FASHION on the Planet
Positive impact on the planet?
In recent years, fashion has woken up to its need to reduce its environmental impact, from cutting down greenhouse gas emissions (an urgent task, considering the industry is responsible for between four to 10 percent of all emissions globally) to tackling issues such as deforestation and microplastics pollution.Recently, though, focus has also turned to whether fashion can actually have a positive impact on the planet, with the likes of Burberry, Gucci-owner Kering and LVMH all launching major biodiversity initiatives to restore nature in the past year. And just this week, the Sustainable Markets Initiative's Fashion Taskforce, set up by Prince Charles, announced its Regenerative Fashion Manifesto, which outlines the need to move towards an industry that is both “climate and nature positive. To begin with, the taskforce-which includes major brands such as Burberry, Chloé and Stella McCartney-is launching a €1 million investment program in the Himalayas to restore biodiversity in the region, which is known for its cashmere, cotton
and silk, as well as reviving traditional craft. "It's
the first in a long series of projects," Federico
Marchetti, former Yoox Net-a-Porter CEO and
chair of the Fashion Taskforce, tells Vogue. "We're committed to progress towards regenerative fashion-I do believe fashion can have a positive impact."
REGENERATIVE
It's about replenishing our ecosystems in a way that allows them to continue to bounce back-moving away from the linear, extractive way in which the industry currently operates and towards a more circular, nature-based system.
Regenerative agriculture is really the future. It's about working in harmony with nature, increasing biodiversity, addressi water concerns and everything that's related soil health. It's our ability to source materials moving forward in a way that potentially gives more than it's taking from the environment.
For Hewitt, having a close relationship with suppliers is crucial when it comes to transitioning towards a more regenerative-based system. “We can't really hope to talk about regenerative
agriculture until fashion brands actually understand where their fibers are grown," she says, adding that collaboration is key.
All of our relationships are partnerships; it's not about brands dictating how they should be farming or growing their fiber.
Given the breadth of practices that regenerative farming covers, finding a definition that all parties can agree on remains a challenge. “That was something that we really struggled with, [as well as] agreeing on the mechanism for measuring how you're regenerative-there isn't an agreed-upon certification," Hewitt says. The question of how you measure the impacts of regenerative agriculture is particularly important when it comes to carbon sequestration, or absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere-one of themuch lauded benefits of improved soil health.
Critics have described the difficulties of actually keeping carbon in the soil, as well as pointing to "faulty" carbon accounting. “When you try to look at the very specific amounts of carbon that are sequestered and for how long, there's really still an evolving scientific consensus on this," Jensen explains. Still, the overall benefits of
regenerative agriculture are clear. “At a broader level, we absolutely have enough data and evidence to show that this is the right direction to go in," the expert adds. Beyond regenerative farming practices, material innovators are also working towards creating a positive impact on the planet. Newlight Technologies's AirCarbon material-a new alternative to leather-involves marine organisms that convert methane and carbon dioxide into a molecule that can then be melted down. "With AirCarbon, we show that products can be made with captured carbon," Mark Herrema, CEO of Newlight Technologies, says. “And if you can imagine a fashion industry [where] everything was made with carbon that would otherwise be in the air-that's a really compelling objective. While it's incredible that AirCarbon is already carbon negative, scaling up remains difficult- although a new partnership with Nike is a start."
People are still hearing about and learning about AirCarbon for the first time," Herrema continues. "I think as that gets more and more momentum, hopefully that builds more and more demand." While it's crucial that the fashion industry looks at how it can have a positive impact, investing in biodiversity projects, regenerative agriculture and bio-based materials will all take time to make a real difference. In the meantime, fashion's need to urgently cut its greenhouse gas emissions and tackle its overconsumption problem isn't going to go away.
It's a combination of things:
how we grow our natural fibers, how we sell and distribute clothing, operating within a circular economy.
Can fashion truly have a positive impact on the planet moving forward?
“We have a long way to go, [but] the day that we think that fashion can't have a positive impact-well, what's the point?" Hewitt concludes. "I wouldn't keep pushing for this if I didn't believe we can.’
