Sustainability and Circularity in Fashion: Insights from Ralph Lauren’s Sustainability Lead

Danielle Solomon Nkojo, sustainability lead at Ralph Lauren, sat down with Vishal Agrawal, the Henry J. Blommer Family Endowed Chair in Sustainable Business, to discuss circularity and sustainability within the fashion industry. The event, hosted by the Business of Sustainability Initiative at Georgetown McDonough, began with Nkojo giving the audience a glimpse into what it was like growing up in the Bronx—where incinerator soot would often fall from the sky when she played outside. Little did she know then, but this would lead her to a career in environmental justice.

Before her time at Ralph Lauren, Nkojo led initiatives such as a textile recovery program (ReThread DC), a product repair initiative (Fix-It DC), and pollution abatement projects (Share-A-Bag DC). During the conversation, she gave insight into the business models she deployed when working with these nonprofit companies and how they led to her work at Ralph Lauren. Nkojo found her current job by researching Ralph Lauren’s circularity initiatives and felt that the job description perfectly aligned with her aspirations.

Nkojo began working for Ralph Lauren in 2021 and has already made a strong impact; she was named to The Vogue Business 100 Innovators: Sustainability thought leaders in 2023. In her current role, Nkojo leads Ralph Lauren in its circularity goals, which includes focusing on certifying C2C-certified products and developing circular principles. One of Nkojo’s primary focuses is finding ways to reuse and recycle clothing designs.

– Max Scheiner (MS-ESM’24)