Monitor for Circular Fashion: a Think Tank on Biodiversity and Regeneration in Fashion

The first Think Tank of the Monitor for Circular Fashion SDA Bocconi was held at the BIP headquarters in Bari. The event was organized by SDA Bocconi in collaboration with BIP, Confindustria Puglia, and the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari and is part of the 2-day event in Puglia, which actively involved the Partners of the Monitor for Circular Fashion, open this year to external organizations. The meeting involved industry experts such as Professor of Urban Forestry at the University of Tuscia and Sapienza University of Rome and Director of the European Forest Institute - BioCity, Giuseppe Scarascia-Mugnozza, and agronomist Gianluigi Cesari (CIHEAM), as well as several local SMEs.

The topics of the Think Tank were biodiversity and regenerative agriculture in the fashion sector. The challenges of the fashion industry in biodiversity are manifold: from the cultivation of natural fibers using bio-compatible methods to microplastics from synthetic fibers, from emissions produced at all stages of the supply chain to water consumption. The meeting analyzed the impact of the fashion industry on planetary boundaries, focusing on those most at risk and most affected.

Organizations shared their knowledge during the Think Tank: Francesca Romana Rinaldi, Director of the SDA Bocconi Observatory, opened the day with an introduction on biodiversity in the fashion sector: "Investing in sustainable practices and preserving biodiversity contributes not only to conserving the beauty of nature but also to ensuring a fairer future for future generations. With the first Think Tank on biodiversity, the Monitor for Circular Fashion aims to raise awareness among Partner companies on this issue, accelerating processes for preserving biodiversity along the entire supply chain."

BIP deepened the importance of biodiversity and the drivers of CSRD legislation, also for companies in the fashion sector: "The new regulations, especially CSRD, offer companies a crucial opportunity to strengthen environmental strategies, including biodiversity protection. The demand for more detailed information and greater transparency must act as a transformative driver, to mitigate risks related to nature and define transition plans towards the 'No Net Loss' goal, even in the fashion sector, where awareness of impacts on nature and biodiversity is increasingly important," says BIP.

During the dialogue, the importance of involving southern Italian regions in national and European initiatives for sustainable and circular fashion emerged, highlighting their crucial role in promoting biodiversity. "Today, fashion faces numerous challenges, and sustainability - environmental and social - is among the fundamental ones. Confindustria Puglia identifies biodiversity, circular business models that see sustainability as an opportunity, and the involvement of new generations as key themes," says Salvatore Toma, Vice President of Confindustria Puglia and President of Confindustria Taranto.

The next Think Tank of the Monitor for Circular Fashion SDA Bocconi will be held in Rome on June 5, 2024, and will delve into the themes of responsible innovation, with a particular focus on traceability and the new space economy for the fashion sector.

SDA Bocconi School of Management