LONDON — Paul Smith has joined the Sustainable Markets Initiative’s Fashion Task Force, further strengthening the King Charles III-founded coalition’s push to integrate sustainability into the luxury supply chain.

The British brand joins a tight-knit group that adds only one new member a year, with current members including Armani Group, Brunello Cucinelli, Burberry, Chloé, Mulberry, OTB, Prada Group and Stella McCartney, alongside partners such as the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance, Textile Exchange and the British, French and Italian fashion councils.

The Task Force was created in 2020 by the then-Prince of Wales at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. It is focused on regenerative agriculture and end-to-end product traceability, with the digital product passport at the core of its strategy to drive transparency and circularity.

“We are proud to join the Fashion Task Force. Sustainability and transparency remain key priorities for Paul Smith, and we are committed to continually improving our performance in both areas,” said Ewan Venters, executive chairman at Paul Smith.

“By becoming part of the wider Sustainable Markets Initiative, we are strengthening our commitment to collaboration, innovation and positive change across the fashion industry,” Venters added.

Federico Marchetti, chairman of the SMI Fashion Task Force and founder of Yoox Net-a-porter Group, said admitting one member a year reflects the coalition’s commitment to maintaining an agile and highly focused group.

“Brand’s alignment with the mission of the Fashion Task Force, together with a genuine commitment to addressing the sustainability challenges facing the industry, are the key selection criteria that Paul Smith fully embodies,” continued Marchetti, who has long supported the British monarch’s sustainability vision.

The Sustainable Markets Initiative is positioned as a “private sector diplomacy” platform to accelerate the global sustainability transition. By working with world leaders and chief executive officers, the SMI aims to put sustainability at the core of value creation and issues mandates such as Terra Carta and Astra Carta that set out practical road maps for business.

King Charles is Britain’s first Green King, having spent decades lobbying for the environment, sustainability, mental health and well-being.

In 1990, Charles founded Duchy Organics to sell organic food products from his estate in Cornwall. As fashion’s use of oil-based, synthetic fabrics gained momentum, Charles also founded the global Campaign for Wool in 2010, raising awareness among consumers about the renewable and biodegradable benefits of fiber.