ESG Outlook: Thomasine Dolan of Material Innovation Initiative on Next-Gen Materials

ESG Outlook is Sourcing Journal’s discussion series with industry executives to get their take on their company’s latest environmental, social and governance initiatives and their own personal efforts toward sustainability. Here, Thomasine Dolan, director of material innovation + design, Material Innovation Initiative , discusses why it’s so important to support next-gen materials and influence brands to adopt them.

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Name: Thomasine Dolan
Title: Director of material innovation + design
Company: Material Innovation Initiative

What do you consider your company’s best ESG-related achievement over the last 5 years?

MII is a female-founded non-profit, barely 5 years old! From the beginning our mission has been to support the ‘makers’ of next-gen materials and influence brands to adopt. Our work gives a platform to material startups desiring a community and greater impact. We coined the term “next-gen” as a shorthand way for the industry to identify this new class of fibers and materials that are sustainable and animal free. We now see this term widely used as a way to quickly distinguish between the incumbent, less sustainable textiles.

Our website is a resource-rich place for investors, entrepreneurs, scientists and brands seeking relevant information regarding the next generation of environmentally preferable fibers and materials. We have databases for innovators, disruptive tech and investors. Numerous studies and reports are also available to the public for free. We have hosted conferences and numerous webinars engaging industry professionals around the world, which are also available on our website. We like to think that our platform and information sharing has contributed to the steady growth and 10 percent investment increase for next-gen innovators in 2023.

What is your company’s latest ESG-related initiative?

This year we published and hosted webinars for the State of the Industry report, What Makes Silk, Silk report, What Makes Fur, Fur report and just this week we released White Space #1 report. All these studies provide information and explorations to spur development and interest in sustainable, environmentally preferable, animal-free fibers and materials. All reports are free to download from our website.

At the invitation of Texworld, we hosted a Next-Gen Innovation Hub in January of 2024 to showcase sustainable material innovation. This was the first time Texworld has recognized next-gen materials in a meaningful way and the show was wildly popular. For many attendees, this was new territory for them. We are doing it again in July with more innovators, many of whom have now scaled.

What is the biggest misconception consumers have about sustainability in fashion/accessories?

Many people think animal leather is more sustainable than next-gen leathers. They do not know that most animal leather has a percentage of PU—especially if it is extra shiny or super durable. They do not tend to look upstream and take into account the industrial agriculture effect of raising millions of cows and how that impacts biodiversity, GHGs and water, not to mention animal cruelty.

We occasionally need to define next-gen leathers for folks when they are lumped with vegan leathers which include synthetic PU-heavy and PVC varieties. Vegan leathers regularly get called out as ‘not sustainable’ and of course we agree, many vegan leathers are not sustainable. Most next-gen leathers are 80-100 percent bio-based and all are working toward 100 percent bio-based. This will happen soon due to more bio-based coatings coming onto the market.

What was your company’s biggest takeaway from the Covid crisis that is still relevant today?

The need for communication and platforms for information sharing. Because we are building a new material industry, it is paramount to get messaging out. And it was a great time to get messaging out because we all had to slow down and listen, read and ask questions.

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I also believe the Covid crisis gave us a moment of pause and reconnect with nature. I see a greater empathy for animals than I’ve ever seen before.

As consumers become more aware of worker conditions and how clothing is produced, how can the industry best spread the word on progress?

There needs to be transparency, because for the people actually making clothes in the busiest manufacturing hubs in the world to get proper pay, work in a safe environment and access to health care, the retail prices will need to go up or brand margins will need to go down. Brands will need to ‘sell’ this to the consumer.

What do you consider to be the apparel industry’s biggest missed opportunity related to securing meaningful change?

Not getting involved in the proposed FASHION ACT sooner. Brands knew this bill had been percolating for 3 years. They had time to get involved to put their imprint on it as well as get their ‘ducks in row’ to prepare for change, but that did not happen. Sustainability is not yet a top-down initiative for many brands.

What is your personal philosophy on shopping and caring for your clothes?

I have the benefit of a lifetime of fashion designing and collecting. I’ve always searched content labels and avoided polyester. I was raised to spot-clean clothes when possible and how to alter them to be trend-right. I rarely buy new clothes at this point—I have in-house vintage! A few decades ago, I realized that buying well-made classic styles and taking care of them will get you through many fashion cycles. I was lucky to get an early start at Ralph Lauren, where I got a great education in textiles, make and styling. Classic pieces are my fall back, go-to position. This includes shoes. The Gucci loafers I purchased 25 years ago are still in rotation.

How much do you look into a brand’s social or environmental practices before shopping?

I know I am in a bubble because I read trade journals (like this one!), so knowing about brands is part of my daily read. Also, because I worked in NYC fashion for 25 years, I know how certain brands operate and their standards and ethics. And yes, I do think about it when I am buying things for myself and other people.

Anything new you are doing to boost sustainability beyond the fashion industry?

Packaging!  Everything is covered in plastic! When I have choices, I choose produce not wrapped in plastic, and plastic bottled beverages are not allowed in my house. And I compost! Well, actually I am part of a pilot program in my neighborhood and it has decreased my household trash by 70 percent. It is remarkable.

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