
Don’t forget to share and talk about the podcast to your friends and colleagues, it’s easy and it helps the podcast a lot, and please rate it 5 stars and leave us a comment on Apple Podcast.
To know more about Smart Creation and Première Vision
https://www.premierevision.com/fr/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
At the essence of our clothes, fibers are the first step towards a sustainable production.
Following the government’s request, Lenzing group has developed for many years fibers made from natural wood in order to reduce water consumption and involve renewable energies. You may already know one of them. Such as Viscose, different fibers have come out using the same process based on cellulosic fibers.
Sylvia Happel, Head of Business Development in the Europe market at Lenzing believes in the idea that what comes from nature, is by definition something that can go back to it. She explores the great potential of those promising fibers through the lens of innovative technologies, business and market wise as well as circularity stakes.
The Austrian company with an international outreach has lately set up new challenges, such as extending circularity to the post-consumer waste use.
In this episode, Sylvia shares all the perks of cellulosic fibers, giving their properties and the certifications that follow. Far from greenwashing, and truly dedicated to what producing consciously means, Lenzing also shows a great example of what political decisions can involve in the fashion industry.
CONTENT TO FIND YOUR WAY IN THE EPISODE
0:57 : Sylvia presents herself and the company
4:15 : What does sustainable mean to her?
6:20 : The certifications they use
7:58 : Are all their products sustainable?
9:05 : What's the difference between those fibers?
12:13 : Her favorite fiber
12:58 : What makes Lenzing stand out from the others?
14:34 : Why did they invest that early in sustainability?
16:15: How can the fashion industry accelerate its transition?
17:40 : How can we avoid greenwashing?
20:20 : The cost of sustainable fibers
21:18 : What’s her advice regarding sustainable fibers?
22:30 : What are the KPI’s she’s looking at?
23:40 : The future of their company
26:13 : Is she optimistic regarding the times we are living in?
27:42 : How to convince customers to buy sustainable clothes?
30:20 : What does she want to close the door to in our industry?
30:28 : What does she look at to get inspired?
31:28 : What is the last piece of clothes she bought?
31:45: Who would she like to listen to in this podcast?
KEY LEARNINGS
«Circularity is very important, it means for our fibers that they come from nature and they go back to nature. All our fibers are compostable.»
«People working at Lenzing believe in what they are doing, they do what they are saying, they are trustful.»
«Most people are not doing greenwashing on purpose, it’s just a lack of knowledge.»
«Post-consumer waste can be anything, any blend and dyed stuff with different finishes. Our goal is to reach 50% post-consumer waste.»
Learn more about Lenzing
Lenzing: https://www.lenzing.com
TO SUPPORT SMART CREATION THE PODCAST
Don’t forget to share and talk about the podcast to your friends and colleagues, it’s easy and it helps the podcast a lot, and please rate it 5 stars and leave us a comment on Apple Podcast.
To know more about Smart Creation and Première Vision
https://www.premierevision.com/fr/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Previous Episode
#44 Ifeanyi Okwuadi, Founder of his eponymous brand (Menswear Fashion Designer)
Like many of his fellows who had a successful career in the fashion industry, Ifeanyi Okwuadi also did his class at Savile Row. The 28 year old fashion designer based in London indeed learned and understood how to make a garment, and by definition, an impeccable one. If quality is his main focus, it’s certainly for him a way to create a piece that sustains through time.
He envisioned his collection through the artisanal gesture and that’s probably what made him stand out of the 36th Hyères Fashion Festival. Winner of the Great Prize in 2021, the menswear designer took into account everything that makes sense to him such as sourcing the right fabrics, using great craftsmanship, but also by including his remarkable tailor skills.
In today’s Smart Creation episode, we talked with Ifeanyi about locality, ambition and sustainability from a design perspective.
CONTENT TO FIND YOUR WAY IN THE EPISODE
0:55 : Ifeanyi presents himself
3:10 : His definition to sustainable fashion
4:15: What was his project for the Hyères Festival?
7:50 : What was the main question regarding sustainability in his project?
9:40 : What’s its starting creative point ?
10:55 : What did he learn in terms of sustainability?
12:50 : What makes a good garment
13:45 : What did he learn at Margaret Howell ?
15:25: How can we bring back this idea that a good garment costs money?
18:45 : Where does he want to bring his project ?
20:15 : What will be his most important criteria as a member of the Hyères jury?
21:45 : How can the fashion industry accelerate its revolution?
22:55 : What does he advise to young designers?
24:16 : What does he want to close the door to in our industry?
24:35 : What does he look at to get inspired?
24:50 : What is the last piece of clothes he bought?
25:05: Who would he like to listen to in this podcast?
KEY LEARNINGS
«It’s really important for me to promote what we have, specifically in Britain like the craftsmanship, the skills and the labourers.»
«In a quality garment you can see the tailor's construction work, the needlework or everything that is involved in the making.»
«It’s all about the quality of the garment.»
«You can learn from the past, but don’t take away the bits that have gone wrong or failed and work on those things.»
About Ifeanyi Okwuadi & other references
Ifeanyi Okwuadi: http://ifeanyiokwuadi.com
@ifeanyiokwuadi: https://www.instagram.com/ifeanyiokwuadi/
36th edition of Hyères Fashion Festival: https://villanoailles.com/festivals/36e-festival-international-de-mode-de-photographie-et-daccessoires-de-mode-hyeres
Margaret Howell: http://margarethowell.fr
Fashion Revolution: https://www.fashionrevolution.org
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Next Episode
#46 Hao Ding, Business and Marketing Manager of Covation Biomaterials (Bio-based Fibers Company)
What if fossil-based fabrics were not necessary anymore? Imagine the impact it would have on the planet. At Covation Biomaterials, business manager Hao Ding is acting to make this outcome happen. The company produces bio-based polymers. They’ve developed different products that cover the textile, cosmetic and home industries. Using natural resources like starch and plant-based solutions, the technologies are ticking every box of sustainability, without forgetting high performance and quality characteristics.
If sustainability is at the core of the company’s strategy, it’s because Covation is aiming to engage a conversation with customers, brands, stakeholders and generally, every player related to the supply chain in order to propose an alternative to fossil-fueled polyester fabrics.
In this episode, Hao explains the process, the goals of the company, and his willingness to contribute in a positive way to our industry. You will learn all about the sourcing of the raw materials and certifications.
Sorona, Susterra and Zemea will sound familiar to you after listening to this podcast!
CONTENT TO FIND YOUR WAY IN THE EPISODE
0:58 : Hao presents himself
3:03 : What is his job?
4:00 : Introduction of his company
5:40 : What’s a biopolymer?
8:08 : What's the impact of bio polymers?
10:00 : What does sustainable fashion mean to him
10:55 : Are all their products sustainable?
11:20 : What’s his favorite product?
12:12: Where do they source the raw materials?
13:34 : Why did he dedicate his career to sustainability?
15:00 : The core strategy of Covation biomaterial
17:20 : What are the KPIs is he looking at?
18:45 : The certifications they have
20:30 : Their upcoming goals
21:25 : The biggest challenges for the fashion industry
23:25 : How can the fashion industry accelerate its fashion revolution?
24:50 : What’s his advice to young designers?
28:38 : What does he want to close the door to in our industry?
28:56 : What does he look at to get inspired?
29:42 : What is the last piece of clothes he bought?
30:08 : Who would he like to listen to in this podcast?
KEY LEARNINGS
“If we are able to convince the consumer to use more bio-based solutions, we can actually make a big impact regarding the carbon footprint.”
“The plant stores the carbons in its body. We can turn these carbons into monomers or polymers meaning we don’t depend on the fossil based and we don’t bring extra carbons into the environment anymore. At that point, it is very sustainable.”
“We are committed to continuously improving in terms of social and environmental impact.”
“Try to have a holistic view before you make any decision. Think through each step of the supply chain, and also try to think a bit deeper: what could be the impact?”
Learn more about Covation Biomaterials:
TO SUPPORT SMART CREATION THE PODCAST
Don’t forget to share and talk about the podcast to your friends and colleagues, it’s easy and it helps the podcast a lot, and please rate it 5 stars and leave us a comment on Apple Podcast.
To know more about Smart Creation and Première Vision
https://www.premierevision.com/fr/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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