SMI roundtable event wraps, progress updates relayed to King Charles III

The Sustainable Markets Initiative’s (SMI) Roundtable & Exhibition event wrapped yesterday, bringing to an end two days of keynotes, panel sessions and discussions all with the goal of accelerating the rollout of a circular fashion ecosystem.

On the second day, members of the organisation’s Fashion Task Force convened at Buckingham Palace to brief King Charles III, who founded SMI in 2020, on the progress of its flagship projects.

Simultaneous to the core event taking place at Hampton Court Palace, His Majesty was presented with the results of the Himalayan Regenerative Fashion Living Lab, relayed alongside an exhibition of associated cashmere scarves that are now available to clients in select locations.

Updates on the Apulia Regenerative Cotton Project, launched in 2023, were also provided. The initiative, which focuses on introducing agroforestry-based cotton production in Italy, is said to have “delivered measurable gains in soil carbon and biodiversity across the site”.

The Armani Group, one of the leaders of the programme, presented a Digital Product Passport (DPP) during the meeting to outline its authenticity, while HModa presented its organic and regenerative cultivation project in Apulia.

One of the Fashion Task Force’s key priorities has been to implement the use of DPP’s across the industry. During the event, SMI members like Stella McCartney and Mulberry showcased DPPs, the technology of which is provided by Aura, on select products in order to show the depth of accessible data.

In a statement, chair of SMI Fashion Task Force, Federico Marchetti, thanked the industry leaders and their teams for their participation this year, as well as the SMI and CBA.

Marchetti added: “Their collective efforts have enabled us to achieve remarkable, innovative and measurable results, which we had the honour of presenting today at Buckingham Palace to HM The King, who has always encouraged me to turn ideas into action.

"These results demonstrate to the entire industry the path forward. Fashion has always been an industry of creativity and reinvention: with collaboration and innovation, we can turn sustainability into the next great chapter of luxury.”