Big Closets Small Planet

Ken Pucker, former Timberland COO and current Professor at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts, recently published a series of pieces critiquing the circular agenda for fashion. In this content rich interview, Ken explains the history of how market-led voluntary solutions became the norm and the rise of what he calls Sustainability Inc., how circularity in the fashion industry is just another attempt to maintain the unsustainable status quo, the seven barriers preventing circularity from being a realistic solution, and what he thinks we need to do instead to ensure this industry can operate within the planetary boundaries. We discuss whether commercial companies are consciously deceiving their stakeholders about the potential of circularity, the limitations of unfettered capitalism and the psychology behind growth, and whether the industry should be much smaller. For more background, read his Business of Fashion opinion piece "Circularity is a Fashionable Fantasy" and his articles in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, "A Circle that is Not So Easily Squared: Can the fashion industry make a successful turn to a circular business model?" and "The Dangerous Allure of Win-Win Strategies".

Sweden has a reputation for being a sustainability leader in many areas, so you can imagine how curious we were to learn about a newish proposal from the current Swedish government for a chemical tax on textiles. The proposal was recently made available to stakeholders for comment, and of course, a robust debate has ensued. Is this proposal, as presented today, going to lead to a reduction in harmful chemicals in Sweden and globally? Or is it a smoke screen for a government that is looking for ways to raise revenues for its national budget? And is the proposal a done deal, given the political parties agreed to this ahead of time when forming a government? In Part 1 of this episode, Michael speaks first with textile industry representatives to hear why they think the proposed tax is very problematic. You will hear from Jérôme Pero, Secretary General for the Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry, Magnus Nikkarinen, Senior Policy Director in Sustainability at the Swedish Trade Federation, Mikael Larsson, researcher at the RISE Research Institute in Sweden, Eliina Brinkberg, Environmental Manager from Nudie Jeans Co. and Anna-Karin Dahlberg, Head of Sustainability at Lindex. In Part 2 you will hear from actors and experts who are more positive to the proposed chemical tax. Given we need bold and smart government leadership more than ever, we think this is an excellent case study for exploring what good government leadership can look like as well as which government actions can be problematic.

Sasja Beslik, Head of Sustainable Finance Development at J Safra Sarasin, fled Bosnia when he was 18 to escape the war. He ended up in Sweden and today spends his time leveraging the power of the financial sector to improve the world. He is particularly interested in the fashion industry's impact on people and has recently attracted attention for his calculations showing that a well-known fashion brand could afford to pay living wages to garment workers by increasing the prices on their clothes by only a few cents. In this interview Sasja weighs in on the apparel industry's sustainability performance and - spoiler alert - he comes down very hard on the industry. Sasja and Mike cover a range of topics, including the strengths, weaknesses and greenwashing of the sustainable investment industry in general, why he thinks apparel brands should be more directly responsible for paying living wages to factory workers, why a t-shirt should be more expensive, and why, despite it all, the fashion industry is still worth investing in.

You've heard it before: The global environmental challenges we face are daunting and time sensitive. If we want to avoid catastrophic tipping points, we need to move quickly and ambitiously. If we want to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) we need to invest trillions of dollars. And so we scratch our heads and wonder if the actions we are currently taking are meaningful. We wonder if we must choose between economic development, job creation and the environment. And we cannot help but feel that even though our intentions are good, our actions amount to the equivalent of moving the deck chairs on a sinking ship. But what if there is a way to accelerate change at the pace we need, and create benefits for people and the planet? And what if the way to get there is by leveraging our tax system as a tool for transformative change? Most people like to stay away from tax, either because it's unsexy, too complicated, or punitive. But tax policy is the fundamental way we steer our nations and fund our public services. So what can tax policy, and tax reform do for the apparel industry? In this episode Michael talks with Femke Groothuis from the think tank Ex'tax about the potential power of tax reform to change the apparel industry. Femke explains both the theory and practice of green tax reform, and presents the results from recent case studies applying these principles in both high income countries in the European Union and Bangladesh. One of her key messages is that if countries use tax reform effectively, they will not have to choose between economic development and the environment. And this perspective has gained even more relevance since the Covid-19 induced economic crisis has put domestic revenues, jobs and sustainable growth at the top of the priority list worldwide.

This podcast is supported by the Laudes Foundation, The Rylander Foundation, and TENCEL™. It is produced in collaboration with Ecotextile News.

As a listener of Big Closets Small Planet, you are likely interested and engaged in changing the apparel industry. So for those of you who are keen to strengthen your change agent skills, we are introducing a new segment called Leading Change. In this first episode we are joined by Per Espen Stoknes who is that rare combination of thinker and doer. He is a psychologist, economist, politician, and the author of "What We Think About When We Try Not To Think About Global Warming". In conversation with Mike, Per Espen illustrates how psychological research helps explain why we do so little when we know so much, and how we can harness this research to find better solutions for driving change. We cover a broad range of issues, including the five psychological barriers to climate action, concrete solutions to overcome these barriers, Per Espen's surprising analysis of Greta Thunberg's strengths and weaknesses as a change agent and why we as change agents should stand up for our depression - even if being sad about the state of the world can feel counterproductive. Tune in to get inspired and receive concrete tips on how to be a better change agent!

This podcast is supported by the Laudes Foundation, The Rylander Foundation, and TENCEL™. It is produced in collaboration with Ecotextile News.

In this new segment we will explore commonly repeated "factoids" in order to determine whether they are substantive and useful. Perhaps you have heard the statement that the production and use of clothing creates more climate impact than that of flights and shipping combined? A range of organisations - including the United Nations - have referred to this when promoting the need for climate action in the fashion and textiles industry. But is this statement true? Mike spoke with Simon Glover, a journalist from Ecotextile News who recently investigated this topic, and Sandra Roos, a textile researcher at RISE Institute in Sweden, to learn what they found after digging deeper. Sandra also uses the opportunity to propose three things that are needed to ensure industry stakeholders have access to credible analysis to base their actions on.

The impacts of the corona virus on the apparel sector have been fast and furious. We are all affected, but millions of low-wage garment workers are facing a potentially catastrophic situation. In this episode we talk to a number of experts and union representatives to better understand what is happening on the ground, what responsibility buyers have for ensuring workers get paid, what this crisis reveals about the apparel supply chain, and if Bangladesh will ever be the same. You will hear from a number of smart and committed people: Mark Anner, Associate Professor in Labor & Employment Relations; Anne-Laure Henry-Greard from the ILO / IFC BetterWork Program; Jenny Holdcroft, the Assistant General Secretary at the IndustriALL Global Union; Towhidur Rahman, President of the Bangladesh Apparel Workers Federation; and Amina Razvi, Executive Director, Sustainable Apparel Coalition.

This podcast is supported by the Laudes Foundation, The Rylander Foundation, and TENCEL™. It is produced in collaboration with Ecotextile News.

The Fabricant, a digital fashion house, recently sold a piece of digital clothing - clothing that is only available in digital environments - for over 9000 USD. This experience helped them realise that their expertise in 3-d digital modelling could be used for a better purpose: creating a new industry sector for digital only clothing which is very good for business and the planet. Mike speaks with Amber Slooten, Fabricant’s Creative Director and Adriana Hoppenbrouwer, Fabricant’s Commercial Director about the potential for digital clothing to meet our short term fashion desires while reducing negative environmental impacts. We talk #outfitoftheday, market potential, gaming, social media behaviours, fast fashion, human needs and more. Is this the future of sustainable fashion?

This podcast is supported by the Laudes Foundation (formerly the C&A Foundation), The Rylander Foundation, and TENCEL™. It is produced in collaboration with Ecotextile News.

...to develop and mainstream the sustainable apparel innovations required to meet key sustainability goals for the apparel industry. Listeners of this podcast series are familiar with our on-going focus on the crucial role finance and investment plays in enabling industry transformation. For the past two years SFA and Fashion for Good have been convening stakeholders to analyse this topic while calling for an analysis estimating how much financial investment is needed. Now we have it! A new report "Financing the Transformation in the Fashion industry" makes a strong case for what financial investment is needed. Michael spoke with two of the report's authors, Katrin Ley from Fashion for Good and Catharina Martinez-Pardo from BCG. Katrin and Catharina explain how they estimated the amount of finance required, what six barriers currently prevent access to this capital, and what six solutions should be implemented to overcome these barriers. If you truly want to understand how the innovation and finance space should work, this is the interview for you. It also reminds us that actors who are serious about transforming the industry need to be honest about what it will take, and will need to act to implement these solutions now.

This podcast is supported by the Laudes Foundation (formerly the C&A Foundation), The Rylander Foundation, and TENCEL™. It is produced in collaboration with Ecotextile News.

In this new segment - Make Your Case - Big Closets Small Planet provides industry experts and stakeholders a platform to argue for a particular position or perspective. In this episode, Lewis Perkins, President of the Apparel Impact Institute (AII), outlines his organisation’s vision and advice for accelerating change in the apparel industry. He makes a case for why the duplication of efforts will slow industry progress, and warns against starting new initiatives when existing initiatives can deliver the impact needed. He also outlines the key steps he believes needs to happen to ensure significant progress is made. This is thought provoking opinion piece, so have a listen and let us know what you think by contacting us at bigclosets@sustrainablefashionacademy.org.

This podcast is supported by the Laudes Foundation (formerly the C&A Foundation), The Rylander Foundation, and TENCEL™. It is produced in collaboration with Ecotextile News.

Lewis Perkin’s opinion does not reflect the official position of Big Closets Small Planet, or that of our supporting partners. 

Here is a quick dose of inspiration! At Planet Textiles, Mike spoke to Spencer Null about Natural Fiber Welding's breakthrough solution: enabling natural fibers like cotton to behave like polyester. Is this a game changer? It is if it means poor quality fibers can be upgraded to premium fibers... Listen to this bite size pod to get a quick lesson on cool chemistry, and get inspired by a potentially disruptive approach. This interview was recorded in June 2019.

This podcast is supported by the C&A Foundation, the H&M Foundation, The Rylander Foundation, and Tencel. It is produced in collaboration with Ecotextile News. 

Do you ever wonder how CEOs from some of our industry's most influential companies view the big social and environmental challenges we are facing today and the potential of business and innovation to adequately address these? TENCEL is a sponsor of this podcast series, so Michael took the chance and invited Lenzing's CEO Stefan Doboczky to discuss a wide range of topics in a recent interview. They touch upon Stefan's expectations of business leaders, the economics of sustainability investments, the circular model of Lenzing, the danger of short-termism, the conservative nature of the industry, climate change and forestry, and Stefan's personal view of a better world where "being something is more important than having something..." If you ever wanted to peek into the mind of a global fiber company CEO, here is your chance. This podcast is supported by the C&A Foundation, the H&M Foundation, The Rylander Foundation, and is part of the #MakeItFeelRight campaign from TENCEL™. It is produced in collaboration with Ecotextile News.

Dr. Lea Esterhuizen, an expert in gathering sensitive data from scared populations, believes we are unwittingly eating and wearing products that have likely been made or assembled using forced labor. Typically the apparel industry has used the "social audit" to address this problem. But social audits provide an incomplete picture of the situation. "There is a serious problem with worker invisibility". And that is why Lea started &Wider. Listen in to hear Lea describe her company’s elegant method to enhance social auditing by gathering anonymous data from workers - making the invisible visible. To paraphrase Lea, fast fashion has been toxic, but it has also taught brands to be fast and innovative.

This podcast is supported by the C&A Foundation, the H&M Foundation, The Rylander Foundation, and Tencel. It is produced in collaboration with Ecotextile News.