By Daniel Cymes
As the modern-day consumer grows increasingly conscientious of how his/her purchasing power impacts the environment, fashion and beauty brands have been challenged to seek out executives who can realign company values in an eco-friendly manner. Corporations within the fashion industry have begun to tackle this problem by hiring individuals who hold the title Chief Sustainability Officer, or CSO for short (Mcdowell, 2019, para. 1). Although CSO-like roles are far from a recent phenomenon, only in the past few years has the importance of its position been magnified (Mcdowell, 2019, para. 4). This is directly correlated to a growing number of companies’ focus on the creation and execution of sustainability goals as a part of its business strategy (Bright Outlook for Sustainability Careers, n.d.).
Corporations at the forefront of sustainability measures worldwide based on the percent of sustainability experts polled (Bright Outlook for Sustainability Careers, n.d. para. 4).
In conjunction with these evolutions, the number of companies that employ individuals who hold a CSO position quadrupled between 1995 and 2008 (Bright Outlook for Sustainability Careers, n.d.). Today, the need for the sought after CSO positions have surged to the biggest multinational companies all over the world (Breene, 2014, para. 3). This indicates that an increasing number of brands are not only shifting the aim towards developing products that appeal to the public, but also placing the welfare of the environment at the forefront of its business objectives (Mcdowell, 2019, para. 8).
Realizing that ecology and the economy are not opposing forces is the first step in understanding the roles and responsibilities that a Chief Sustainability Officer possesses (Mcdowell, 2019, para. 12). Companies look to Chief Sustainability Officers in order to find innovative ways to stimulate profit, while simultaneously creating a greener globe (Mcdowell, 2019, para. 10). Companies such as Burberry and Nike have taken major strides in the sustainability game, for both brands have gradually incorporated recycled materials into clothing lines (Mcdowell, 2019, para. 13). Specifically, the British clothing designer Burberry has launched a fashion line that consists solely of recycled materials, in order to combat environmental waste issues (Wightman-Stone, 2019, para. 2).
Burberry collection created with Econyl, a sustainable nylon yarn made from recycled materials.
Although Burberry is a luxury brand, the steps it has taken to create an eco-friendly market in the fashion industry will help push a variety of brands to follow suit (Wightman-Stone, 2019, para. 4). For example, companies such as Adidas and H&M are now utilizing sustainability officers in order to further tackle environmental issues like climate change (Mcdowell, 2019, para. 17).
Sincerely Sustainable 
The role of a Chief Sustainability Officer sounds like one of high significance, especially given the current circumstances of the world’s environmental health. This post did a great job of explaining its purpose and relevance to the industry, as it is a relatively new position in most fields. It is surprising that, as indicated by the infographic, Nike is among corporations at the forefront of sustainability measures, as they are known for using sweatshops and processes as such. However, it is not surprising that Tesla and Patagonia are at the forefront of corporations participating in this movement as they are known for constantly making an effort to improve the world’s environmental health. It is especially interesting that Burberry is involved in this movement as well. Burberry is setting a great example for the fashion industry internationally to take action to better the world.
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Thanks for your input, Cayla! I really enjoyed gaining a better understanding of the logistics and manpower behind the sustainability movement in the fashion industry.
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Apologies for the abrupt ending to my previous comment, but I wanted to continue my thought. Besides emphasizing the importance of the role of a CSO, this post also seeks to bring to light the importance of companies coming together for the greater good of our global community. As the prominence of the CSO continues to grow, it will be interesting to see what other large corporations adopt this position into their staff.
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One question that arises, along with the rise of Chief Sustainability Officers, is whether or not their prevalence will spread to companies that focus on product affordability. The companies that have been mentioned above are all mostly luxury brands except for Adidas and H.M, however, the idea of a CSO being should not be one of luxury if curbing climate change is the goal. Clothing is a rather universal thing among human beings, but the vast majority of people are mostly purchasing what clothing they can afford. It will be interesting whether or not the role of a CSO has success in more affordable brands.
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Hello Ian! I appreciate your comment. Although the CSO position is relatively new, it is definitely a title that possess the potential to elicit innumerable positive global changes. Through my research, it became clear that because the Chief Sustainability Officer holds a C-suite or executive title, hence ‘CSO’, they are expensive assets to corporations looking to make strides towards adopting eco-friendly practices. It will most definitely be interesting to see how smaller businesses are able to incorporate the responsibilities that CSO’s hold into their business models in a cost-effective manner as time progresses.
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