Adidas, North Face, Levi's on What's Next for Sustainable Apparel

Fashions change from season to season. It takes far longer to make over the business behind a $1.7 trillion industry.

The good news is that sustainability is more in style than ever, and on its way to becoming a perennial wardrobe staple.

"There's more collaboration, more focus, more businesses are tuning in," said Letitia Webster, senior director of corporate responsibility for North Face and Timberland parent company VF. "There's heightened awareness. [...] Things are starting to congeal."

In researching that thesis, I uncovered plenty of evidence. And the source of most of the action? Expansive global supply chains...