We want to hear from you - CO Op-Eds
Do you have an opinion you're burning to share? Are you an expert with knowledge and insight to impart? Then we'd love to hear from you.
We are creating a regular Op-Ed content series to provide a platform for the expertise and insight within our CO community. Our role as a global industry platform is to enable greater knowledge-sharing to accelerate solutions that drive a better fashion industry.
Find out more about our Op-Ed Guidelines below and how to submit your piece to the content team.
Op-Ed Submission Guidelines
Please use the submission form below to submit your piece to our content team. We will endeavour to respond to all submissions within 7 working days but please bear with us as we have a large community of interested writers.
Word count: 600-700 words. If your op-ed is longer than 800 words, we will unfortunately not be able to consider it.
Biography: You will be asked to include a short author biography as part of your submission. Please keep this to one sentence and note that we only accept submissions from individuals not brands.
Exclusivity: All submissions must be original and exclusive to Common Objective.
What is an Op-Ed?: Personal or explanatory essays, commentary on news events, reflections on sustainability trends and more are all welcome. We're interested in anything well-written with a fact-based viewpoint we believe readers will find worthwhile.
While we appreciate that companies would like to showcase their brand story, Op-Eds will only be considered from individuals, wishing to express an opinion and not from brands or individuals from brands wishing to promote their business.
Key topics we are particularly interested in: This is not an exhaustive list but to give you an idea of the topics which we cover regularly:
sustainable sourcing, climate crisis, tackling consumption, sustainable fibres and materials, systems change, circular and de-growth models, working conditions and social issues, sustainable manufacturing, marketing and communications, future of sustainability.
Tips on writing an Op-Ed for CO:
Put your argument forward in a persuasive, authoritative manner. Don't be afraid to be passionate in arguing your point.
Be sure to include hyperlinks for all assertions and attributions made in your essay. You are solely responsible for the truth and accuracy of your submitted article and should disclose any conflict of interests.
Good questions to ask are:
Is your argument significant, original or insightful?
Are you the right person to be writing this piece? Do you have some connection to the topic that makes you an expert or a relevant party? If the answer is no, it’s probably wise to find another topic that you are an expert in.
Have you thought your argument through? Can you anticipate the counter arguments and do you feel comfortable addressing your potential detractors up front? If not, perhaps your idea needs more work.
Tone-of-voice: Use simple, everyday language that is easy to understand.
Tips on structure:
Lead paragraph: Try to grab readers right away with your first sentence; make them want to read more. Start with an interesting story or example that encapsulates your point, be bold but incontrovertible, use humour if appropriate. A news hook that makes your piece timely is often a good way to start.
Supporting paragraphs: Now that you've stated your point and grabbed readers' attention, build on your lead with facts, statistics and anecdotes.
Wrap it up: In the concluding paragraph, take your argument a step further and leave readers with information about what needs to be done next. If you're trying to move people to action, be sure to answer the question, "What can I do?" Make the final sentence as compelling as the first one. If you started with an example, bring the story full circle by referencing your original point.
Hearing back from us
Please accept our apologies if you do not hear from us. We are only able to respond submissions that we intend to publish. And if you are not successful this time, we encourage you to try again!