Research Centre for Sustainable, Ethical & Circular Fashion and Textiles (FRFashtech)
We are living in a climate emergency and the fashion and textile sector is one of the most polluting and wasteful industries. The true environmental and social cost of our clothes is high. Clothes and textiles are the No1 source of primary microplastic to the oceans accounting for 34,8% of the global total. According to the new European circular economy action plan, textiles are the fourth highest-pressure category for the use of primary raw materials and water and fifth for GHG emissions. It is estimated that less than 1 % of all textiles worldwide are reused into new textiles or other types of products. Fashion is the second industry in risk of labour trafficking (GSI, 2018). Seventy-five (75) million people work directly in the fashion and textiles industry, about 80% of them are women. Many are subject to exploitation, verbal and physical abuse, working in unsafe conditions, with very little pay. The Covid-19 pandemic dramatically exacerbated these problems. The industry continues to lack transparency, with widespread exploitation of people working in the supply chain.
The Research Centre for Sustainable, Ethical & Circular Fashion and Textiles is situated within the Management Science Lab (MSL) at the Department of Management Science and Technology in Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB). Since 2015 the Centre for Sustainable Fashion is running a number of projects working on the transformation of the industry, the promotion of new supply chain and production models, new educational programs, especially for the development of green, ethical and sustainable supply chains, production processes, technological platforms and logistics. The Centre is coordinating circular fashion accelerator for SMEs ‘Small but Perfect’ (co-financed by the EU EISMEA COSME 2021-2023); it coordinates educational program ‘Transparency Manager in the fashion industry’ (co-financed by Erasmus+ 2022-2024), coordinates ‘Social and Sustainable Fashion Entrepreneurs-SOFE’ (financed by EU Erasmus+ 2015-2017); runs and participates in various research, training, consulting, and campaigning activities.
AUEB is running the global Fashion Revolution Summer School an international 3 weeks program in collaboration with leading US and European universities; Learn more and register HERE
The RC on Sustainable Fashion presented its work at the 2022 New European Bauhaus Festival on the 10th of June at the activities that were organized in Greece at the Ellinikon Experience Park [more...]
Our partners, include: the Hellenic Clothing Industry Association, the Thessalian Association of Clothing Industries and the Hellenic Association of Footwear Manufacturer and Exporters, the Hellenic Designers Association, the Ambassador for Craftmanship from the Ministry of Development, the Benaki Museum, the National Modern Art Museum, the Helidoni Foundation, the Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Education, the National Rapporteur Office for the prevention of Trafficking in Human Beings Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the civil society organisation Fashion Revolution Greece and the social enterprise Social Fashion Factory-SOFFA.
