Wardrobe Malfunction: The Climate Impact of Clothing
Fossil fuels are embedded in every aspect of the clothing industry – from mechanized farming and pesticides to grow fiber crops, to energy for manufacturing and transportation. How can we make lower impact clothes and change our consumer behavior to value sustainability and longevity?
Climate One · Climate One from The Commonwealth Club
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Show Notes
What we wear defines us in so many ways. But in recent decades we’ve moved away from long-lasting, quality pieces in favor of disposable fast fashion, with major consequences for our climate and environment. From mechanized farming and pesticides to grow fiber crops, to energy for manufacturing and transportation, fossil fuels are embedded in the clothing industry at every step of the process.
Companies large and small are working against this trend, with some setting lofty goals for reducing carbon emissions and water use. But achieving those goals is hard. So what are the solutions? Buy less? Design new fibers and materials? Thrifting and repurposing existing clothing? New business models? How can we make low-impact clothing?
This episode was supported by BMO.
Guests:
Aja Barber, Author, “Consumed: The Need for Collective Change: Colonialism, Climate Change and Consumerism”
Jason Kibbey, President and Founder, Worldly
Molly Morse, CEO, Mango Materials
Jonathan Chapman, Professor, Carnegie Mellon University School of Design
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