Over the last 30 years the production of polyester increased by nearly 900%. Roughly 60% of the clothing you find in stores today is made of plastic. A figure expected to rise to 75% by 2030.
On average Europeans use nearly 26 kilos of textiles and throw away about 11 kilos of them every year. Which is either burned, dumped on landfills, or shipped overseas. Each year, we use resources as if we have 1.7 Earths.
One thing is clear: we have to act and strive for a systemic change: environmentally, socially and economically.
What are we doing?
planet-centric
We have to debunk the myth of ‘degrowth’. Design lays at the core. By adapting to a set of design principles that centralizes the planet’s well-being not consumer-convenience, we can rebuild industries that are regenerative and not depleting the earth.
what is fair
Virtually everybody wanted more stuff. Convenience has become a given. However, the inconvenient truth is that our daily lifestyle, production, and consumption harm vulnerable populations, greatly impacting millions of lives, particularly in the Global South.
Fair? Nope.
An ethical sourcing & production chain means more than shifting to eco-friendly materials or transitioning to ‘green’ energy. We must create a fair and just economy globally, ensuring safe working conditions, healthy living and fair wages for all.
economy, stupid
I’m sorry, but growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of a cancer cell. Traditional funding strategies and equity splits rely on speculation, negotiation skills, and the rule of maximum growth. Unfortunately it rarely results in healthy company structures and happy founders.
It is possible to raise money with the right stakeholders and innovative business model, which generates positive, social and environmental impact alongside a healthy financial return.
The citizens of 2050 are being taught an economic mindset that is rooted in the textbooks of 1950, which in turn are based on the theories of 1850.
Kate Raworth,
Doughnut Economics
Moreover, as climate risks escalate, businesses will face increasing costs due to damage or loss of infrastructures and properties, agricultural impacts, and rising insurance expenses.
changing regulations
In 2019 the European Commission introduced the European Green Deal (EGD): a package of policies that define Europe’s strategy to reach net zero emissions and become a resource-efficient & just economy by 2050.
All sectors of the economy will be affected by the EGD, and these policies include both binding and voluntary measures. For the fashion industry the strategy looks at the entire lifecycle of textile products and proposes coordinated actions to change how we produce and consume textiles.
RADICAL TRANSPARENCY
People don’t expect brands to instantly become perfectly sustainable, but they do want to know where you stand as a brand.
Create a blue print of your sourcing and production chain: Identify materials, their origins, and the workforce behind them. We need to know: which materials are used, where are they made, and who made them?
Keep your audience in the loop what you’ve already accomplished and work towards in the future, while collaborating with industry experts to increase your sustainability performance, trace your products and minimize compliance risks in your supply chains.
ethics
Responsibility and radical transparency ought to be at the core of any strategy, foster accountability and ethical leadership.
Principles that go beyond the law, providing a culture of trust for your team, customers and stakeholders.
Let’s call it common sense.
