Certificate in Measuring Sustainable Fashion: Understanding and Applying Data

The fashion industry is facing a challenging data landscape. Lack of transparency, siloed data, data paywalls, and misinformation abound and keep the industry from making effective progress towards sustainability and impact targets. It is increasingly important to be data literate and to understand how to effectively leverage data in order to be an agent of positive change for the global fashion industry. This course breaks down data basics, the current fashion data landscape, measurement tools, data ethics, motivations for using data, and debunking data myths. By the end of this module, participants will understand why data matters and the role data has in the state of sustainability in the fashion industry.

Reliable and accessible data is the cornerstone to a transparent global fashion industry and is one of the most important tools for driving transformative change. Armed with the insights to navigate the sustainable fashion landscape, participants will learn the best practices to use this data for strategic decision-making in part two of this certificate program. This module will cover the practical understanding of the tools available, standards in place, capabilities needed, and the importance of visualization and storytelling in leveraging data for impact-outcomes for the global fashion industry. Students will practice their skills by completing a project in partnership with Fashion Revolution USA which leverages the methodology of the Fashion Transparency Index. Reliable and accessible data is the cornerstone to a transparent global fashion industry and is one of the most important tools for driving transformative change.

After understanding the fashion industry data landscape, the challenges of current data, how to leverage data for impact outcomes, and the value of data-driven decision making, students will apply this knowledge to a tangible and practical project outcome. Supporting Fashion Revolution USA’s Fashion Transparency Index or a unique project supporting impact at a data-led organization, participants will conduct independent research on a fashion brand or sustainability challenge, under the guidance of Natascha Radclyffe-Thomas EdD, Professor of Marketing and Sustainable Business for The British School of Fashion at Glasgow Caledonian University, London. Through this project-focused course, students have the opportunity to have a genuine impact on the fashion industry, supporting the effort to push and incentivize the world’s fashion brands to be more transparent about their social and environmental efforts.