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The European Commission recently named FReSCH, Fashion’s Responsible Supply Chain Hub, as one of the pioneering research projects with implications for sustainable and circular fashion and textile value chains.

Led by Assistant Professor Hakan Karaosman and Professor Donna Marshall, the research for FReSCH is conducted at UCD Centre for Business and Society (CeBaS) and UCD Earth Institute and takes a supply chain and anthropological approach by exploring multiple fashion supply chains to understand tensions and paradoxical issues between operational goals, environmental transition and social justice. The centre develops scientific knowledge, advice and frameworks to ensure just transitions can happen in complex supply chain settings.

This multi-level action research project investigates how a just transition to a low-carbon industry can happen in the context of fashion. Supporting the EU's strategies and thematic priorities, FReSCH provides roadmaps for managing just transition as well as catastrophic events such as climate change or natural disasters.

One of their recent publications explores the impact of COVID-19 on relationships in the luxury cashmere supply chain and shows the power and purpose of tier-2 suppliers, something that has not been found before in other research. 

The paper, “Chrysalis of crisis: Covid-19 as a catalyst for awakening power and justice in a luxury fashion supply chain” was written by Assistant Professor Hakan Karaosman, Professor Donna Marshall and Associate Professor Veronica H. Villena and published by International Journal of Operations and Production Management. Read more here.

This paper is part of the suite of just transition research exploring supply chains across the fashion industry. 

In addition, Assistant Professor Karaosman and Professor Marshall have recently published a short essay on what just transition is not. The article can be found here.

FReSCH will disseminate knowledge reports and have several engagement workshops throughout 2023. Including: 

• A provocative workshop at the IPSERA Conference that tied, for the first time, decarbonisation goals with overproduction. With the participation of two industry experts, Assistant Professor Karaosman and Professor Marshall Donna, and Assistant Professor Heletjé van Staden showed the community the problems with overproduction and how companies, NGOs and consumers should be looking at this problem. 
• Hosting an online workshop in Just Transition on Thursday 27th April, in partnership with Union of Concerned Researchers in Fashion. Click here to register. 
• Updating the FReSCH website with a comprehensive report on just transition and the impact of arms-length relationships in fashion supply chains with implications for practice and policy.