The Future of Sustainable Fashion: Enabling the Circular Economy in the Apparel Sector | Karla Mora, Alante Capital (#046)

SRI360 | Socially Responsible Investing, ESG, Impact Investing, Sustainable Investing

Have you ever thought about what happens with the clothes you toss out, or all the unsold items in malls?
The apparel industry is a $3 trillion market that mass-produces tons of garments. Yet, a large portion of these items end up as waste without ever being sold.
For many brands, it’s more cost-effective to write off unsold items as waste rather than consolidating and reselling them — a practice that leads to huge amounts of perfectly good merchandise being thrown away, along with the packaging waste that comes with it.
So, how do we create more sustainability in the fashion industry? Today’s guest, Karla Mora, has the strategies for making this change happen.
Karla is the visionary founder and managing partner of Alante Capital. With her extensive global experiences, including work on supply chain reform in Afghanistan and a dip into the coffee sector with the United Nations Sustainable Commodity Initiative, Karla has made a unique path in impact venture capital investing.
Karla’s mission with Alante Capital is to drive real change within the fashion industry by investing in early-stage technology startup companies that champion circular, sustainable practices.
In this episode, Karla breaks down the concept of the circular economy and how her firm invests in both material science and software solutions for a more efficient value chain. We also discuss the challenges of integrating sustainability into the apparel industry, the role of consumer consciousness, and the vast opportunities for innovation within the industry.
Tune in now to learn more about impact investing strategies that are set to redefine the future of fashion.
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Show notes: {link}
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About the SRI 360° Podcast: The SRI 360° Podcast is focused exclusively on sustainable & responsible investing. In each episode, I interview a world-class investor who is an accomplished practitioner from all asset classes. In my interviews, I cover everything from their early personal journeys to insights into how they developed and executed their investment strategies and what challenges they face today. Each episode is a chance to go way below the surface with these impressive people and gain additional insights and useful lessons from professional investors.
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Key Takeaways:
An introduction to Karla Mora and her extensive global experience (00:00)
Karla’s transformative work experience in Afghanistan (19:05)
Transition to Helios Investment Management and impact investing (27:57)
The inspiration behind launching a circular-focused VC firm in the apparel industry (38:57)
Founding Alante Capital and focusing on circularity (42:02)
The three dimensions of impact and KPIs for measuring success (53:41)
Alante Capital’s investment selection, decision process, and exit strategies (1:02:01)
How to ensure investment in businesses maintains lasting impact post-exit (1:24:10)
Investing in diverse founders and balancing sustainability and pricing (1:25:45)
Rapid fire questions (1:37:55)
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Additional Resources

Connect with Karla on LinkedIn.
Visit Alante Capital's website.