Fashion Law and Sustainability: A book to address sustainability from a legal perspective

In my experience as a lawyer working on finance and banking transactions (once upon a time, I have also been a lecturer in Banking Law), I am used to see that certain topics are often considered only from the economic or financial perspectives, without considering the legal issues. This causes often the paradox that even scholars and lawyers focus their attention more on the description of the economic phenomenon than on the identification of the legal effects and consequences that the phenomenon requires.

While the case in fact is always the starting point of every lawyer and judge (an ancient Latin saying goes “tell me about the fact, I will say the applicable rule” (narra mihi factum, tibi dabo jus)”, the analysis of the applicable legal framework is essential to ensure legal protection and, if the circumstances so require, ask for law making.

This has been my approach in editing the book “Fashion Law and Sustainability”, the need to determine what kind of rules make fashion sustainable.

The book is divided into 20 chapters written by different scholars, professionals in the fashion industry and lawyers based in Italy, India, China, UK, USA and Russia with the intention to highlight the critical issues and to show the possible solutions.

An effort to handle the single matters and issues related to sustainability in the fashion industry from a legal perspective. The analysis goes from the identification of sustainability as a legal principle in the international treaties and national constitutions to national laws, facing the issues related to greenwashing in the EU, USA and UK, the protection of the employees, the endangered species and the special status of the models. Attention has been paid to:

Sustainability in India and China, the supply chain in Russia; 

The necessity to deal with cultural heritage and copyrights;

The use of sustainability as a criterion for selective distribution;

The necessity of certification systems and transparency; with a special view to the use – in the EU – of the terms “leather” and “fur” and of those derived therefrom or their synonyms;

The challenges of sustainability from a corporate perspective and non-financial information reporting.

Many voices from the world with the purpose to fashion the Planet on sustainability from a legal perspective.

The book may be ordered on line.

Any proceeds will apply to plant trees in Africa to empower Maasai women.

Columnist:

Mario di Giulio, Partner at Pavia e Ansaldo Law Firm & Co-founder and Vice President of The Thinking Watermill Society

Disclaimer: Views expressed are of the authors.