Videos
"In 2015, sustainability was still a "nice to have." If you're a good corporate citizen doing the right things, you're doing these things. Now it is table stakes. It's an absolute imperative. If you're not doing these things, why are you at the table? You shouldn't be at the table."
Video key points:
- Elevate Textiles formed in 2018 when American & Efird, the second-largest thread producer in the world, joined with Cone Denim and Burlington.
- Sustainability has moved from a “nice to have” to “table stakes.” Jimmy says early leadership has helped the company justify its investments.
- The Ten Threads of Sustainability, which Jimmy developed at American & Efird in 2006, now guide sustainability work across all of Elevate.
- Jimmy says requirements keep multiplying. He wants brands and suppliers to co-design tools up front and use one source of truth, ideally on the Worldly platform where their data already largely exists.
Watch the full conversation between Jimmy Summers Chief Sustainability Officer at Elevate Textiles and Scott Raskin, CEO at Worldly.
Don’t have time to watch the full conversation? Skip ahead to 11:41 to hear Jimmy’s perspective on manufacturer maturity and why now’s the time for brands and suppliers to invest together in changes that are economically beneficial to both sides and better for people and planet.
"You have to know what's going on in your factory and have the data to understand where you are. Don't fear that. Don't fear quantifying and understanding where you are in your journey. If you're just starting out, that's fine. Just the fact that you take the steps to quantify it, do FEM, get the data, and understand where you are, is important, because there's all kinds of help and opportunity to start on the journey."
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