The Center for Corporate Social Responsibility (cbsCSR) is nominated for a DANSK Fashion Award 2011 
How do you get a designer to buy ethically-correct materials? Is it possible to turn wood into clothing and how will the consumer react when the supply chain in the fashion industry turns upside down?

Esben Rahbek Gjerdrum Pedersen, Associate Professor from cbsCSR will for the next four years be conducting research in making the fashion industry more sustainable, which is why the centre is nominated for the Ethical Award at this year's DANSK Fashion Awards.

- cbsCSR has taken part in setting the agenda for sustainability for many years. This nomination clearly acknowledges the work done by the centre with Professor Mette Morsing in front. The centre has recently committed to two new research projects, which will be including the fashion industry in sustainable trade and help it towards a better handling of the CSR challenges of the future, says Esben Rahbek Gjerdrum Pedersen.

Usable research in business opportunities
One of the projects is a classic research project with an aim to create new theoretical knowledge of the changes faced by the Nordic fashion industry in these years. The project will develop and test a new model for examining the institutional environment and its impact on CSR in the fashion industry and the multiplicity of company strategies within this area. The project will also examine whether it makes sense to discuss a Nordic model for CSR. The project will run for two years.

The other project, MISTRA future fashion, is a four-year research initiative with a budget of SEK 40 million and an aim to promote 'systemic changes' in the fashion industry:

- It is essential that the fashion industry begins to consider new designs, new material and new business models. It is also necessary to look into the possibilities of moving demand, use and reuse in a more sustainable direction. The areas are interrelated.Thinking in new materials may lead to changes in the supply chain, which then will prepare the ground for new business opportunities. This is where CBS' research becomes usable, explains Esben Rahbek Gjerdrum Pedersen.
The project involves both Danish, Swedish and English researchers within the areas of design, natural science, business studies and politics. A number of private Swedish companies and public organisations are also contributing to this project.
 

A new industry – a new consumer
According to Esben Rahbek Gjerdrum Pedersen, the fashion industry is facing a new future. New markets with room for new players with new ideas will be created. But one very central player - the consumer - will be scrutinised in this project:

- The aim of the MISTRA project is not only to create more sustainable products, but also to study how the consumer is motivated to make more sustainable choices. We want to discover how it is possible to promote the competitive power in the fashion industry. Hopefully, we can bring the industry towards a higher level of sustainability in general, he says.