Big Closets Small Planet

A few years ago Professor Jason Hickel was invited to speak during an annual Textile Exchange conference. Why was that invitation noteworthy? Because Jason is an advocate for degrowth in fashion. Fast forward to 2024 and Textile Exchange released the report Reimagining Growth Landscape Analysis. Perhaps Jason's intervention struck a chord? In this conversation, Michael speaks with Beth Jensen from Textile Exchange and Rachel Arthur, the report's lead author, to explore the reasoning behind and the conclusions drawn in the report. In short, the report concludes that the industry's current trajectory is incompatible with achieving key climate, nature, and human rights goals, because impacts will only increase while growth remains a business imperative. Michael, Beth and Rachel explore what an alternative approach could look like, including the challenging concepts and terminology needed to frame the discussion, whether apparel business leaders are or can ever be receptive to this analysis, and what possible pathways they see for moving this agenda forward.

"Focusing on business as usual is not really an option. If we don't address this, we won't meet our sustainability goals or the Paris Agreement."

"Today's CEOs have a fiduciary duty to report growth—that's the reality we're working within. It's why this conversation is both sensitive and necessary."

"Green growth hasn't yet been proven possible — not in the short timeframe we have, and not on a continuous basis."

Ken Pucker, former COO at Timberland and now Professor of Practice at Tufts University, sustainable industry analyst, opinion columnist and critic, views himself as a completely independent voice when it comes to issues concerning fashion and sustainability. During last year's Climate Action Week, Michael and Ken discussed a number of topics, including his views regarding the rise and negative impacts of instant fashion and why voluntary sustainability initiatives do not work and thus why we need smart legislation. We invited Ken back to comment on what has happened in the past year regarding instant fashion, including the continuing saga involving Shein's IPO and its newly approved science-based target, the status of the New York and California Fashion Acts, how congestion pricing could be a model climate action in the apparel industry, circular fantasies and myth busting, and whether he thinks his work is having an impact. Ken is always very insightful and thought provoking.

"Shein's emissions are now the biggest in the industry. They've grown 3x in the last three years."

"Congestion pricing worked in New York and London. Why not apply similar thinking to fashion?"

"I recognise that I am in a special place, I am gifted the opportunity to be independent and most people cannot be. So I don't take that responsibility or gift lightly."

The idea that the fashion and apparel industry can continue to grow by employing a green-growth model has been questioned by many leading thinkers. It is argued that for the industry to reduce its emissions at the pace and scale required and to operate within the planetary boundaries, overproduction and overconsumption must stop. This is especially challenging because, as critics explain, the dominant economic business model relies on growth, and business growth often neutralizes gains in emission reductions. During Climate Action Week 2024, Katia Dayan Vladimirova, Chief Executive Officer at the Post Growth Fashion Agency, and Luca Boniolo from ECOS, presented their argument on why a sufficiency approach is the best way forward. In this conversation they go a step further explaining the concrete steps that the EU and the industry should take to implement this approach.

"The logic of sufficiency forces us to ask: how much is enough?"

"We propose limiting the number of fashion collections per year and introducing binding targets on production volumes."

The Kappahl Group is a signatory in STICA's Company Climate Action Program. That is why we invited Elisabeth Peregi, CEO of the Kappahl Group, for a conversation about how a CEO from a midsized, privately owned apparel brand understands the challenges and opportunities with climate action. Michael and Elisabeth discuss if it's possible to achieve financial growth and reduce emissions simultaneously, if legislation and financial incentives are necessary to enable the Kappahl Group and the industry overall to achieve their climate targets, how long term relationships and authentic engagement are the keys to ensuring success in decarbonization, and even the role of business in society.

"We've decided that the growth we want to achieve must be both profitable and sustainable at the same time."

"Reducing or transforming to renewable energy is good — but it's even better if you reduce the energy needed in the first place."

"The transformation will not be done only on a voluntary basis… we need legislation and supervision to help businesses change."

During STICA's 2024 Climate Action Week, Maxine Bédat and her colleagues from the NRDC and the New York State Assembly updated us on the arguments for and status of the New York Fashion Act. Since then more has happened. Similar bills have been introduced in California and Massachusetts. In this conversation, Michael asks Maxine to provide an update on the status of the bills, including how they address climate action specifically, if and how the bills align or differ, why she thinks they will be effective, and why there are no major industry organizations and only a few global brands officially supporting these bills.

"This is not counter to industry. This is a pro-industry bill. It sets the basic guardrails so the industry can thrive in the future."

"What doesn't make sense to me is that the industry created these standards—and now they're opposing them when asked to follow through."

"If you're not in favor of this bill and not actively promoting it, that is the position of the industry today. That's a shocking and sad state of affairs."