In this guest blog, Jayanth Kashyap, investment lead at Good Fashion Fund, outlines the industry’s structural gaps and how Cascale’s “Source of Good” podcast dives deeper.
Key Takeaways
The conversations that stay with me aren’t the ones about ambition. They’re the ones about friction. A small-to-medium-sized textile mill owner in Bangladesh who can’t access a long-term loan because their balance sheet doesn’t fit a bank’s credit model. A brand sustainability team that has committed to Scope 3 targets but can’t finance the transition for their Tier 2 suppliers. A policymaker designing carbon incentives without a clear picture of what manufacturers can absorb.
These aren’t isolated problems. They are symptoms of the same structural gap: capital, data, policy, and production are moving on separate tracks, at different speeds, with different incentives.
That’s the problem “Source of Good” takes seriously. It’s why I was glad to be part of the conversation in Season 3, and why I am excited to dive into Season 4, which launched this week. Good Fashion Fund works at this intersection, moving affordable capital to SME manufacturers in South and Southeast Asia who are ready to decarbonize but locked out of conventional finance and locked into high carbon assets. What we have found is that the technical and financial solutions largely exist. The harder problem is alignment, and brands have a real role to play here, not just as buyers setting sustainability requirements, but as co-investors in the transition. When brands, capital providers, and manufacturers are pulling in the same direction, individual deals stop being one-offs and start becoming a scalable model.
“Source of Good” doesn’t treat these as parallel conversations. And that’s because the link between supply chain due diligence, procurement decisions, and investment flows isn’t incidental. It’s structural, and none of it holds if workers aren’t part of the conversation. Inclusive progress isn’t a downstream outcome but a condition for the transition to be durable at all. Ultimately, this won’t be driven by any single actor getting it right. It will happen when enough actors stop optimizing in isolation.
Nine episodes explore decent work, supplier engagement, and how industry tools can support shared progress on climate change.
Cascale has wrapped Season 3 of its “Source of Good” podcast, a nine-episode season that featured industry leaders working to advance decent work and climate action across the consumer goods supply chain.
With a thematic focus on the people and practices behind sustainability, the season explored what it takes to protect workers’ rights, strengthen human rights due diligence, improve purchasing practices, and build resilient, fair supply chains. Each episode offered a holistic lens on how collaborative actions directly support efforts to combat climate change.
Season 3 also explored how industry-aligned tools and shared frameworks can help translate commitments into action — supporting common expectations, more consistent supplier engagement, and progress that can be measured over time. The season referenced Cascale’s Higg Index tools, exclusively available on Worldly, and Better Buying surveys, which Cascale acquired in 2025, as examples of how standardized data, benchmarking, and supplier feedback can help organizations align efforts across the value chain.
This season brought together experts spanning human rights, responsible purchasing, transparency, investment, circularity, and supplier engagement — featuring conversations with leaders from the Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB), Retraced, UNIQLO, Fair Wear, Good Fashion Fund, REI Co-op, ERALDA, and more.
Episodes included:
“Source of Good” is a co-production of award-winning producer Hueman Group Media and Cascale, a global nonprofit alliance empowering collaboration to drive equitable and restorative business practices in the consumer goods industry. The podcast is hosted by Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff, Cascale’s communications director and a former journalist.
Since its debut in September 2024, “Source of Good” has released nearly 30 episodes featuring industry experts and leaders working across climate action, transparency, circularity, and decent work. Guests to date have included author and Cascale co-founder Rick Ridgeway, as well as leaders from organizations such as Recover, Brooks Running, Lenzing, Sappi, Dunelm, Nobody’s Child, the Apparel Impact Institute (Aii), PrimaLoft, Tapestry, ITL, Ren Energy, Hirdaramani, Elevate Textiles, Avery Dennison, Cotton Incorporated, Hanesbrands, and many more.
Cascale’s “Source of Good” will return for Season 4 in spring 2026, with more conversations on collective action across the consumer goods supply chain to combat climate change and support decent work for all. Episodes are available on multiple platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, and more. Listen and subscribe.
Emily Gigot, director of sustainability at SanMar joins us for season 4, episode 6 of our Source of Good podcast.
Dr. Delman Lee, Vice Chair at TAL Apparel Limited, joins us for season 4, episode 5 of our Source of Good podcast.
Dr. Thiwanka De Fonseka, Chief Sustainability Officer at Komar joins us for season 4, episode 4 of our Source of Good podcast.
Cascale has wrapped Season 2 of its Source of Good podcast, highlighting industry leaders driving supply chain transformation and collective climate action.
10-episode series highlights industry leaders sharing practical solutions for supply chain transformation and collective climate action
Cascale has wrapped Season 2 of its Source of Good podcast, a ten-episode series amplifying industry voices driving decarbonization across the consumer goods sector. Accelerating supply chain transformation and empowering collective action to combat climate change is critical to Cascale’s mission, targeting a 45 percent reduction by 2030, in line with the 1.5°C pathway.
This season explored renewable energy, supplier engagement, material innovation, and manufacturer practices – showcasing experts from manufacturers, brands, and service providers, including the Apparel Impact Institute (Aii), Tapestry, Cotton Incorporated, Hanesbrands, Elevate Textiles, Avery Dennison, ITL, Primaloft, Hirdaramani, and Ren Energy.
Episodes included:
Source of Good is a co-production of award-winning producer Hueman Group Media and Cascale, a global nonprofit alliance empowering collaboration to drive equitable and restorative business practices in the consumer goods industry.
Source of Good is available on multiple platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, and more.
“Source of Good” interviews experts – including Lewis Perkins of Aii – on sustainable transformation to a low-carbon economy.
Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Oakland (CA) – April 22, 2025: With a thematic focus on consumer goods supply chain decarbonization, the new season of Cascale’s “Source of Good” podcast reflects the nonprofit organization’s commitment to combat climate change. Kicking off with Lewis Perkins of Apparel Impact Institute (Aii), released today, “Source of Good” will share actionable insights and inspiring stories that drive the urgent transformation needed in the consumer goods industry. Across 10 bi-weekly, 20-minute episodes, listeners will discover how innovative companies – including Tapestry, Primaloft, ITL, and more – use Cascale’s Higg Index tools and other pioneering practices with the aim to achieve a 45% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030, ultimately aligning with a 1.5°C future.
“Our work with Cascale is about more than metrics – it’s about building momentum for real, lasting change,” said Lewis Perkins, president at Aii. “Together, we’re shaping a shared roadmap to help our industry cut emissions. I’m inspired by what’s possible when we align around bold action and collective responsibility for a better industry and healthier planet.”
Building on the inaugural season successes – including a conversation with Rick Ridgeway, legendary mountaineer, environmentalist, writer, and Cascale co-founder – “Source of Good” set the standard for industry dialogue on sustainable practices. With subscribers in over 50 countries, listeners can find the podcast on all major streaming platforms and follow the journey of industry change through each insightful episode.
“By spotlighting supply chain decarbonization, we’re addressing one of today’s most urgent challenges—while sharing powerful stories of transformation. These episodes showcase tangible strategies that inspire collective action and demonstrate how our industry can unite for a sustainable future,” said Lee Green, vice president of Marketing & Communications at Cascale.
“Source of Good” is produced by Hueman Group Media, a Webby-winning media company that produces high-caliber podcasts for social change and impact. The show is hosted by Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff, Cascale’s communications director and a former journalist. “Source of Good” is available on multiple platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, and more.
For more information about Cascale and to listen to the Source of Good podcast, visit cascale.org/resources/podcast/ or join our email mailing list.
Revisit Source of Good Season 1
Andrew Xeni, founder & chairman of Nobody’s Child and founder & CEO of Fabacus, joins us for season 1, episode 10 of our Source of Good podcast.
Jean Hegedus, Director Of Sustainability at The LYCRA Company, joins us for season 1, episode 9 of our Source of Good podcast.
Lisa Ly, Senior Sustainability Manager at Dunelm, one of the UK’s largest home furnishings retailers, joins us for season 1, episode 8 of our Source of Good podcast.
Did you know that eucalyptus trees grow more than six feet in a single year? It’s true! And it’s one of the reasons Sappi Verve uses them to make its dissolving pulp, which is transformed into viscose and other products. On today’s episode, Krelyne Andrew, Sappi Verve’s General Manager of Sustainability, explains the many benefits of eucalyptus trees and the company’s other responsible practices.
The timeless style Eileen Fisher is known for isn’t just a product of its creative design. It’s also linked to the brand’s sustainable sourcing and practices. In this episode, Susan Scow, Sustainability Specialist at Eileen Fisher, breaks down the steps to produce one iconic piece.
Trees are more than just bark, branches, and leaves. They contain a secret ingredient that is critical to a more sustainable fashion industry. In this episode, Thomas Matiz, Product Sustainability Specialist at Lenzing Group, takes us into a fairy tale world where responsibly managed forests become fabric. Except, it’s not magic. It’s science.
What if a quick scan of a QR code could answer every question you had about a product? At the women’s clothing brand Nobody’s Child, they’ve implemented that very technology. It’s all part of a revolution in the way consumers interact with products. At the helm is Andrew Xeni, founder & chairman of Nobody’s Child, founder & CEO of Fabacus, and our guest today.
Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite platform to hear how brands and manufacturers are tackling sustainability, one product at a time.
To learn more about Nobody’s Child visit nobodyschild.com
To learn more about Fabacus, visit fabacus.com
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Produced by Cascale and Hueman Group Media.
Views and opinions expressed during the podcast are those of the individuals expressing them and do not necessarily reflect those of Cascale or Hueman Group Media.
For more than 60 years, LYCRA® has kept us comfortable with its iconic stretch fabric. But now, the manufacturer is reinventing its material with an unexpected ingredient: corn. Yes, corn! In this episode, Jean Hegedus, Director Of Sustainability at The LYCRA Company, explains how using dent corn can yield a more sustainable, bio-derived version of their legendary material—without sacrificing performance or comfort.
Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff: For millennia, humans have worn clothes that change or enhance their body shape. Think of the bronze Spartan breastplate with its fake six-pack or the Victorian whalebone corset and its painfully tiny waist. These items were worn for very different reasons, but what they did have in common was how incredibly uncomfortable they were.
Jean Hegedus: Back in the fifties, you know, women, when they would wear foundation garments at that time, they were made with rubber and so they were really hot and heavy and very uncomfortable.
RLS: That’s Jean Hegedus, sustainability specialist for the LYCRA Company.
JH: LYCRA® was actually invented as a replacement for rubber. That’s what the scientist, Joseph Shivers, was looking for, and so he invented this very lightweight fiber that could provide both stretch and support to garments and to make them a lot more comfortable. So the name actually came from like rubber.
RLS: That was in 1958. Suddenly, foundation garments – or as we now call them, shapewear – became far more comfortable than our ancestors could ever have dreamed. And it wasn’t long before LYCRA® — which is also referred to as Spandex and Elastane — was being used to make other clothing, too.
JH: LYCRA® is in almost everything, whether you’re talking about intimate apparel or swimwear or activewear, socks, hosiery, knit tops, t-shirts, jeans…
RLS: The material is ubiquitous – and it’s now being re-invented for the sake of sustainability, with the help of a truly unusual ingredient.
Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite platform to hear how brands and manufacturers are tackling sustainability, one product at a time.
To learn more about The LYCRA Company’s sustainability initiatives, visit www.lycra.com/sustainability
Check out a pair of Lululemon yoga pants made from LYCRA® at www.lululemon.com
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Produced by Cascale and Hueman Group Media.
Views and opinions expressed during the podcast are those of the individuals expressing them and do not necessarily reflect those of Cascale or Hueman Group Media.
Would you throw away a whole sofa because of one stain? Sometimes, we have to, but those giant pieces of furniture wreak havoc on landfills. That’s why Dunelm designed its Full Circle Sofa with modular pieces that can be swapped out, repaired, and even recycled. Lisa Ly, Senior Sustainability Manager at Dunelm, one of the UK’s largest home furnishings retailers, explains this and other groundbreaking initiatives in its “Good and Circular” approach.
Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff: 800 years ago, in the city of Leicester, England, a market opened just south of the clock town. It was the kind of place where you could buy almost anything—food, clothes, flowers, and, eventually, home goods.
Lisa Ly: Dunelm started in 1979 as a market store in Leicester Market and was founded by Bill and Jean Adlai. They invested in ready-made curtains and a seconds curtains, bedding, and slippers. So seconds is basically where it’s a run-off or the end of production products that others might not want to sell. And they bought them and sold them on the market.
RLS: That’s Lisa Ly, senior sustainability manager at Dunelm, which today is one of the UK’s most trusted brands for homeware and furniture.
LL: So, Dunelm is, in fact, the name of a house where Bill, Jean, and the family lived. We used to be called Dunelm Mill, and the “mill” comes from the history of textiles, but we dropped the “mill.” But you still hear our customers call us Dunelm Mill, which is quite unique.
RLS: Some old habits take a long time to break. And in fact, there’s a lot of value in longevity. In today’s episode, we’ll get an in-house look at how Dunelm prolongs their furniture’s lifespan through a groundbreaking approach to circularity…
To learn more about Dunelm, visit www.dunelm.com.
Check out Dunelm’s line of Full Circle Sofas here.
Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite platform to hear how brands and manufacturers are tackling sustainability, one product at a time.
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Produced by Cascale and Hueman Group Media.
Views and opinions expressed during the podcast are those of the individuals expressing them and do not necessarily reflect those of Cascale or Hueman Group Media.
Trees are more than just bark, branches, and leaves. They contain a secret ingredient that is critical to a more sustainable fashion industry. In this episode, Thomas Matiz, Product Sustainability Specialist at Lenzing Group, takes us into a fairy tale world where responsibly managed forests become fabric. Except, it’s not magic. It’s science.
Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff: In the region of Upper Austria, there’s a town called Lenzing.
Thomas Matiz: It’s a rather little village but in a rather beautiful area surrounded with mountains and lakes and close to forests.
RLS: Picture a landscape straight out of a fantasy book, complete with castles.
TM: I’ve been here in this area now for only five years but I’m enjoying it very much. I’m glad to be this close to nature.
RLS: Thomas Matiz is the product sustainability specialist at Lenzing Group, a textile manufacturer that produces some of the most innovative and sustainable fabrics in the world. But here’s the thing: they’re made out of wood. How and why would a company want to make clothes out of wood? Stick around to find out…pun intended.
Listen below or click here to listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
To learn more about Lenzing, visit lenzing.com
Check out Reformation’s line of TENCEL-based clothing at thereformation.com/collections/tencel
Produced by Cascale and Hueman Group Media.
Views and opinions expressed during the podcast are those of the individuals expressing them and do not necessarily reflect those of Cascale or Hueman Group Media.
If you’re a runner, you probably know about Brooks Running’s legendary Ghost sneaker. In this episode, Gabriel Mens, Sustainability Manager at Brooks Running, walks – or should I say runs – us through the process of building a truly sustainable shoe.
Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff: On the evening of August 6, 2024, Josh Kerr laced up his running shoes and walked into a stadium of roaring fans in Paris. He also had a few fans cheering him on thousands of miles away in Seattle, Washington.
Gabriel Mens: We actually all gathered in HQ to watch one of our athletes, Josh Kerr, participate in the 1500 in that final and win the silver medal, which is pretty awesome.
RLS: That’s Gabriel Mens, sustainability manager at Brooks Running. And, during the 2024 Olympics, they had quite a few athletes to watch.
GM: I think we have 11 athletes participating throughout the Olympics. Just the Olympics brings a lot of enthusiasm, and it does boost interest in the sport of track and field and running in general, so our HQ is buzzing.
RSL: In fact, the connection between the Olympics and Brooks goes back to 1972, when Frank Shorter won the gold medal for the marathon race in Germany in a pair of Brooks shoes. From then on, the company decided to focus solely — no pun intended — on running gear. Since then, the company has become a global leader in both manufacturing and sustainability.
Listen below or click here to listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
To learn more about Brooks Runnings, visit www.brooksrunning.com
Produced by Cascale and Hueman Group Media.
Views and opinions expressed during the podcast are those of the individuals expressing them and do not necessarily reflect those of Cascale or Hueman Group Media.
In this episode, we explore CIEL Textile’s AQUARELLE Samudra facility, a factory powered by renewable energy that minimizes water use and supports its community. Sarbajit Ghose, former Asia Executive Director of CIEL Textile, shares how their innovative approach shows that sustainable production is not only possible but already in practice.
Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff: Imagine that I’m walking with you and my eyes are closed and you have to describe the factory to me. What does it look like?
Sarbajit Ghose: You know, the simplest answer is that it’s not easy to describe. You have to see it to believe it. It’s a very simple building. It’s very tastefully done, but it focuses on natural elements. It’s in the middle of nature, surrounded by trees. There’s a lot of use of natural light and cross ventilation.
RLS: That’s Sarbajit (or Serbie) Ghose, the [former] Asia Executive Director of CIEL Textiles. And he’s describing AQUARELLE Sumudra, a factory located in a small village in India. This isn’t your typical manufacturing facility and there is a serious commitment to sustainability. How this place came to be and how it operates in today’s episode.
Listen now:
Produced by Cascale and Hueman Group Media.
Views and opinions expressed during the podcast are those of the individuals expressing them and do not necessarily reflect those of Cascale or Hueman Group Media.
