On March 21, 2017, the Department of International Trade & Marketing (ITM), Jay and Patty Baker School of Business and Technology, in partnership with faculty from the Departments of Cosmetics Fragrance Marketing (CFM), Fashion Business Management (FBM), Home Products (HP) & Textile Development Marketing (TDM) hosted its 2nd Biennial Sustainable Global Sourcing Forum.
Over 150 attendees participated to hear and meet dozens of speakers, including Fashion Designers, CEOs, Brand Executives, Global Managers, and FIT Professors who discussed current sustainable global sourcing trends, challenges and opportunities along organizations’ supply chains and product life cycles.
Below are some photos of speakers and panel members.
9:15 am – Welcoming Remarks: Dean Steven Frumkin, Jay and Patty Baker School of Business & Technology, Fashion Institute of Technology
9:30 am – 10:30 am – Transparency in the Supply Chain
Description: Panelists discussed the importance of informing and educating stakeholders about sustainability issues that affect the Supply Chain.
Moderator: Kate Black, Founder of EcoSessions
Panelists:
Dana Davis, Director of Design and Production at Mara Hoffman
Marissa Pagnani, Group Vice President, Corporate Responsibility at PVH Corp.
Amina Razvi, Vice President- Membership, Growth, and Impact, Sustainable Apparel Coalition
10: 45 am- 11:45 am– Sensory Sustainability
Description: Panelists discussed how the beauty sector focuses on sustainability and Fair Trade.
Moderator: Professor Virginia Bonofiglio, Chairperson, FIT’s Department of Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing
Panelists:
Nicole Corona, Finance and Sustainability Coordinator, Esteee Lauder Companies
Roger Schmid, US Innovation Hub, Natura
Jennifer Donahue, Marketing Manager, Croda, Inc.
Deniz Ataman, Editor -Perfumer & Flavorist Magazine
12 – 1pm – NYC Fair Trade Coalition Panel
Description: Panelists introduced the audience to the NYC Fair Trade Coalition and discussed what the organization is doing to promote Fair Trade and why that is important.
Moderator: Andrea Reyes, Chair of the NYC Fair Trade Coalition and ITM Alumna
Panelists:
Andrea Reyes, A. Bernadette, & Chair NYC Fair Trade Coalition
Joseph Pino, Same Sky
Daphna Lewinshtein, Craft Talk
Chrissy Kim, Global Goods Partners
Stephanie Benedetto, Queen of Raw (Co-Founder & CEO), 2016 NASA/NIKE/U.S. Dept. of State LAUNCH.org Innovator, Material Is Your Business (Co-Host), NYC Fair Trade Coalition (Board of Advisors)
1 – 2pm – The Future of Sustainability in the Home Products Industry
Description: A presentation and discussion of how the Home Products Industry is addressing sustainability from raw materials to retail. Speakers from the Sustainable Furnishings Council and Leninz AG provided insight into the home furnishings and home textile sectors across the supply chain.
Moderator: Professor Shannon Maher, Chairperson, FIT’s Department of Home Products and/or Student Club Representative
Panelists:
Susan Inglis, Executive Director, Sustainable Furnishings Council
The SFC is a coalition of industry stakeholders working to promote sustainability among industry and consumers by providing education, certification and functioning as a clearing-house on sustainability.
Nina Nadash, Home & Interiors Marketing Manager for North Americas, Lenzing AG
Lenzing Group is a world leader in the global textile and nonwovens industry committed to sustainable development. As fiber producers, Lenzing is at the beginning of a long value creation chain in the textile industry that works to differentiate themselves through sustainability.
2 – 3pm – Empowering customers to make responsible purchases
Keynote Speaker: Enrique Villa, CEO, Founder of Povigy +
Description: Discussion about how to connect with retail customers in an age of transparency. The focus of this discussion centered around interests associated with purchasing goods that align with the customer’s values. Given the need to present goods that address social and environmental concerns, what is the best way to let your customers know about your corporate responsibility efforts?
3 – 4pm – A Conversation with Natalie Flournoy Grillon from Project JUST
Description: A Conversation with Natalie Flournoy Grillon about Project JUST & their work to use transparency to create accountability in fashion supply chains.
Interviewer: Professor Ann Cantrell, Fashion Business Management Department
4 – 5pm – Sustainable Sourcing and Textile Technology
Description: Sustainable and responsible sourcing is the current holy grail in the global textile industry. Advances in textile materials and technology hold the key in the march towards sustainability. This session discussed the latest technological advancements in bio-based materials, ecologically benign textile processing, and requirements for evaluation, testing and certification of sustainably sourced textiles.
Moderator: Professor Ajoy Sarkar, Ph.D and Professor Min Zhu, Ph.D. Textile Development Marketing Department
Panelists:
MeiLin Wan, Vice President, Textile Sales, Applied DNA Sciences
Shashi Sirsi, Technical Products Manager, Wolf Gordon
Sean Cormier, Associate Professor and Assistant Chair, Textile Development and Marketing
Margaret Bishop, Adjunct Faculty – Textile Development and Marketing, Advisory Board Member – Global Sourcing Council
This year’s forum was organized by Professor Shireen Musa, with the assistance of Stacey Sedereas, and is a collaborative effort between International Trade and Marketing, Cosmetics Fragrance Marketing, Fashion Business Management, Home Products, and Textile Development Marketing.
A Big “Thank You!” to our Student Volunteers: Cara Brennan, Elizabeth Brik, Christina Gemerek, Rhea Harless, Maria Cecilia Celis Hermida, Ann Eun Im, Jaclyn Keller, Nicole Naim Dib, William Rossi, Donnita Shaw, Ariana Sneed, Juan Fernandez (Photography), and Takhirah Williams.
Written by Professor Shireen Musa,
Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York