Sustainable Fashion @ Yale
Program Overview:
Sustainable Fashion @Yale is an interdisciplinary initiative dedicated to advancing dialogue, innovation, and research in sustainable fashion. The program takes a broad view of fashion, encompassing apparel, textiles, and the materials and processes behind them, and examines how these intersect with industries such as renewable energy, sustainable materials and chemicals, manufacturing and supply chain management, consumer behavior, policy and governance, economics, innovative business models, sustainable finance, and culture.
Fashion, apparel, and textiles touch nearly everyone, everywhere, every day. Fashion was one of the earliest industrialized sectors, and today it remains a global economic force valued at more than $2.5 trillion, employing an estimated 1 in 6 people globally, though statistics vary. The decisions made within these industries — from material selection and production volume to the business models that govern how clothes are made, sold, and discarded — carry profound consequences for people and the planet: the sector produces 92 million tonnes of textile waste annually and is responsible for 8–10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The need for transformative action is urgent, and Yale — with deep expertise across chemistry, industrial ecology, policy, and business — is positioned to help lead it.
Sustainable Fashion @Yale exists to close the gap between what is known and what is done. The program brings together students, alumni, researchers, industry partners, and donors — through curriculum and coursework, programs and events, and active research and scholarship — to advance knowledge and dialogue, foster transformative solutions across sectors, and create impact that extends well beyond Yale. The goals below reflect that throughline: from advancing the conversation, to building solutions, to putting them into practice in the world.
Program Goals
Create a platform for critical discussion and knowledge-sharing that deepens understanding of the environmental, social, and economic impacts of fashion, apparel, and textiles. Engage students, researchers, policymakers, and industry leaders in dialogue that shapes a more equitable and sustainable global system.
Accelerate innovation and the adoption of sustainable practices across fashion, apparel, and textiles by driving interdisciplinary research and connecting diverse stakeholders across sectors. Equip people and organizations with the tools to advance circularity, reduce consumption, adopt renewable energy, and unlock innovative finance.
Connect Yale students and alumni to practitioners, internships, and professional pathways across fashion, apparel, textiles, and their intersecting industries, building the next generation of leadership in sustainable fashion.
Raise the visibility and legitimacy of fashion, apparel, and textiles as subjects of serious academic and professional inquiry, ensuring they take their place alongside the university's other major areas of focus.
Pursue these goals by drawing on the areas where Yale's expertise and the needs of sustainable fashion most closely align — green chemistry, industrial ecology, waste, innovation, and public policy — bringing a genuinely unique, interdisciplinary lens to the field.
Our Areas of Work
Curriculum & Coursework
Coursework and credentialing give students and outside professionals a path to real, applied expertise in sustainable fashion — from semester-long courses to professional certificates and peer discussion groups.
- Transforming Global Value Chains for Sustainability: The Case of Fashion and Textiles — semester course, registration open for Fall 2026
- Green Chemistry for Climate and Sustainability Certificate (9-month and 6-week formats)
- Yale Sustainable Fashion Colloquium — spring discussion group
Programs & Events
Our programming connects the Yale community directly to people working in sustainable fashion today, through recurring events, speaker series, and informal engagement.
- Moving the Needle speaker series
- Repair cafes
- Practitioner coffee chats and guest speakers
Research & Scholarship
Faculty and student research anchors the program's intellectual core, spanning publications, capstone projects, and cross-institutional collaboration.
Impact Beyond Yale
Our students and alumni go on to shape the field itself — through internships, entrepreneurial ventures, and careers across the industry.
- Student ventures:
- Internships and careers
- Sanjana Pimoli (MEM '26) - Senior Manager, ESG and Innovations at Shahi Exports
- Christy Dey (MEM/MBA '28) - Recent internship as a Portfolio Manager at Fibers Fund
- See more alumni and others in our Sustainable Fashion Career Guide
- Read our annual report
Get Involved
For Yale Students
Get involved during your time at Yale, whether you're looking for structured discussion, hands-on programming, or College-specific opportunities.
- Moving the Needle — student-focused events and programming
- Yale Sustainable Fashion Colloquium — spring discussion group, open to students across the Yale ecosystem
For Alumni
Stay connected to the program and to the students following in your footsteps.
- Mentor current students or host a coffee chat
- Guest lecture or speak on a panel
- Hire interns or recent graduates
For Industry & Organizations
External organizations can plug directly into the program's work.
- Partner with CBEY — fund programming and research, provide guest speakers, or host interns
For Donors & Supporters
Your support funds research, programming, innovation and more for the next generation of leaders in sustainable fashion.
- Support Sustainable Fashion @ Yale
- Reach out to Heather Fitzgerald (heather.fitzgerald@yale.edu) about how you can financially support this work.
For Researchers & Practitioners
Connect with a global community studying fashion consumption and sustainability.
For Everyone
Join us at public events throughout the year.
- Attend an upcoming event and view our past events to see what we've done (scroll down for events)
Partners
