LAUREN B. FAY
Lauren Fay is driven by a passion for transforming the fashion and textile industries towards a more sustainable and circular future. With a background in strategy, business development, and technology, she focuses on building bridges and fostering collaboration to drive meaningful change.
For two years, Lauren served as the Founder and Executive Director of The New Fashion Initiative (TNFI), where she worked to create systemic shifts by bringing together businesses, academics, non-profits, and designers. TNFI's initiatives, including academic programming, strategic consulting, industry consortiums, and "The New Fashion Initiative Podcast" hosted by Sophia Kianni, aimed to democratize access to sustainability knowledge and amplify diverse voices.
In her recent work, she has partnered with organizations like Fair Trade USA, West Elm, Pact Organic, Renewal Project, Patagonia, REI, and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Her work focuses on enhancing supply chain transparency and developing impactful sustainability initiatives.
Lauren's expertise extends to end-of-life textile solutions, with a focus on reduce, reuse, and recycle strategies across the US, EU, and Asian markets. She stays at the forefront of emerging chemical and mechanical recycling technologies and understands their integration within existing manufacturing systems. She is an active member of working groups related to SB707 and she has done research for groups like the National Retail Federation and the Reverse Logistics Association, demonstrating her commitment to advancing Extended Producer Responsibility. Lauren is based in Seattle, Washington, loves ocean swimming, triathlons, and her family.