On Earth Day 2025, UN tour guides will debut new uniforms designed with sustainability at their core. Created by students from the Swedish School of Textiles, the outfits will tell a story of environmental responsibility while promoting sustainable development in the textile industry.
“The tour guides of the United Nations Headquarters are doing an impressive job,” said Benjamin Dousa, Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade of Sweden. “They make a positive impression with their knowledge, experience, and sense of humor, but also by looking smart.”
Sustainable uniforms are just one of many solutions discussed at the SDG Lounge. Experts and manufacturers explored paths to reform the fashion and lifestyle sector—a global powerhouse that shapes trends and drives economies but is also a major contributor to environmental degradation, accounting for approximately 60% of greenhouse gas emissions and excessive resource consumption.
Tackling Plastic and Circular Economy Solutions
Jyoti Mathur-Filipp, Executive Secretary for the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution, noted that of the 500 million metric tons of plastic produced annually, 400 million metric tons end up as waste.
She emphasized the importance of addressing plastic’s full lifecycle in the upcoming global agreement. “We’re not banning plastic,” she explained. “It’s a great material that can help us reach net zero, for example, by making cars and planes lighter. The focus is on keeping plastic out of the environment and our bodies.”
Tove Andersen, President and CEO of TOMRA, highlighted her company’s 50-year track record in circularity solutions, including innovative beverage container collection machines. “If you put a value on waste through deposit systems, it gets collected,” she said, noting recycling rates of over 90% in countries with strong collection schemes. TOMRA also uses AI for precise material sorting, optimizing reuse.
Innovating Across Industries
Alexander Lacik, CEO of Pandora, discussed his company’s pioneering efforts in using only lab-grown diamonds and recycled silver, reducing carbon emissions by 22%. “Each year, 26,000 metric tons of silver are produced, and 80% of it ends up in landfills,” he said. “That’s astonishing because precious metals can be reused indefinitely.”
Ravi Naidoo of Design Indaba, a “design activism” initiative based in Cape Town, proposed a broader purpose for design. “How about design, not just in service of brands, but for a noble cause?”
Bridging Philosophy and Affordability
Affordability emerged as a key challenge. Simon Henzell-Thomas, Global Director of Climate and Nature at Ingka Group, stressed the importance of balancing sustainability with cost. “Customers won’t pay more for sustainability,” he said. “It’s easy to build an expensive, beautiful sofa, but how amazing is it to build one sustainably—and affordably?”
Mastercard’s Chief Sustainability Officer Ellen Jackowski emphasized inspiring consumer behavior: “We have a role to inspire, inform, and enable people to choose more sustainable products.”
Addressing Overproduction and Education
Noella Coursaris, founder of Malaika, drew attention to the issue of overproduction in fashion. “The quantity of water used to make a single pair of jeans is insane,” she said. At the same time, she praised the growing consumer interest in supply chain transparency and sustainability.
The UN Fashion and Lifestyle Network now unites more than 280 partners worldwide. Roberta Marcenaro, founder of Italian Design Week celebrated its 1,500 commitments driving global impact. “It’s clear we can lead this transformation and save the planet,” she said, announcing the launch of the UN Fashion and Lifestyle Regional Hub to support grassroots commitments worldwide.
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