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Impact Index: A new tool to
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analyze clothing’s

sustainability credentials

The Responsible Business Coalition, Accenture, and on You’s rating platform. However, they have not
Vogue created the Impact Index, a logo designed to reached the scale that organizers hope the index can
tell customers how to understand their clothing’s achieve by engaging with some of the industry’s
sustainability credentials better. The digital logo will largest companies and collaborating with Vogue to
appear on product websites for garments; it may maximize consumer reach. (The same parent
expand to physical product labels eventually and will company owns Vogue as Vogue Business, Condé
show the environmental or ethical criteria the Nast.) Products that earn the label have met
garment meets once a person clicks on it. The initial standards set or approved by third-party
categories are raw materials, animal welfare, organizations such as Canopystyle, Bluesign, and
chemical usage, education, and empowerment, but the Global Organic Textile Standard.
these are likely to expand. The Impact Index seeks to
fill gaps in three main areas: defining and When the Impact Index launches with consumers, the
communicating sustainability at the individual product logo will appear on a product’s website (and at some
level, bringing clarity to the crowded certification point, potentially also on a physical on-garment tag)
landscape, and establishing effective methods for if the garment meets any one of the four criteria
data collection across the entire industry. areas. By clicking on the logo, consumers can learn
more about which criteria that product meets,
A number of platforms already exist with a similar including which organization was involved for
goal, such as Remake’s Seal of Approval and Good verification purposes.

Juki launching the new

ShuHaRi app and

e-learning solutions

Juki is launching the new ShuHaRi app and The free ShuHaRi app was designed to help Juki
e-learning solutions to fill the need for qualified sewing machine operators with daily maintenance of
workers in textile factories. The software could also their machines, with step-by-step instructions
tackle the shortage of qualified machine technicians available directly on their smartphones. The paid
and sewing teachers, further stalling operations and e-learning program was created to educate
stopping contracts in their tracks. Juki’s new individuals and groups in the sewing industry, with
ShuHaRi app is a free inspection support system different modules on training a sewing machine
designed to effectively use Juki sewing machines operator or managing sewing machine plants. Users
and the support of factory personnel. The app offers can choose between individual learning
a step-by-step learning process, a derivative of the management styles or group-style courses. Students
Japanese meaning of “Shu Ha Ri,” which translates learn via video modules and are tested on their
to keeping (Shu), applying (Ha), and developing (Ri) understanding of the subject matter after completing
the basics. each module.

October/November 2021