From fashion to farming...

I recently came across a headline in the Guardian newspaper which made me intrigued to find out more.

The title of the article read "Profit is being prioritised over climate action - British fashion is falling behind on sustainability".

For those who may be new around here, or not aware of my career history, I worked in the fashion and creative industry for 13 years before packing it all in and returning to my grass roots of farming. However, I have always held a strong love for the creative sector and continue to have an interest in the latest seasonal trends as well as any new and upcoming brands.

Image from my tweed collection 2012

Reading the article, I wasn't surprised by some of the facts stated. For example, how 58% of 250 of the world's largest fashion brands show no clear progress on their climate targets. The article highlighted that the fashion industry is globally estimated to be responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions which is mainly due to the fast fashion and more recently ultra fashion fashion trends we have come to witness in modern society. The greed of always needing more or the next big thing. Let's be honest, how many of us have been influenced by what we have seen on our social media pages or TV screens which have lead to us purchasing items we probably didn't really need, haven't worn or changed our minds about after only wearing them once? 

What did surprise me however, was the disconnect between what materials the article classed as high polluters. The reporter wrote that fossil fuel based fabrics such as your synthetics were in the same league as animal derived materials such as leather and wool when it came to the amount of pollution caused. Yes you read that right and no I don't agree with the statement either!

In the early years of me learning about the fashion trade I always remember being taught about the differences between natural fabrics (cotton, linen, silk and wool) compared to synthetic and man made fabrics (polyester, nylon, fleece etc). I obviously already had a stronger understanding of how wool was produced due to my farming background and awareness of needing to shear the sheep every year for animal welfare purposes. And at the time I came to learn about the natural ways cotton, linen and silk based fabrics were grown and produced compared to the chemical based fibres of the man made fabrics.

Merino wool, New Zealand 2022

The quote however which frustrated me the most within this article stated “There’s still a lot of disinformation when it comes to the impact of animal-derived materials on greenhouse emissions, so it’s not even been acknowledged as a problem yet.” Now, forgive me if I am wrong here, but I am pretty confident that the greenhouse emissions for a sheep producing wool for your aesthetically pleasing woollen throw in your lounge, will be far less of a pollutant than that of the oil based fabrics that create your gym wear that you must have in every single colour way possible.

The article went on the say how urgent action was needed to help reduce the methane footprint of both fossil fuel based fabrics but in particular fabrics which come from ruminant animals. Statements like this have made me question where these fashion brands and reporters are getting their facts and information from about naturally produced fibres. As Ali mentioned in her Smoko Story (read here), everything comes back to the land. The natural fabrics can be grown and harvested from the soil. As farmers we can control the environments in which those fibres are produced, ensuring the soil health or animal welfare is of high priority. We are also very aware of the need to ensure these environments in which the fibres grow are healthy and strong for future product growth. Man made fabrics on the other hand only take from the soil and don't replace the materials they have taken to produce the material.

Fossil fuel fabrics have only one positive aspect in which they are easier to wear with less creasing as well as being quicker to wash for when we need them for their next outing. However, I question if this mindset has just made us lazy when it comes to choosing our clothes and home interiors? The make do and mend mindset of our previous generations is a quality I try my best to live by where possible. Those who know me well are very aware of my love for a woollen jumper (lambswool preferably, but I'm really not that fussy). I am aware that these fibres come at a higher cost than a lot of synthetic options which people can afford, however, they are investment pieces of clothing, that if selected correctly for your body shape and fashion style, can be pulled out from your wardrobe year on year with the same excitement and joy as you had the previous year. They hold memories of good times, well for me at least they do anyway.

Image from my tweed collection 2012

The article was right on one point however, that profit and business-as-usual was being prioritised over climate action and this attitude within the fashion industry, as a whole, needed to change if we are ever going to secure the future of our planet. That buzz word of the moment 'sustainable' was also thrown into the discussion. I truly believe that we can be more sustainable and healthier to our planet if we learn as a human race to value the natural fibres we can grow and harvest on this planet compared to the synthetic fabrics of which we take from the ground without putting anything back. Can we as farmers do better when it comes to educating society about what we produce? Yes of course we can however, yet again how do we get our voices heard?

If I could give anyone one piece of advice when it comes to purchasing items for your wardrobe or home interiors, please look at the garment or fabric label, its a legal requirement for items which are being sold, and take a look at what fibres the item contains. If the percentage is high for any of the natural fabric options you will be helping the farmers of our world who are managing the land in order to help keep clothes on your back. If however, the percentage is high for any of the fossil fuel based fabrics, imagine yourself digging a hole to the centre of the earth which will only get darker the deeper you go.

There's so much more I could write about how the fashion and farming industries could work together or help each other out as well as educating our consumers of the future, but I'll save that discussion for another day.

Until next time.

Hx