Sustainability in 2026 is fundamentally supply chain management. For brands with approved science-based targets, 96% of emissions are Scope 3 (Aii), and most social impact opportunities lie within supplier relationships. But whilst brands increasingly pledge long-term partnerships, the Better Buying 2025 Garment Industry Scorecard found that industry-wide progress on purchasing practices had stalled.
The gap between aspiration and practice reflects genuine complexity. Market volatility, shareholder pressure, and competing priorities create real constraints for brands, whilst suppliers face their own pressures around climate adaptation, capital investment, and margins. But 63% of suppliers surveyed by Vogue Business report that brands expect them to advance sustainability whilst continuing to squeeze margins; a financially untenable partnership for all.
Our multi-stakeholder panel will explore:
- What does partnership mean in practice?
- Brand and supplier perspectives on the tensions and trade-offs in sourcing relationships
- How can we shift from brand-led directives to supplier-informed collaboration to share investment and risk?
- When collaboration is no longer possible, what are the responsible exit strategies to follow that protect stakeholders when partnerships end
What to expect from this type of session...
Hear from expert speakers on these mainstage panel discussions as we address the critical sustainability challenges and opportunities within the industry.
