Sustainable Business and Design Conference: 2022 Pathways to Impact: The Power of Partnerships

FIT’s 16th annual Sustainable Business and Design Conference: Pathways to Impact centers on four core themes that highlight the intersectionality of sustainable practices. Over the course of two intensive days, attendees will be immersed in keynotes, talks, and panel discussions providing pathways to Social Justice x Social Responsibility, Environment x Materials, Consumption x Waste, and Design x Business. The speakers are trailblazers in numerous facets of sustainability and emphasize the FIT community’s commitment to best practices in all its operations—including student projects, faculty and staff initiatives, and campus facilities.The Power of Partnerships: panel discussion on collaboration in the fashion industry with Borre Akkersdijk, co-founder and creative director, ByBorre; Roberto Circelli, Suedwolle Group Italia S.p.a.; Hao Ding, Sorona® ; Cloé Lankhorst, WoTO™ Manager; Michel Mastio, Südwolle Group GmbH. Moderator: Dr. Karen Pearson, Professor, Science and Math.In 2015, Borre Akkersdijk co-founded BYBORRE, an Amsterdam-based textile innovation studio working on the frontiers of scalable bespoke textile development and production. His studio houses a knit lab and atelier, a curated library of yarns, and the latest industry innovations. At the center is the textile design platform Create™, BYBORRE’s own design tool that serves as a digital interface opening up the freedom to create textiles while playing with responsible design options. The goal is to put creators from a wide range of industries in charge of their own designs so they can make the most out of their own textile in a streamlined, waste-conscious manner, without having to understand the technicalities of machines, yarns and manufacturing processes.Roberto Circelli is a product manager in the Suedwebs Innovation Department of SWG. Roberto graduated with a concentration in Textile. He started in medical textiles at Cizeta Medicali Company in 2013, then moved in 2019 to the Südwolle Group.Hao Ding holds an Executive MBA degree, a master’s degree in science, and is certified in business sustainability management. He has more than 17 years of experience in the chemical, plastic, textile, and fashion industries, serving in many different roles, including research and development, sales and marketing, and business management. Hau has led projects on sustainable solutions and high-added-value solutions development. He is an expert in new business development and downstream market development.Michel Mastio is the Segment Director of Sales in Hosiery and Circular knitting yarns at the Südwolle Group GmbH. Michel started in textiles at Company Stoehr in 1992, then moved in 2010 to the Südwolle Group.Karen Pearson, PhD, is a professor of Science and Math at FIT and is the co-chair of the college’s Sustainability Council. She has won a SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, has been noted as one of the 100 Most Inspiring Women in STEM, and is a recipient of FIT’s President’s Award for Excellence. Pearson has done extensive work in the development of interdisciplinary STEAM curricula and programming at FIT and is the recipient of multiple research and program awards, including those from the National Science Foundation and the National Endowment of the Arts. Her research outside of the classroom is focused on the design, synthesis, and application of new materials that have potential in low-energy devices, such as thin-film transistors (TFTs) and light-emitting diodes (LEDs)