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GLOBAL FASHION SUMMIT 2025: SUSTAINABILITY IS A MARATHON THAT CALLS FOR LEADERSHIP

Beatrice Santini — Mon, 09 Jun 2025 06:39:23 +0000

Once again this year, the Global Fashion Summit brought together brands, policymakers, investors, solution providers, and international organizations in Copenhagen under a deliberately evocative theme: Unlocking Barriers. Building Bridges.
Our participation as an Innovation Forum Exhibitor – our first under Ympact, the new brand representing our group’s solutions – offered us a broad perspective on the challenges and innovations shaping the future of the fashion industry.
What follows is our account of the experience.

The Courage to Act. Even When Signals Are Mixed

Just weeks after the release of the EU’s Omnibus legislative package and with the implementation of the Digital Product Passport on the horizon, the 2025 edition of the Global Fashion Summit once again raised a fundamental question: What does it really take to accelerate fashion’s sustainable transformation?

The answer most often echoed was this: leadership. More than regulations or market constraints, it is the ability of companies – and the people who lead them – to make forward-looking choices that will determine the industry’s path forward. Even in complex and uncertain contexts,
“We heard a powerful message we fully endorse: sustainability is one of the most important drivers of competitiveness, but it demands courage, vision, data-driven methodology, and leadership capable of turning barriers into bridges. It is leadership that drives change – not the other way around,” said Francesca Rulli, co-founder of Ympact, who attended the Summit in person.

The keynote speech by Federica Marchionni, CEO of Global Fashion Agenda, gave form to this call for change, framing the Summit’s agenda around five key enablers: innovation, capital, courage, incentives, and regulation.
These are five complementary levers that must be activated together if we want to move from experimentation to systemic transformation.
“Sustainability is a marathon, not a sprint,” Marchionni declared in her opening remarks, urging stakeholders to move beyond crisis response and toward long-term, sustained commitment.

A Global Outlook with Room to Grow

The Summit confirmed its role as a pivotal space for global dialogue, capturing the sweeping environmental, regulatory, and technological shifts reshaping the industry. It also proved strategic for those like us, working side by side with businesses to turn goals into measurable impact reduction.

Yet, some gaps stood out – most notably, the underrepresentation of the production supply chain, both on stage and in the audience.
“We felt a strong, positive energy from brands, NGOs, solution providers, and students. But the voice of the supply chain – the part of the system that turns strategy into process every day – was largely missing. That’s something worth reflecting on,” Rulli noted.

Italy’s limited presence was also surprising, given the country’s leading role in global textile and fashion manufacturing.
“There is so much value in sharing the experience of Italian suppliers who have been implementing tangible sustainability projects for years. From chemical safety to decarbonization, from traceability to recycling, there is a wealth of expertise and results that deserves to be seen.”

Making Innovation Clearer

As Innovation Forum Exhibitors, we had a front-row view of the Summit’s vibrant showcase of cutting-edge solutions for sustainability: digital traceability, bio-based materials, regenerative business models, and advanced circularity metrics.
Technology opens up extraordinary possibilities – but on its own, it’s not enough. Without vision, harmonized methodologies, patient investment, and clear rules, these tools risk remaining prototypes with no real-world application.

It’s also challenging to navigate the wide array of solutions, even when grouped into umbrella categories like traceability or “impact measurement.
“Diversity in solutions is always valuable, but it can be disorienting without a clear narrative. Behind similar-sounding terms often lie very different approaches. What businesses need is guidance to identify the options that truly align with their goals,” Rulli emphasized.

Rules, Transparency, and Governance

Compliance was a strong theme throughout the Global Fashion Summit, confirming that regulatory evolution – from the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) to anti-greenwashing legislation – is no longer a distant goal but a concrete driver of transformation. Traceability, reporting, and integrated data management are quickly becoming prerequisites for market access.

“In our daily work,” explains Rulli, “we see this firsthand – and more importantly, we demonstrate it together with hundreds of suppliers who are achieving tangible results in decarbonisation, water use reduction, the elimination of hazardous chemicals from production processes, recycling… all thanks to a structured framework like 4sustainability®.”

Collaboration and shared value

The event’s agenda, thoughtfully built around the five pillars outlined by Marchionni in her opening keynote, gave due prominence to innovation and climate strategy. Other topics, however, such as stakeholder collaboration and value distribution across the supply chain, would have deserved equally in-depth attention.

“In some of the panels focused on social impact, rights were discussed, but little was said about collaborative models, which are in fact essential to building sustainable production systems,” Rulli observed. “Without the active involvement of the supply chain and a rebalanced relationship between profit and impact, the transition cannot be fully realised. What’s needed is connection and dialogue between brands and suppliers. In this respect, Ympact stands out as the only one-stop solution addressing both brands and supply chains, combining method, technology, and expertise in a single integrated offer. It’s an approach designed to enable sector-wide transformation towards transparency and sustainability – where products are traceable, and supply chains are accountable.”

The closed format of some sessions, reserved for selected stakeholders, also raised questions about the openness such spaces for dialogue ought to guarantee.
“We believe sustainability must also mean inclusion and accessibility. Broadening participation – through more open and cost-accessible formats – would be a step forward towards more effective stakeholder engagement.”

Our Key Takeaways and What’s Next

We return from Copenhagen with several important confirmations. Here are some of the most relevant insights:

Regulation waits for no one. Structured data collection systems are essential, with integrated approaches that involve both internal functions and supply chain actors.
Leadership is revealed in challenging times. Without vision and courage, it’s hard to move forward, especially when markets slow down.
Collaboration is a requirement, not a choice. Everyone needs to move in the same direction.
Innovation means implementation. Technology and solutions abound, but they must be integrated intelligently and pragmatically.
Sustainability is systemic. Overcoming individualistic approaches is the key to reducing impact and gaining competitiveness.

We’ll explore these themes further on October 3^rd at the 2025 edition of the 4sustainability® Event, hosted by Eurojersey. Through real-life case studies and the contributions of leading voices, we’ll demonstrate how harmonised methodologies, data sharing, stakeholder collaboration, and interconnected technologies can make the supply chain more efficient, protect brand reputation, and reduce environmental and social impacts.

Also in October, at the Venice Sustainable Fashion Forum, Italy will play a leading role in a conversation that we hope will inspire broader international contexts like the Global Fashion Summit – giving greater voice to manufacturing and more visibility to the value generated by different business models, territories, scales, and cultures.
“Sustainability is about plurality – respecting diversity and the contributions of each actor,” Rulli concludes. “It’s also the very essence of Sustainable Development Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals. And it’s the path we’ll keep working on.”

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Beatrice Santini — Tue, 06 May 2025 09:36:49 +0000

PRESS RELEASE

Milan, May 6, 2025. YHub, Italy’s leading group in innovative services and technological platforms for traceability and sustainability in the fashion and luxury industry, announces the entry of two prestigious new investors: Giorgio Armani SpA and Fondazione del Tessile Italiano.

This milestone reaffirms the Group’s pivotal role in supporting both brands and supply chain actors, reinforcing its positioning as a strategic partner for sustainable transformation and consolidating a distinctive alliance in terms of vision and solutions. The founding partners – Francesca Rulli, Massimo Brandellero, and Cristian Iobbi – will retain majority control of the company, which also welcomes Matteo De Angelis, General Manager of the Group, into the shareholding structure.

This development marks a significant new chapter in a trajectory that began in 2024 with a similar transaction, which saw the entry of Foro delle Arti (the holding company of Brunello Cucinelli SpA), entrepreneur Matteo Marzotto, Claudio Rovere (Founder & CEO of Holding Industriale SpA), venture funds managed by the global investment bank LionTree, and the digital innovator Federico Marchetti (founder of YOOX) through Mavis.

Operating under the single brand Ympact, YHub currently supports over 3,000 companies in tracing supply chains and measuring the environmental and social impacts of production. It collaborates with more than 50 global brands, and maps over 80,000 suppliers across 22 countries. By integrating expertise, methodology, and technology, the Group enables companies in the sector to meet growing market demands and evolving sustainability regulations.

Brands and Supply Chain: A Shared Commitment

Giorgio Armani SpA is one of the world’s leading fashion and luxury brands, renowned for its timeless, refined style. The Group designs, produces, and distributes a broad range of products that embody the union of craftsmanship and innovation.

Fondazione del Tessile Italiano, established in 1998, works to promote the Italian textile sector through wide range of initiatives aimed at enhancing its competitiveness in an increasingly globalized market.

The decision to bring on board investors of such calibre—emblematic of the very best of Italy’s brand and manufacturing excellence—reflects a firm belief: that the fashion industry can only achieve its sustainability goals through close, structured collaboration among all stakeholders

Statements

Francesca Rulli, Massimo Brandellero, Cristian Iobbi, Founding Partners of YHub:
“We warmly welcome Giorgio Armani SpA and Fondazione del Tessile Italiano into our ecosystem. This marks another step toward the future we envisioned—one in which industry, innovation, and sustainability come together to build a more responsible and transparent fashion system, in partnership with those who share our values. The experience and standing of our new partners, alongside those who joined us in 2024, will be instrumental in strengthening our ability to support brands and the supply chain and in amplifying the positive impact we are generating across the sector.”

Andrea Camerana, Board Member of Giorgio Armani SpA:
“We are pleased to join the YHub Group and to contribute to the development of innovative solutions for traceability and sustainability in fashion—objectives that are essential and achievable only through close cooperation between brands and the production supply chain.”

Simone Canclini, President of Fondazione del Tessile Italiano:
“Joining YHub represents a strategic opportunity for us to support the transformation path that companies must undertake, fostering the kind of dialogue with brands that leads to shared projects and coordinated investments.”

__________

YHub was advised on legal matters by Zaglio-Orizio-Braga e Associati Studio Legale, with a team led by partner Marco Orizio and associate Désirée Pasquariello. Studio Data acted as financial advisor.

__________

YHub YHub is Italy’s first group offering innovative services and IT platforms for responsible fashion. By integrating expertise, methodology, and technology, it supports brands and supply chains in traceability and in reducing the environmental and social impacts of production. All YHub companies are Benefit Corporations: Process Factory, a consulting firm that developed the 4sustainability® system to improve sustainability performance and validate data; The ID Factory, a B Corp specializing in digital solutions for material, process, and product traceability; and Ympact, a platform for impact data management and large-scale application of 4sustainability®. With a team of 80 professionals, YHub supports over 3,000 companies, collaborates with more than 50 global brands, and maps over 80,000 suppliers across 22 countries.

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VENICE SUSTAINABLE FASHION FORUM: OUR TAKEAWAYS

Beatrice Santini — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 08:39:39 +0000

Takeaways from the Venice Sustainable Fashion Forum 2024: Lessons from the Event’s Keynote Program and Third Just Fashion Transition Report.

On October 25th, the 2024 Venice Sustainable Fashion Forum, organized by Sistema Moda Italia, The European House Ambrosetti, and Confindustria Veneto Est at the Giorgio Cini Foundation, concluded with notable reflections drawn from the speeches and the third edition of the Just Fashion Transition report.

Everyone’s Here (Well, Almost)

We’ll borrow a clever insight from journalist Laila Bonazzi, who amused herself in a post by taking inventory of attendees and absentees, including the “silent guest” many identified as the raft of new regulations the fashion and luxury sectors are already navigating.

Who else was there? Allow us to break convention and start with us: we were present at the Forum as a partner for the first time, represented by Massimo Brandellero, Matteo De Angelis, and Francesca Rulli, who spoke on the opening day as part of Ambrosetti’s afternoon focus.

On stage and in the audience were brands, Italian supply chain companies, major industry groups, business consortia, international NGOs, universities, specialized media, and experts in fields related (sometimes loosely) to the conference’s central theme, Leading Re-generation. The pathway to systemic change, it was clear, lies in sustainable innovation.

Noticeably absent were institutional representatives, called at the event’s outset to pay closer attention to a fashion industry experiencing both critical and challenging times.

Just Fashion Transition by the Numbers

Many speakers highlighted bureaucracy as a hindrance to development, particularly because it impacts the upstream supply chain, which is especially vulnerable and should, therefore, be better protected and supported. This was one of the most recurring themes of the two-day event: a broad appeal from stakeholders for streamlined bureaucracy and faster approval processes, well ahead of the EU’s 2030 regulatory deadline. The extended timeline hinders strategic decision-making and, ultimately, competitiveness.

Ambrosetti’s Just Fashion Transition study examined the 100 largest fashion companies in Europe and 31 global retailers, assessing their sustainability measures based on data collected over the last three years. Although 28 companies still lack sustainability reports, the sample group demonstrated a 12% improvement in their average ESG performance. Climate action saw the most progress, with one-third of companies reducing emissions twice as fast as the EU’s green transition targets require, showcasing both the feasibility of decarbonization and the significant lag among the remaining two-thirds, which could delay European fashion’s overall climate goals by up to eight years.

A comfort, however, lies in the comparability of some available data—limited though it may be—which shows that companies achieving the highest profits are also the ones reducing emissions most effectively.

Collaboration to Overcome Crisis and Accelerate Transition

What takeaways can we gather from this third edition of the Venice Sustainable Fashion Forum, synthesizing key speakers’ insights and findings from the report?

Transitioning to sustainability is no longer optional; it’s an inevitable process driven by market forces, even more than legislation. For those still hesitant, it’s worth weighing the cost of inaction against the much higher cost of doing nothing.
The regulatory overhaul underway is a necessary but insufficient factor for genuinely sustainable business models. It serves as a catalyst, but not as an accelerator.
Key intervention areas include simplifying bureaucracy, establishing consistent rules, strengthening margins, and creating sustainable debt management for SMEs, which account for nearly 98% of the industry. Easier access to credit and widespread development of specialized skills are also crucial.
Consumers—especially younger or well-informed ones—already view sustainability as an intrinsic value and demand greater access to product information that can guide more conscious purchasing decisions.
Now is the time to look to the future with optimism, seeing the sector’s slowdown as an opportunity.
The main route to overcoming obstacles lies in systemic collaboration among stakeholders: supply chain companies with process expertise, brands with market knowledge, and collective efforts to address the size constraints of individual companies.
Harmonizing data for product traceability, impact measurement, and regulatory standardization is essential for building sustainable supply chains where value is more equitably distributed.

In Conclusion

“The regulatory and market revolutions must be tackled with new organizational models and innovative tools,” noted Francesca Rulli after her Forum session. “Compared to about a decade ago, when we launched 4sustainability and then The ID Factory, there’s now a much closer alignment between brands and the supply chain. This translates into investments, co-development, data and methodology harmonization, and technology integration to support the journey… What was once a goal we strove for—knowing it would foster efficiency and impact management—is now a reality, a prominent item on the agendas and at the roundtables where brands and supply chain companies come together, and where we, too, participate in support of both. The Venice event offered further, important confirmations of this.”

GO TO THE EVENT PROCEEDINGS

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PROCESS FACTORY AND BLUWIN, A PARTNERSHIP TO REDUCE FASHION’S IMPACT

Beatrice Santini — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 10:00:46 +0000

Process Factory and BluWin sign a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on improving sustainability performance in the textile and clothing industry.

The acceleration driven by both the market and legislators to promote the establishment of sustainable business models is readily apparent. At the European level, the increasing volume of regulations underlines the sustainable path that companies are now obligated to follow, rather than solely as a voluntary ethical choice.

The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, the Green Claims Directive and the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), which includes the key chapter on the Digital Product Passport, are just three of the many examples. They are all aligned with the EU’s Green Deal, which both mandates and encourages sustainable practices by allocating funds amounting to 225 billion euros.

In order to address these challenges and to drive change, Process Factory and BluWin have entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate and leverage their respective strengths and expertise.

Process Factory and BluWin will collaborate to encourage information sharing among stakeholders and to advocate for best practices and methodologies, such as the 4sustainability framework, for reducing environmental and social impacts within the fashion industry. This includes initiatives aimed at promoting responsible resource consumption, implementing chemical management systems, establishing process traceability, monitoring supply chains, fostering recycling and sustainable design, and the transition to the use of lower-impact materials for sustainable production. The eventual goal of this collaboration is to enable successful global dissemination of 4sustainability methodology and its tools.

Francesca Rulli, CEO and Founder of Process Factory, stated, “Our long-standing collaboration with ZDHC – Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals as a solution and training provider has allowed us to connect with BluWin over time, confirming the strong alignment of our respective approaches to reducing environmental and social impacts in fashion production. This collaboration marks a significant step forward in expanding and strengthening our service offerings to support the sustainable transition of fashion supply chains.”

Dr. Siva Pariti, Senior Technical Marketing Officer of BluWin, said, “BluWin is delighted to collaborate with Process Factory, one of the foremost environmental consulting firms in Italy. Customers from the global textile and fashion industry can now expect seamless quality services and solutions designed to facilitate their sustainability transformation. Our goal is to assist them in meeting the impending regulatory challenges while ensuring a seamless and high-quality experience.”

This strategic collaboration marks an important milestone for the global textile and fashion industry. As the climate impact agenda continues to expand rapidly, there is now an immediate need to accelerate the adoption of sustainable measures within the fashion value chain.

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ZDHC PROGRESSING TO ZERO EVENT: THE 4S CHEM SYSTEM FOR EXCELLENCE

Beatrice Santini — Wed, 08 Sep 2021 09:38:52 +0000

How can training support brands and supply chains in implementing a system for the elimination of toxic and harmful chemicals in production? What are, in this sense, the feedback from brands and supply chains?

This has been discussed on September 7^th at the ZDHC Progressing to Zero – Going beyond the foundations of Sustainable Chemical Management event. More specifically, the occasion is the panel moderated by Mariella Noto, Senior Implementation Manager of ZDHC, in which Fabiana Morandi, Environmental Sustainability Supervisor of Benetton Group, and Francesca Rulli, CEO of Process Factory and creator of the 4sustainability framework, have set out, respectively, the positions of the brands and those of a service provider that has always been accompanying the fashion supply chain in the implementation of concrete sustainability projects.

The 4s Chem system

“With our 4s Chem protocol, we’ve been supporting for years brands and supply chains in implementing the ZDHC roadmap,” said Rulli. “Training is a key driver to accompany companies on this jouney naturally aimed to excellence, it is the first step to create knowledge and culture, to encourage collaboration among different functions, to support companies in improving processes.

I’m referring to a set of activities – projects and continuous training – which allow to measure results and progress, improving the transparency of the entire value chain. All corporate responsibilities are involved to obtain increasingly qualifying performance: from product development to purchasing, to supplier and stock management … With 4s Chem – and its total alignment with ZDHC – we want to differentiate ourselves from one-off solutions that don’t make it possible to grow over time“.

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4SUSTAINABILITY® AND THE INTERNATIONAL ZDHC PLATEA

Beatrice Santini — Wed, 24 Mar 2021 14:04:24 +0000

It was a significant presence that of Process Factory in the international meeting Understanding and implementing the ZDHC CMS Technical Industry Guide (TIG), organized by ZDHC to introduce the technical implementation document of its roadmap together with those who collaborated in drafting. The invitation, in broader sense, is the recognition of the role that Process Factory has been playing in diffusing the ZDHC methodology as a contributor of the first hour and forerunner in Italy of a holistic approach to good chemistry and sustainable development.

The audience

Participants in the virtual event on 24 March included many fashion brands and businesses in the supply chain: fabric dyeing and printing companies, tanneries, shoe factories and service providers that support the textile and leather industry in chemical management.

The program

What is the CMS TIG and how should it be interpreted? Two different interventions by Prasad Pant (South Asia Director of ZDHC) and Klass Nuttbohm (Implementation Director of the ZDHC Implementation HUB) made clear the various implementation aspects of the document and the Supplier to Zero Program, both developed for implementing the ZDHC roadmap to which the Chem 4sustainability® protocol also conforms.

One of the meeting’s highlights was the panel discussion which opened the works entitled The need for chemical management in textile and leather manufacturing. Prasad Pant moderated the debate among prominent personalities such as S. Karhtick, Program Manager and SCM of C&A, Dunstan Weragala, Manager of Hayleys Fabric PLC, Elisa Xu of Smart Shirts and Francesca Rulli, introduced to the public as the pioneer of chemical management and sustainability in Italy.

A shared standard for good chemistry

To what extent is the proper management of chemicals in production a priority for the fashion industry? Francesca Rulli returned to a theme that has always been dear to Process Factory, namely the need to adopt a common standard to create a measurable and comparable supply chain evaluation system. In this way only, indeed, it will be possible to measure and identify the necessary improvement actions, “rewarding” the most deserving suppliers as they are more committed to sustainability and good chemistry.

“In the last five years, attention to chemical management and sustainability has grown significantly, so much to be included in the vendor rating systems of some important fashion & luxury brands”, Rulli explained. “However, the number of realities applying a true strategy of sustainability and reduction of their own environmental impact is still small compared to the total volume of production and this means that the cost lever is that, unfortunately, still weighs more”.

Expectation for coming years is to see an acceleration towards sustainability and therefore a more equitable distribution of value such as to encourage widespread and continuous investments in innovation, also applied to sustainable chemistry.

Why should the supply chain adopt a private protocol like 4sustainability®?

“The companies in the supply chain receive increasingly strong pressures from the market, with different and sometimes contradictory requests for chemical compliance“, Rulli replied. “Implementing the ZDHC methodology through a single protocol such as Chem 4sustainability® means building a management system that adopts all the ZDHC tools and which at the same time allows to respond to market demands with a single investment, once and for all”.

The 4sustainability® system is in fact conceived and continuously updated in line with ZDHC standard and the brands’ inputs. The ultimate goal is to help the supply chain manage chemicals in production while respecting human health and the environment through an implementation process based on the process evaluation and the elimination of risk in the input phase.

The necessary dialogue between brands and supply chain

In Italy, over 160 companies already apply the Chem 4sustainability® protocol and constantly measure implementation KPIs to define improvement actions. This approach also allows the sharing of the best experiences and communication to the market, promotes innovation and the elimination of toxicities from production cycles.

Service providers, with their constant support to companies, play a key role. Asked about this by Prasad Pant, Francesca Rulli underlined how the matter is new for many. “For us – she said – joining the ZDHC Foundation by actively contributing to the work of the program was a great opportunity. Exchanging views allows the various stakeholders to grow together and share knowledge and best practices. The role of the service provider as a hinge between brands and the supply chain becomes fundamental in this sense. Direct experience on many processes and companies with different situations and cultures, in fact, refines skills and stimulates developing of solutions tested on the market. Solutions which are always in line with the expectations of ZDHC and the operators who adopt its approach”.

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