Fashion Positive Launches Innovators Hub to Accelerate Circular Materials Development

New resource center from Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute's Fashion Positive initiative aims to facilitate material innovation for fashion.

Oakland, CA, Dec. 19, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute's Fashion Positive Initiative has launched the Innovators Hub , a resource center for the growing circular fashion movement.

 "At a time when resource scarcity and growing global population make positive change ever more urgent, the rapid innovation of safer, healthier materials offers one of the fastest routes to achieving a circular economy. The Fashion Positive Innovation Hub aims to accelerate this process for the fashion industry," said Lewis Perkins, president of the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute.

 Created with funding from the non-profit H&M Foundation, the Innovators Hub provides one-stop access to critical resources for material innovators working to drive circular materials development - through the innovation of safer, healthier materials developed in accordance with the principles of the Cradle to Cradle Certified product standard.

"Until now, creating safe, healthy circular materials that also meet designers' requirements for performance, quality and aesthetics has been a notoriously challenging process," said Annie Gullingsrud, director - textiles and apparel sector for the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute. "The Fashion Positive Innovators Hub has been designed to simplify the material innovation process by addressing the three biggest challenges currently faced by material innovators in fashion: education and know-how, technical assistance, and funding opportunities." 

"The momentum for a better future for fashion is growing quickly. Finding ways to improve the health, safety and recyclability of materials already in production, as well as innovate new materials made for the circular economy, will transform the fashion industry from the designer's drawing board to the supply chain and consumer. This ultimately benefitsthe global environment, people and communities," said Erik Bang, Innovation Lead at H&M Foundation. "We are excited to support the Fashion Positive Innovators Hub to help material innovators understand and use Cradle to Cradle methodology to create and scale circular fashion for a growing world population."    

The Fashion Positive Innovators Hub offers:

• Circular economy know-how, including a library of videos and interactive tools demonstrating how to apply the principles of the Cradle to Cradle Certified product standard to fashion.
• Chemical and material screening using the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute MaterialWise tool, which allows users to screen for known hazards with free access to the Cradle to Cradle Certified v3 banned list and v4 restricted substances list, as well as the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) manufacturing restricted substances list v1.1.
• Access to investors, accelerators, brands and manufacturers via the Fashion Positive network, created to connect material innovators with the resources and support necessary to bring high-potential material innovation projects to scale. 

Innovators Hub resources are available to users free of charge at https://www.fashionpositive.org/get-started/innovators

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The Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute

The Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute is a non-profit organization whose mission is to turn the making of things into a positive force for people, the economy and the planet. It administers the Cradle to Cradle Certified Product Program, a guidance-system for assessing and continually improving products based upon five sustainability characteristics: material health, material reuse, renewable energy, water stewardship and social fairness. The Institute is headquartered in San Francisco with an office in Amsterdam, NL. For more information, visitC2CCertified.org, or follow @C2Ccertified on Twitter and Instagram.

 Cradle to Cradle® is a registered trademark of MBDC.

Cradle to Cradle Certified(TM) is a certification mark licensed by the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute.

Fashion Positive

Fashion Positive transforms fashion one material at a time. Together with a community of pioneering brands, designers, and suppliers, we identify, optimize and certify the building blocks of the industry- yarns, dyes, fabrics, zippers, trims, finishing, and more-creating a growing collective of "positive" materials with which to design from the beginning. For more information visit  www.fashionpositive.org.

H&M Foundation

The H&M Foundation is a non-profit global foundation, privately funded by the Stefan Persson family, founders and main owners of H&M. Its mission is to drive long lasting positive change and improve living conditions by investing in people, communities and innovative ideas. Web: hmfoundation.com

Facebook & Instagram: @hmfoundation

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Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/13b130dd-dd68-4c84-b596-a24221c9c311

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b7ca02a8-963d-4453-99dc-f19fcf26ab91

Emma Williams
Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute
+1(423)653.1095
Emma@fullcirclecommunications.co