Lewis Perkins
President, Apparel Impact Institute

From our conversation

“Designing for abundance doesn’t mean lots of products—it means living in a world that is abundant, that uses resources not only effectively and efficiently, but also creates more livelihood, cleaner water, more renewable electricity.”

Biography

As president of Apparel Impact Institute (Aii), Lewis Perkins has supported the mobilization of brands, manufacturers and financiers to fund and scale high-impact environmental solutions, including the Fashion Climate Fund and the Climate Solutions Portfolio—driving progress in key production regions like India, Bangladesh, China and Vietnam. Before leading Aii, he served as president of the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, where he pioneered the Fashion Positive initiative, embedding circularity into fashion supply chains. He has also advised major organizations, from the Earthshot Prize to the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Consumption. Lewis has shared his insights at COP, the Global Fashion Summit, the Clinton Global Initiative, Aspen Ideas: Climate and Vogue’s Forces of Fashion, among others.

Visit the Apparel Impact Institute website to learn more about the organization's decarbonization mission.

Interview

Cultivating Partnerships & Funding Regenerative Production: Lewis Perkins
In this conversation, Lewis discusses the mission behind his work at the Apparel Impact Institute, emphasizing the importance of aligning industry stakeholders toward a “common direction” in order to maximize positive change. He highlights the key challenges and opportunities for decarbonization within supply chains and how the Fashion Climate Fund invests in these endeavors. Lewis advises brands and suppliers to develop data-driven frameworks for their sustainability work that reflect their mission and prioritize investments in high-impact climate solutions.