Audience:
Open industry. All apparel and footwear industry professionals, regardless of AAFA membership, are encouraged to participate.
Description:
Fashion’s shift toward circularity is accelerating as market demands and regulations push brands to reduce reliance on fossil-based materials. This webinar starts with the big picture—circularity and market drivers—then moves into real-world examples of material innovation across textiles, polymers, footwear, apparel, and packaging.
We’ll cover how biobased content is scientifically verified using Carbon-14 testing, enabling verification, traceability, and credible claims.
The session will also explain how verification supports recognized certifications such as the USDA BioPreferred Program and SGS Green Mark, helping brands meet regulatory expectations, reduce greenwashing risk, and communicate sustainability with confidence. Attendees will leave with a practical framework for aligning biobased material strategies with broader sustainability goals.
Attendees of this webinar will learn:
- To understand market demands for sustainability, and circularity drivers shaping biobased materials in fashion.
- How Carbon-14 testing enables biobased verification across materials and product types.
- How to apply certification pathways to support credible sustainability claims.
Speakers:
Dr. Min Zhu
Senior Technical Services & Operations Director
SGS Softlines
Dr. Min Zhu is at the helm of SGS North American Softlines technical and operation teams with an impressive 20-year track record in textile research, product development, performance evaluation, and technical marketing. She drives the development of cutting-edge testing programs and global harmonization, and implement SGS Softlines policies, governance, new services and technical initiatives. Prior to SGS, Dr. Zhu worked with global companies including BASF, Cotton Incorporated, TAL Apparel Ltd. in various roles and taught as an Assistant Professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. Dr. Zhu is an active member of AATCC, ASTM, AAFA and other global and industry standard organizations on behalf of SGS.
Haley Gershon
Marketing Manager
SGS Beta
Haley Gershon, Marketing Manager for SGS Beta, joined the company in 2018. Her primary role involves leading marketing projects on an international level for multiple laboratory services in addition to managing the company's Marketing and Customer Support teams. Haley has an environmental science background and holds dual degrees in Ecosystem Science & Policy and Political Science, along with a Sustainability Certificate from the University of Miami.
AAFA Host:
Chelsea Murtha
Senior Director, Sustainability
AAFA
Chelsea Murtha serves as the association’s advocate and spokesperson on matters of sustainability and product safety. She engages with Congress, the Executive Branch, independent agencies, as well as state and local legislatures and agencies and foreign governments on sustainability, product safety, and chemical management issues important to the industry. Chelsea is also the staff liaison to AAFA’s Environmental Committee and Product Safety Council.
Chelsea joined AAFA from a Washington, D.C., government affairs firm where she led advocacy efforts for clients, including several trade associations and apparel and footwear importers, on policy developments related to environmental, social, and governance issues in global supply chains. She has also worked for the U.S. Fashion Industry Association, and a Washington, D.C., international trade policy consultancy firm. Chelsea earned a Master of Science from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Bachelor of Arts from the George Washington University.
Unable to join on April 27?
Register for the webinar to receive an email containing the direct links to access the recording and the PDF version of the presentation. The email will be sent 1-3 business days after the webinar.
CONTACT | QUESTIONS
Stephanie Paendong