Points of view | Insights
Towards a sustainable fashion industry: between greenwashing and real commitmentThe “sustainable” initiatives of fashion brands throughout the life cycle of the garment.
Introduction
2013: the Rana Plaza collapses, leaving more than a thousand workers dead. This tragedy highlights the deplorable conditions of the small hands of the textile industry and awakens the conscience of consumers on the dark underbelly of the so-called “fast fashion” (child labor, indecent wages, hourly volume, unhealthy, use of harmful products …). A number of scandals have multiplied in recent years. The latest one is that of the Boohoo group, a British fashion giant. The report of the workers’ rights association, Labour Behind the Label, published in 2020, accuses it of “modern slavery”. Using suppliers in Leicester – a city in the United Kingdom with a thousand textile workshops – the articles stamped “made in UK” are manufactured by workers paid £ 3.50 per hour, well below the legal minimum [1] and in precarious conditions. And yet… the scandal is quickly forgotten: the group is showing an increase in sales in 2020 and is becoming increasingly popular with young people, for its more than affordable prices and its permanent novelties…
If the manufacturing conditions of the textile articles are indeed pointed out, the environmental impact remains a priority subject. The production of raw materials, the use of chemical pollutants and fresh water pollution, transportation and of course the disposable aspect of fashion have a disastrous impact on the environment. Each year, the textile industry emits 1.2 billion tons, or about 2% of global greenhouse gas emissions [2], which is more than international flights and maritime traffic combined. In 2050, the textile sector would even emit 26% of global greenhouse gas emissions if current consumption trends continue [3].
Faced with these realities and confronted with the awakening of consumers, fashion must transform itself to promote fairer manufacturing conditions and reduce its environmental impact.
Reducing the number of collections, promoting natural and less polluting materials, relocating production closer to customers, turning to recycling materials, giving a second life to clothes, there are many initiatives to be explored throughout the life cycle of clothing…
Many brands have recently been flaunting a stream of “eco-responsible”, “natural”, “environmentally friendly” claims that are confusing to consumers. But what is an eco-responsible material? To each his own definition… Obviously, being eco-responsible does not only mean recycling used clothes and making organic cotton t-shirts…
Synthetic materials
Some brands like H&M claim their initiatives through numerous campaigns in favor of the environment (H&M Conscious, Climate Positive 2040..). If the Swedish giant has already eliminated 11 priority chemical substances from its manufacturing, efforts are still needed. Despite the development of an organic cotton range, highlighted in its campaigns, the rest of the pieces are composed of 60% polyester, a textile fiber from the oil industry and the most produced material in the world (39.7 million tons in 2015). [4]
Overall, synthetic fibers account for 2/3 of the materials produced in the textile sector with polyester leading the way (55%), followed by polyamide (5%), acrylic (2%) and elastane.
Although petroleum-based fibers do not require the use of agricultural land and their water consumption is lower than that of vegetable fibers, they require large quantities of fossil fuels (oil, gas) and their production consumes a lot of energy. In addition, they are not biodegradable and synthetic clothing releases plastic microfibers with each wash… Moreover, fibers and fragments are the most common types of microplastics found in many species (Burns and Boxall 2018), including invertebrates, fish, mammals, birds… [5]
For example, microplastics were visually detected by Beer et al. (2018) in 20% of the 814 Baltic Sea fish they studied. 93% of these microplastics were fibers… [6]
Plant materials
The choice of fabrics is therefore essential: although cotton, a natural material, is the second most used textile fiber after polyester (about 25% of the world’s textile production), the cultivation of this plant implies the consumption of important resources (for the production of 1kg of cotton, between 5,400 and 19,000 liters of water are necessary)[7] and the use of pesticides and bleaching agents that are harmful to humans and the environment.
« The production of a single pair of jeans requires between 7,000 and 11,000 liters of water, or the equivalent of 285 showers. » [8]
It is better to use organic cotton and natural fibers that are less loaded with chemical fertilizers and pesticides and that require less water. In fact, the cultivation of organic cotton saves up to 91% of water compared to the cultivation of traditional cotton.
Other alternatives to cotton exist, such as flax: this plant does not require irrigation, relying on rainwater, and little or no pesticides; 80% of it is produced in Europe and France is the world’s leading producer (world production of 150,000 tons per year)[9][10]. However, it represents only 1% of the textile fibers used in the world.
Artificial materials
Presented as alternatives to cotton and polyester, artificial fibers are obtained from natural resources such as cellulose from: bamboo, corn, soy, eucalyptus … Even if these materials are biodegradable, they involve the use of very toxic chemicals such as sodium hydroxide, sulfuric acid and a central substance, carbon disulfide.
This highly volatile and flammable liquid can cause serious illness in the populations around the manufacturing plants. Among these man-made fibers, lyocell is produced with eucalyptus cellulose and is preferable to viscose because the natural, non-toxic solvents used to transform the wood into fiber are 99% recycled. Thus, pollutants are not discharged into wastewater.
Animal materials and substitutes
The leather industry is also evolving, notably with vegetable tanning or the development of types of skins such as those of fish from the food industry recovered by Cuir Marin de France – their carbon footprint would be lower than that of the cow. There is a growing interest in 100% vegetable substitutes, such as Pinatex, a compound made from pineapple leaf fibers. Some brands, such as Stella McCartney, are giving up animal leather to be in line with the values they advocate (animal welfare, etc.).
Go further…
What will be the next more ecological textile innovations? Textile industries work with engineers who do not come from the fabric industry, which widens the field of possibilities. Clean dyes and natural materials with the same breathable or water-repellent properties as some synthetics are obtained from food industry waste. For example, Pangaia’s T-shirts are made from seaweed and treated with peppermint oil. The long-lasting freshness of these fibers avoids frequent washing and saves up to 3,000 liters of water per year!
Some actionable levers to meet the challenges of tomorrow…
- Favour natural materials that do not consume a lot of water, such as linen and organic cotton.
- Encourage the use of labels such as Oeko-Tex 100, certifying that the textile product does not contain any chemical product harmful to health.
- Control the origin and production method of materials.
- Give preference to recycled materials
The crisis of the Covid-19 has impacted the relationship to time and creativity of some brands, particularly in the luxury sector. Thus, Saint Laurent, aware of the current economic situation and the radical changes it has brought about, has decided to establish its own collection calendar and will not present its collections as part of the official calendars for the year 2020. Gucci follows in the footsteps of Saint Laurent by announcing its willingness to abandon seasonality and present two shows per year.
Obviously, the subject of reflection is necessary for fast fashion whose production volume is much higher than luxury houses. For example, Zara multiplies its collections, offering hundreds of new items per week, which creates a rush and encourages customers to return frequently to the store.
For Pascal Morand, Executive President of the French Federation of Haute Couture and Fashion, “we are typically in a contemporary contradiction. How can we reconcile a growth dimension with a background of absolute slowness? The strength of French luxury is to hold this two-headed dialectic in the same hand and to marry these two opposites. More generally, we are experiencing two major structural trends, the digitalization of the economy and sustainable development. What is happening is not a catalyst but a gas pedal. In this incredibly new situation, there are naturally going to be variations on how presentations to buyers at showrooms will be organized.” [11]
So wouldn’t a more frugal approach make for better fashion? On-demand production could be a solution to the accumulation of stocks and the multiplication of collections. This is the economic model on which the Spanish shoe brand Alohas is based. A collection is launched on average every 23 days, which is available on demand on the web for three weeks with a 30% discount, then 15% for the following five weeks. This “reversed” discount cycle rewards consumer anticipation: the earlier the purchase, the bigger the discount. In return, the customer must wait between 30 and 50 days to receive their pair of shoes. This avoids overstocking at the end of the season and ensures that the number of units in pre-sale equals the number of units in production.
While other companies do not base their business model on on-demand production, they can nevertheless rely on automated mass production systems in a short circuit, such as that of the French start-up Tekyn [12]. In simple terms, Tekyn helps brands such as La Redoute or Camaïeu to adjust their production according to the parts and quantities sold in the previous weeks. This solution to the stock problem could allow European houses to repatriate their Asian production. Indeed, the increase in labor costs would be compensated by a better productivity.
Some actionable levers to meet the challenges of tomorrow…
- Limit the number of collections per year.
- Explore on-demand production models and reverse discount cycles.
- Adjust production based on previous pieces and quantities sold.
Cutting and sewing
The cutting stage of the clothes can be greatly improved. Currently, it generates between 20 and 30% of scraps. Surpluses appear regularly in the course of the collections. It is then up to designers to rethink production upstream, in order to use fabrics intelligently and limit waste. For example, Loewe optimizes its creation process and, through the “surplus project” [13], presents woven leather tote bags made from colored leather scraps from the company’s archives.
The choice of fabric, accessories (buttons, rivets…) and patterns have consequences on the end of life of the product (disassembly and recycling). For example, a pair of jeans can only be recycled at 30% because of the many hard points (seams) and metal accessories. For example, the French jeans brand 1083 offers children’s jeans that are designed to be repaired, with removable legs in case of knee snags [14]. In addition, single-material fabrics make recycling easier, as does substituting woven or embroidered patterns for synthetic ink-based prints.
Production conditions
While the offshoring of textile production has provided many employment opportunities, mostly for women, in developing countries – nearly 75 million people work in the garment, leather and footwear industries worldwide – these jobs are precarious and often informal. In 2019, a Public Eye survey of 45 international fashion retailers reveals that a majority of workers in supply chains are not paid a living wage, that is, covering their needs and those of their families while leaving some discretionary income. This living wage is not provided in virtually any of the factories of the companies surveyed.
Know the Chain published a report, “2018 Apparel and Footwear Benchmark” [15] which details the risks of forced labor in supply chains for nearly 43 fashion companies. Two-thirds of them score below 50/100 and nearly a quarter achieve a score below 10/100. In fact, a report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (Aspi) think tank had previously accused brands such as H&M of participating in “modern slavery”. As a result of these allegations of forced labor by Uighurs, H&M announced that it was ceasing all relationships with Chinese yarn production and would no longer source cotton from Xinjiang, China’s largest cotton-producing area.
Unfortunately, low wages and forced labor are not the only problems suffered by the little hands. Numerous accidents have occurred in textile factories around the world and attest to the safety risks and unsanitary conditions of the buildings. Some progress has been made since the Rana Plaza tragedy. In Bangladesh, the agreement ratified to make buildings safe and protect workers is beginning to bear fruit – out of 1,600 sites visited, 227 have finalized their improvement procedures. That said, there is still much work to be done, especially as brands move production from China to Ethiopia, a market with very low average wages.
The selection of suppliers and their monitoring by the brands become symbolic acts. Although production chains and supplier relationships are sometimes obscure, the strengthening of the duty of care has been highlighted recently, and laws are moving in this direction. In 2017, for example, France passed a law on the duty of vigilance for multinationals.
Some actionable levers to meet the challenges of tomorrow…
- Rethinking the pattern and reusing fabric scraps.
- Favouring production close to its consumer market.
- Limit the number of intermediaries, stabilize the supplier base and set up regular audits.
- Establish strict purchasing procedures and create a charter.
- Ensure the traceability of the supply chain.
One of the solutions to reduce the environmental impact of textile production is to offer clothes made as close as possible to the consumer, “made in France”… The Tuffery workshop makes jeans in Lozère and thus limits its carbon footprint linked to transport. But not only: the company also seeks to limit its impact by using materials from short circuits. Some of its pants are made from locally produced hemp fibers. Another initiative, in the Gers: farmers have started growing cotton and offer, with their company Jean Fil, 100% French polo shirts (from 95 to 120 euros). They estimate that their clothes travel 20 times less kilometers than products made in Asia. [15]
« A pair of jeans can travel up to 1.5 times around the world, from the cotton field to the store. »
Even if production cannot be done as close to its customers as possible, there are alternative approaches. For example, Sézane has compensated for 100% of customer deliveries in 2019. The brand has set up a TMS (Transport Management System) management tool to better manage its deliveries and favor certain types of transport that emit less greenhouse gas (rail, sea and road transport). Sézane minimizes the use of air transport whenever possible. For final deliveries, 100% of last mile deliveries in Paris are operated by electric or natural gas transport and cargo bikes with Chronopost. [17]
With the development of e-commerce, the issue of transport goes hand in hand with the optimization of packaging: the over-packaging of products (polybags, boxes, etc.) and the size of packages are becoming problematic. Sézane is also committed to reducing the amount of packaging and plastic in its packages. Some packaging has been eliminated, allowing a reduction of more than 60% of Leather Goods and Jewelry boxes. Other boxing processes also allow the brand to reduce the void rate of its packages and thus reduce the footprint during transport.
Other companies are also beginning to offer alternatives with the reuse of shipping packaging or the use of eco-friendly materials to protect the clothes. For example, Vestiaire Collective has a project with Tekyn [18] for new materials, and SKFK and Picture Organic are proposing reusable packages from Repack. Also, on the French side, Hipli parcel packaging is just waiting to be reused. [19] Just slip them into any mailbox or relay point free of charge and return them to the Normandy workshop for reuse.
Some actionable levers to meet the challenges of tomorrow…
- Identify the stages of transformation of the material that can be relocated.
- Optimize the supply chain and rationalize loading.
- Optimize the size and weight of packaging, ensure the recyclability of the various elements of the packaging, think of eco-designed multi-purpose packaging.
- Favouring environmentally friendly transport.
Under what conditions are our clothes produced? By whom? How are prices set? Consumers are clear: responsible and sustainable fashion requires more transparency. The smallest structures were the first to anticipate this desire. On its e-commerce site, Veja, through a section entitled project, shows transparency by displaying details of the manufacturing process, the ethical dimension of the project but also its limits. The brand even goes so far as to publish the contracts signed with its organic cotton suppliers.
On its website, Maison Standards displays its production and marketing costs. In the United States, brands such as 3×1 Denim and Zero Waste Daniel combine a retail space with a design studio where customers can see the entire garment manufacturing process. Also, the brand The Reformation invites its customers to visit its site once a week.
However, the line between transparency and communication strategy can be fine. “Communicating, including on what they are not yet able to do, becomes a pretext for some brands to avoid touching their economic model,” deplores Nayla Ajaltouni, coordinator of the Ethique sur l’étiquette collective. 20] For example, H&M provides information on its website about the origin of each article, including the address of the subcontracting factory… While the publication of this information does encourage more transparency, it does not provide any data on the working conditions of the workers.
Some actionable levers to meet the challenges of tomorrow…
- Communicate on sustainability and production to customers (e.g.: increase the share of “eco-responsible” materials) – this communication being part of a global sustainable approach.
- Ensure the traceability of products and be transparent by providing information on materials, production sites, manufacturing conditions as much as possible…
- Limit the periods of sale.
- Reduce the environmental impact of sales outlets.
Destroying stocks is a common practice, especially for luxury brands, which wish to preserve their image and control the channels through which their products are sold. Burberry, for example, has been pinned down for having burned a stock of unsold goods worth 30 million euros, the equivalent of 20,000 trench coats [21]. Every year, between 10,000 and 20,000 tons of textile products are destroyed and disappear from the circuit in France, according to the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Solidarity [22]. To eradicate this waste, France is committed to becoming, by 2023, the first country in the world to ban the destruction of clothing. Under penalty of financial sanctions, brands will be forced to recycle or give away their unsold goods. A vast reorganization of collection channels is required and many so-called circular economy initiatives are to be explored.
reuse of stock: destocking
The platforms of destocking do not know the crisis, the law going in their direction with the prohibition of the destruction of stocks and taking advantage of the positive effects of the pandemic on their activity (increase of the online purchases, extension of the offer…). Indeed, if clothing brands and shops accumulate unsold stock – due to the closing of stores and restricted hours, the limit of people in stores, a decrease in consumption in stores etc… -, the pandemic is indeed profitable for the destocking platforms. Showroomprivé has thus increased the number of partner brands by 30% in 2020. The company anticipates a pre-tax profit of more than 30 million euros in 2020 against -31.4 million in 2019 [23].
The practice of destocking thus limits the destruction of these stocks and participates in a more virtuous economy and a more sustainable fashion. It is also an opportunity for people with lesser means to sometimes acquire higher quality branded clothing, which they would not otherwise have access to.
Repair
Keeping a garment for an additional nine months could reduce carbon, waste and water consumption by 20-30%. That’s why clothing brand Patagonia offers a program to get your clothes repaired for free. The brand is committed to reducing the carbon footprint of its products and has been offering a repair tour called the Worn Wear Tour for the past three years [24]. On board their trailer, the Patagonia team travels across Europe to offer everyone the possibility to repair a garment and receive advice and tips on how to do it themselves. The initiative has mended over 100,000 pieces in 2019.
Rental and use
Brands may no longer propose to sell the product but the use of this product. The symbolic value of ownership is replaced by the functional value of use. More and more companies are emerging on the basis of this model, allowing to face the waltz of fashion trends, as fast and ephemeral as they are, and to fight against the constitution of waste. Thus, through subscription systems, consumers can choose new pieces each month and renew their wardrobe. For example, Bocage offers a rental service “L’Atelier Bocage” to its customers: for €29 or €34 per month, subscribers can change their shoes every two months [25].
Waste recovery and upcycling
The concept of upcycling was theorized in the 1990s by Reiner Plitz. It is “the action of recovering materials or products that are no longer used in order to transform them into materials or products of superior quality or utility”. For example, the clothing brand Les Récupérables is part of this approach and works according to the principles of textile recycling. The brand does not produce materials but gives a second life to household linen, curtains, end of rolls (e.g., buying back end of rolls from the Caroll brand) and technical materials (e.g., non-conforming fabric from work clothes) purchased from French partner manufacturers [26]. The Le Coq Sportif brand, on the other hand, decided to turn to agri-food waste. The French brand has launched a range of shoes with vegetable leather uppers, obtained from grape residues from the production of wine or grappa and transformed into paste.
SECOND hand
The circular economy also involves the second-hand market, which has nothing to do with the thrift store of yesteryear. According to the IFM report, this market, which weighed 21 billion euros in 2018 in the United States, could more than double within three years, and even surpass fast fashion purchases by 2028 [27]. In France, this market represents one billion euros.
« In 2019, more than one in three French people bought second-hand, twice as many as the previous year.» Kantar data – Worldpanel [28]
While the sale of second-hand products is not a new phenomenon, it is now being taken in hand by companies themselves. This initiative is gradually permeating the strategies of already well-established brands such as Gémo (Eram group), which is opening “Seconde Vie by Gémo” second-hand sales areas in stores. Bocage, through its “Comme Neuves” corners, offers for sale pairs of shoes rented by customers at the “Atelier Bocage” after having been reconditioned. Other brands, digital natives, like Balzac Paris, organize the resale of used parts on their own websites: they offer to give a second life to the brand’s parts in exchange for a voucher. All you have to do is collect your used Balzac Paris parts, obtain a trade-in offer in a few clicks and send the items in question to the brand free of charge. No product sheet to create, no photos to take… The brand takes care of putting the item on its website and the customer receives a voucher that can be used on new or second-hand items. But the collection of clothes already worn feeds a conceptual opposition between brands: should we make it a voluntary civic approach or reward the customer monetarily for his gesture favoring the fight against waste? Some brands refuse to make this gesture a mercantile tool rather than a citizen gesture, while others monetize these collections with vouchers.
If the brands are converting to the second-hand market, they must be patient to hope to obtain some market shares: Vinted, leader in France, would capture 56% of the second-hand fashion sales made from France.
Inevitably, the transformation of the second-hand market impacts collection and relay organizations, which hope to capture 300,000 tons of clothing per year, or about 40% of the quantities thrown away [29]: the gradual decline in the quality of the textiles collected is undeniable. This drop in quality can be explained by the recent increase in fast fashion items, but also by the growing habit of reselling on the Internet. However, the best products sorted, feed the relay stores which allow to create jobs of reinsertion…
Some actionable levers to meet the challenges of tomorrow…
- Optimize the management of unsold goods and explore new channels.
- Thinking about and proposing alternative services to consumers (repair, rental of certain parts, etc.).
- To think about proposing second-hand products.
- Encourage a responsible citizen approach, through the collection of clothes to be recycled.
Conclusion
The various initiatives and new directions taken by textile industry players are hopeful, encouraged by various laws and global coalitions, such as the Fashion Pact [30], (presented at the G7 summit in Biarritz in 2019), bringing together fashion and textile companies, suppliers and distributors, committed to a common set of major environmental objectives centered on three themes: curbing global warming, restoring biodiversity and protecting the oceans. Rethinking fashion is thus in line with the major issues of our century. If fashion is indeed an eternal restart, the path towards more sustainability will allow us to optimize the life cycle of our clothes, for the greater happiness of our planet.
Our value proposition
Rethinking strategy
- Explore the viability of new marketing and consumption models based on product usage and life cycle.
Take stock of the existing situation
- Establish an inventory of the materials used (eco-responsible material share, volumes, production sites).
- Establish a diagnosis of packaging (volumes, materials, recyclability, etc.) and evaluate their financial and environmental impact.
- Map the global logistics chains (distances travelled, stages and modes of transport used, total impact).
Initiate action plans
- Include sustainable development objectives and indicators in the design process by stylists and model makers and in the definition of budgets by buyers.
- Create and animate a community of suppliers to exchange and include them in a continuous improvement process (KPIs, sustainable productivity, traceability…).
Experiment
- Raise customers’ awareness of the challenges of sustainable consumption, experiment with in-store workshops in this sense (repair, DIY, sewing, shoemaking, variolization of crafts, etc.).
- Encourage work with local artisans (creation, repair and sustainable maintenance services, etc.), train them and promote their know-how.
- Train the sales force in sustainable development issues and in building a sales pitch around these themes.
[1] The minimum wage is £8.72 per hour for workers over 25.
[2] https://multimedia.ademe.fr/infographies/infographie-mode-qqf/
[3] https://multimedia.ademe.fr/infographies/infographie-mode-qqf/
[4]https://multimedia.ademe.fr/infographies/infographie-mode-qqf/
[5] https://setac.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1002/etc.4268
[6] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969717328024
[7] http://www.jeconsommeresponsable.fr/de-a-a-z/comprendre/362-le-coton-en-quelques-chiffres.html
[8] https://www.ademe.fr/sites/default/files/assets/documents/le-revers-de-mon-look.pdf
[9] https://www.planetoscope.com/matieres-premieres/1311-production-mondiale-de-fibre-de-lin.html
[10] http://www.union-agricole.fr/actualites/l-agpl-est-attentive-a-ce-qui-se-passe-sur-le-marche:WONKR2GX.html
[11] https://www.lepoint.fr/art-de-vivre/luxe-la-mode-fait-sa-revolution-02-05-2020-2373817_4.php
[12] https://tekyn.com/
[13] https://www.lvmh.fr/actualites-documents/actualites/loewe-presente-le-surplus-project-son-nouveau-concept-responsable/
[14] https://institut-economie-circulaire.fr/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/focus-textile-sept-2018.pdf
[15] https://knowthechain.org/wp-content/uploads/KTC_AF_2018.pdf
[16] https://www.jeanfil.fr/les-engagements-de-jean-fil.html
[17] https://www.sezane.com/fr/a-propos/derriere-l-etiquette
[18] https://www.groupevitaminet.com/partenariat-confectio-x-tekyn/
[19] https://hipli.fr/
[20] https://www.lexpress.fr/styles/mode/7-engagements-pour-une-mode-ethique-responsable-et-durable_2098182.html
[21] https://www.forbes.fr/business/pourquoi-burberry-a-detruit-pour-plus-de-30-millions-deuros-dinvendus/
[22] https://www.ecologie.gouv.fr/loi-anti-gaspillage#
[23] https://www.lefigaro.fr/conso/les-magasins-de-vetements-croulent-sous-les-stocks-que-vont-ils-faire-de-ces-montagnes-d-invendus-20210205
[24] https://eu.patagonia.com/fr/fr/wornwear/
[25] https://latelierbocage.fr/
[26] https://lesrecuperables.com/pages/lupcycling
[27] https://www.ifmparis.fr/fr/actualites/etude-inedite-nouveaux-modeles-economiques-de-la-mode
[28] https://www.kantar.com/fr/inspirations/consommateurs-acheteurs-et-distributeurs/2019-textile—-achats-seconde-main
[29] https://fr.fashionnetwork.com/news/Marche-de-l-occasion-marques-et-enseignes-a-l-heure-de-la-prise-en-main,1174734.html
[30] https://thefashionpact.org/?lang=fr
Pagamon is a strategy and transformation consulting firm founded in 2013. We support major players in the industry, services and life sciences sectors in their search for balance. Helping them structure their strategic vision, transform their operational and/or digital model, and drive change. To support profitable, sustainable and responsible growth. As a committed player, Pagamon leads the Observatory of the Balanced Organization™, articulated around a "think tank" and an annual survey. In order to provide an innovative, sometimes offbeat, perspective on the strategic and operational implementation of transformations to support the growth of companies.