1. Fast fashion spurs bleach-like pollution of Africa’s rivers – report: Global brands could force better practices, but so far their presence in Africa has done little to stem rife pollution, water hoarding by contracting factories or even ensure adequate water and sanitation for factory staff. – Read More on Reuters
2. Why brands need to enter the race for transparency: “If you don’t know what you’re buying, where it comes from and under what social, economic and environmental conditions it’s being produced, it’s almost guaranteed to lead to public scrutiny.” – Read More on Forbes
3. Allbirds launches activewear line ahead of planned IPO: With its activewear launch, Allbirds positions itself as a closer rival to behemoths Nike, Lululemon and Under Armour. Several other retailers, such as Levi Strauss, have invested in the category, too. – Read More on CNBC
4. RELATED READ: Allbirds is One of the Latest Brands Facing a Lawsuit Over its Sustainability-Centric Advertising. Sustainability claims are not inconsequential, Dwyer argues, as they add value to the products in connection with which they are attached, and enable companies to charge more. “Had [she] and the proposed class members known the truth [about Allbirds’ products], they would not have bought the products or would have paid less for them.” – Read More on TFL
5. Retail sales drop worse-than-expected 1.1% in July as rising Covid fears hit consumers: Shoppers in the U.S. cut back their purchases in July even more than expected as worries over the delta variant of Covid-19 dampened activity and government stimulus dried up. – Read More on CNBC