Ep. 108: Fashion’s governance for tomorrow

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Ep. 108: Fashion’s governance for tomorrow

The Textile Innovation Podcast speaks to Monica Buchan-NG, head of knowledge exchange (sustainability) at Centre for Sustainable Fashion.

WTiN: Hi Monica, thank you for joining me on the WTiN textile innovation podcast, please. Could you tell me a bit about your background and your work within the Centre for Sustainable fashion at LCF as head of knowledge exchange?

Monica: Thanks so much for having me. It's really nice to meet you. My name is Monica Buchan-NG, and yes, as you say, I'm the head of knowledge exchange, which is a term that's quite often widely used within academic spaces, but not so much outside of that, essentially, it's research and education that happens outside of university context, usually in collaboration with businesses, NGOs, government agencies and so on. At Center for Sustainable fashion or CSF, we mostly work with industry partners that we do work around policy and advocacy as well. Most of our work with industry partners focuses on design for sustainability, developing business and sustainability strategy and improving sustainability literacy as well.

WTiN: That's great. Please could you tell me about the purpose of the Centre for Sustainable fashion and why it was founded?

Monica: Of course, so CSF is a research centre based at London College of Fashion University The Arts London. Our purpose is essentially to provoke to challenge and question the fashion status quo in order to create internationally acclaimed research in the sustainability space, as well as helping government, business and public arenas to really set their sustainability agendas, and definitely, to pioneer world relevant curricula as well. We're made up of a really diverse community of researchers, designers, educators, communicators, or people from all across the fashion system. And our theory of change is based on two major changes we want to see for the fashion sector. The Firstly, if the first is to stop devastating people and planets, so for fashion to no longer create harm, and the second is to develop regenerative fashion cultures and practices. So we want to restore people and planet through fashion

WTiN: And leading on from this, what is your opinion about that relationship between academia and industry? What are both the pros and cons, and how can they both help and hinder each other?

Monica: I really love this question, because I actually don't think, I don't think they hinder each other at all. So let me go through the ways that they help each other, and particularly within CSF. You know, we work with businesses, large and small, with the ambition to help them shift towards an equitable, regenerative and really creative fashion system. And so at CSF, our work is to support and fuel that radical change through our industry partnerships and through relationship building and through trust. So we support our partners to develop, you know, sustainability, knowledge and skills and capabilities and agency. So they not only have the knowledge and skills that mean they're capable of doing things differently, but also that they feel empowered to make decisions in support of sustainability, even when that's a difficult thing to do or when they face pushback. So we often act as a critical friend. We try to drive our partners to set more sustainability, more ambitious sustainability targets, and really scale change at a faster rate. But it's also, you know, a really lovely circle, because we learn hugely from our industry partners about what works and what doesn't in practice, what hits home, what motivates people to create change, what the barriers and enablers are for creating that change. And as I say, I really have yet to see how they hinder each other, but it definitely can be an adjustment and working style. So academia tends to be, you know, quite slow, very rigorous, and it can have a tendency sometimes to, you know, be a little bit remote or insular, um, whereas industry quite often wants to move really, really quickly, but it might not understand which direction to take to be the most impact, impactful. And it goes, you know, barrelled down this way. And then it turns out. That that wasn't the right thing to do. So I actually think those differences complement each other really well, and that the relationship between academia and industry is definitely one that helps. You know, the advantages we have on one side and the disadvantages really balance each other out.

WTiN: Brilliant and in terms of sustainability, which you just touched upon. Obviously, this is a huge challenge for the fashion textile industry at the moment. Why does the industry need to act now? And what are some of the biggest roadblocks to that action?

Monica: I could talk about this for days, so please do cut me off if I'm talking too much. But it's really hard to understate the need for action. Fashion is responsible. It's estimated for between three to 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. It contributes to the deforestation of vital climate sinks like the Amazonian rainforest. It's responsible for, quite literally, mountains of waste. So, you know, even just the EU alone produces, I think it's 12 point 6 million tons of textile waste every single year. You know, that's 12 kilograms per person. So that's more than a carry on suitcase worth of clothing per person every year for the entire city of the EU it's quite mind boggling. So we're, you know, decimating natural environments with micro plastics and hazardous chemicals, but we're also decimating the planet's ability to restore itself and its natural cycles just to make clothes. And I love fashion so much, but it's definitely not essential. The way that you know, food and energy is so alongside that kind of environmental destruction, there are also huge impacts on people. So many people in the garment industry are paid poverty wages and really denied the right to unionize. In fact, last year, an organizer for the Bangladesh garment and industrial workers Federation was murdered in response to his attempts to fight for unpaid wages. And complex fashion supply chains are so often rife with modern slavery, including child slavery, especially in areas with political unrest or mass migration, which is something we're experiencing more and more of alongside this kind of ecological and humanitarian risks, there are also risks to the business itself. By 2030 it's estimated that extreme weather could have could jeopardize $65 billion worth of apparel exports, because factories will be quite literally too hot to operate, or there might be extreme weather events like flooding, we're also seeing activist investors like the I think it's the Dutch investment company ASN impact, who have recently divested 70 million euro from all the fashion companies in their portfolio, which includes brands like H&M, Puma M&S ASOS next due to their lack of sustainability. Progress, according to ASNs targets. Um, so it's not just urgent because the planet is in, you know, ecological breakdown, and it's the right thing to do to address that. It's also urgent because businesses will not be able to operate in the way that they currently are for much longer, and they will need to wait to find, to find a way to sustain themselves. And, you know, essentially a climate apocalypse. We're on track at the moment. You know, cop just finished, we're on track for 2.7 degrees warming if every nation meets their climate pledges, which is looking unlikely, but that's, you know, another conversation. So if it's too hot for factories to operate and it's too hot to grow cotton, what happens to your business if people lose their homes or their livelihoods to extreme weather? How much money you realistically going to spend on clothing in fashion. I think we have a tendency to pretend that the business world can't change and that sustainability, you know, we just we're getting there, but it has to wait until we've figured it out. But if we're pitting geophysics against business, I could tell you which one it's actually possible to change the laws of and it's not geophysics. So when I think about roadblocks, the main thing that comes to mind is an economic system which is completely at odds to people and planet. If you have a CEO who will be in post for five years, and their fiduciary duty is to provide value to shareholders, and they deliver this value by generating more and more profit, which is usually by selling more and more clothing made from more and more resources, how on earth can they change their business model and resource use to sit within planetary boundaries, boundaries and social foundations. You know, they'll make this money. The shareholders will revolt, revolt. They'll be fired. Someone else who doesn't care will come in. And there aren't really that many business mechanisms that focus on long term thinking in that way and really look out for the longevity of a company. And the board of directors is definitely one of them. So if we can't change the laws of geophysics, how do we then change the laws of business?

WTiN: That was really interesting. Thank you, and that was some shocking statistics in there. I know that the centre of sustainable fashion has this thing called governance for tomorrow? Please. Could you define what that means and what it encompasses?

Monica: Of course, governance really, it's just governance and support of tomorrow. So the program governance for tomorrow is based on the three eye justice framework from rockstrom et al. So we're looking to invest. Gate governance and support of interspecies, intergenerational and intra generational. So to put that a little bit more simply, justice for all species and maintaining the balance of Earth's natural ecosystems, fairness across generations, to ensure that we leave a flourishing world for future generations, and equity between countries, communities and individuals. So that's what we mean by governance for tomorrow. It's a really exciting program, and we're doing it with the partnership of caring, which is really exciting.

WTiN: And why have you started with the luxury sector? And what are you doing here? And could it be transferred to other sectors such as work wear or sportswear in the future?

Monica: Really good question. It's, actually, I mentioned earlier, the importance of trust and kind of making change. And for us, it's, you know, we've been working with caring for 10 years now. If we were going to do it with anyone, it would be with them. We've got the trust and the kind of relationships built up to be able to work on an all encompassing and really difficult program like this, additionally, sort of luxury brands, and caring brands in particular, have been around, you know, collectively, for hundreds of years, and they really intend to keep going for many, many more. So they have an interest in creating a fashion system that can sustain itself and that stays within planetary boundaries. I do think that luxury can have more of a long term view of businesses than newer brands can just because they have been around for longer, and they understand the ebbs and flows and the way that a business that may have only been operating for two to three years can that being said, we absolutely intend for the learnings and the research findings to be widely applicable to the sector and business governance is so broad as A kind of field of expertise that it's really important to start somewhere, which is why the focus for now is on luxury fashion. But many of our experts, collaborators and advisors, advisors for the program actually come from different parts of the fashion sector too, and we're really hoping that this helps that applicability and that relevance to transfer to other sectors as well.

WTiN: And why does the luxury fashion sector need to change in terms of its sustainability? What is pushing this transformation on? Is it global legislation, regulations, growing consumer awareness or supply chain transparency, for example?

Monica: Yeah, I think it's definitely all of those things. I'm kind of reminded of an interesting example one of my colleagues that Karen gave recently to some of our students. And cashmere is a luxury fibre that's used by many of their brands. Is, of course, sourced from cashmere goats who grow that fibre in response to the extreme cold of their environment. You know, a quality for a fibre really relies on cold temperatures, and they're worried about what kind of fibre will be produced when we're hitting, you know, almost three degrees of warming. Um, so while they absolutely need to change for in response to legislation like, that's an absolute must, and there is growing a consumer awareness, and they do want to push for supply chain transparency. Um, they also, you know, need to change because they'll lose Otherwise, they'll lose some things that differentiate themselves from other parts of the market. They do want their business to be maintained and to sustain. And I feel this is true of much of the luxury sector, that they do want to exist and continue to exist for decades to come. And so if we are again talking about changing the laws of geophysics and recognizing the scale and urgency of the changes we must make. We're really looking at the ways of, you know, trying to bring that awareness in and changing that so that the business can exist in future as well.

WTiN: And as part of the governance of Tomorrow program you're encouraging using seeing the senior leadership teams of these companies, how can this support the radical change that you've mentioned?

Monica: I really love this question. So many of our educational projects at CSF have focused on the next generation, so ensuring those entering the fashion sector in coming years have the skills and agency, as I mentioned, to really make the change from the ground up. But we don't have time to wait for them to get to the top, given the urgency of crises, we have to target those at the top today. And I really can't understate the urgency behind this, like if the quicker we change now, the more impact we can make. We're feeling the effects of greenhouse gas emissions from, you know, 1020, years ago today. So this program really calls on senior leaders to use their power today to make change in support of tomorrow. They, more than anyone else in the business, can, sort of, you know, steer the ship away from an iceberg. They're the captains. They're the ones who can sign off ambitious targets, who can invest in their supply chain or in innovation. You know, they can reallocate budgets to prioritize sustainability spending. They can actually, do you know, direct their marketing teams rather than, you know, encouraging unchecked consumption and you know, whole behaviour instead looking at encouraging more sustainable lifestyles and caring and loving your clothing for longer, they can change pricing strategies. They can green light business models where revenue is decoupled from RE. Sources. There are so many things that they can do and implement, and it's really a matter of figuring out which ones are right for them, and their business and governance is a really important mechanism that we're hoping will really help this process of them, you know, figuring out what is about my business that I need to change, and how will they make that change.

WTiN: And what support do you think the senior leadership team will need from London College of Fashion, from the centre of the central sustainable fashion, to support and implement these changes? And how likely do you think the brands will take your advice on board?

Monica: They really hope they'll take the findings on board, as I might have mentioned, we might sort of out of time. So I'm hoping that they'll recognize that agency themselves and act in the support of the interests of the business. But I think again, it kind of comes down to supporting those in the fashion system to develop the knowledge, skills and capabilities and agency to act in support of people and planet. So for a long time within the fashion sector, this has sort of been focused on designers material innovation and those in the product development process. So how do we actually change the ways that we make our clothing? But we're really recognizing at CSF that senior leadership also need these skills and agency. So part of the governance for Tomorrow program will actually include developing educational resources, maybe courses, maybe executive education to help those in position of power understand the relationship between their business and the planet, how their business relies on the planet, and how they can act in support of the planet, as well as the long term sustainability of their business. So that's one thing the program will do to support these changes, definitely focusing on the education and skills that you need as senior leaders, as well as throughout the business. I think what the sector, more broadly needs, I'd really like to see changes in the legal responsibilities of businesses to shareholders, no small ask that you can't really have, in my opinion, just my opinion, fiduciary responsibilities that sit at odds to people to, you know, planetary and human health. So I'd really like to see the advent of legislation that puts ESG reporting and duties at the same weight as kind of economic ones, you know, investment that comes with more stringent sustainability requirements, like those activist investors I mentioned previously, and what I really think it boils down to is for the industry to recognize the ecological, social and cultural value a business creates alongside the economic value. You know, it's not just that a brand is doing really well because they're growing their profit every year, but also because they're working in ways that are really inspirational to the rest of the business, to the to the rest of the sector rather or they're creating a way of doing or wearing fashion differently. They're encouraging ways to engage with fashion, or love fashion, or look after fashion that's much more focused on longevity rather than consumption. So, yeah, I think it comes down to what do we value as a fashion sector, and how do we ensure that that value is multifaceted and really recognized by the business, alongside financial value?

WTiN: Do you have any examples of brands that you've worked with that have been doing things well and what they have implemented to achieve that?

Monica: Yeah, definitely. I think this is a really fabulous question, because the industry has so many things that they can really learn from each other. And so while a lot of our projects are confidential, and I can't speak super openly about what we've been up with people up to with people, unless it's out there in the open. Um, one business I can talk about is our collaboration with ASOS. We've been working with them for six, almost seven years now. Um, around circular design and product development and ensuring that the products that they create within the business are made with, you know, recycled, renewable or regenerative materials, and they're made in ways that reduce the impact or eliminate harmful impacts through, you know, chemical, wet processing techniques. Uh, they're producing products that are made for durability or versatility, so that people can wear them for longer, and wear them in different ways, and sell them onto different people, as well as investigating ways to create products that are recyclable. And so it's really exciting, you know, they've done a number of pilots and sort of capsule collections, and they're really looking at scaling that practice now that they're shifting their business as usual, and they're what they consider to be conventional product development towards more circular practice. And of course, it's a learning process. And of course, these things take time, but it's, you know, they've put a pin in the sand. So okay, this is what we want to achieve. And so we do have quite a few partnerships, and quite a few of our partners are looking at the ways that they develop circular products or design for sustainability. And. Alongside that, shifting the business models so that it's not just sell product make money, sell product make money, but instead investigating whether they can make money through rental schemes or take back or resale or things like that, that actually don't involve using more and more resources to create more and more profits. Um, one thing I'd really, really like to see more of is addressing over production in quite a radical way. We do end up with huge amounts of clothing waste, both pre and post-consumer. So, you know, before it even gets to the consumer. But also people only wear things for a certain amount of time. So there are brands that are out there that are doing really interesting things around you know, let's not buy as much as you can. Let's buy a couple pieces and really love them and look after them for as long as possible, and developing an emotional relationship to clothing and valuing that clothing for the things that it brings to our life. So that's stuff that I really love to see is, you know, addressing a more fulfilling relationship with clothing for the people, you know, for their customers, but also for ourselves. You know, it's not very nice to feel like you don't have anything to wear, or that your clothes don't reflect who you are. So really focusing on things that bring us that comfort and fulfilment, I think, is a really, you know, important part of sustainability. We do need to just love our clothes a bit more.

WTiN: I completely agree with that. And do you think that the centre’s aims, are achievable within the next five years?

Monica: I think the program aims for governance tomorrow. Yes, but to really achieve change at scale, then we do need other businesses to commit to and implement the findings of the program. So really, you know, use their own senior leaderships, senior leadership and boards of directors to accelerate change. So that's what we're relying on other people to take part to.

WTiN: Amazing and finally, with other fashion companies forming similar education sustainability alliances in the UK, how do you plan to make the CSF and caring partnership stand out. And why would you encourage brands and businesses to turn to your resources? I mean, you've already given so many examples on that.

Monica: I actually I'm really not worried about standing out. The lovely thing about sustainability, which you probably already know, is that it's not a very competitive space, and people tend to be collaborative. We work really closely with lots of different people who are all working on super exciting things, some of which we're involved in, and some of which we aren't. So honestly, I'd really love to see the number of business and education alliances in the UK grow, obviously, with the proviso that they focus on sustainability or, you know, an element of it. So but one thing we've yet to see. Hence, the reason for developing this project is that governance is a really effective lever for changing your business, but has kind of yet to be studied within the context of luxury fashion and sustainability progression. So ours will actually be the first academic and industry collaboration with this focus, and we're hoping that other businesses will, you know, take up the learnings that come out of this program, and consider the ways that they can conduct business and support of interspecies, intergenerational and intra generational justice. I guess it all comes down to asking that question, like, will your business be able to exist in a 2.7 degree world? If not, what changes can you make through business governance to either ensure that it can survive in apocalyptic conditions, or, you know, preferably, to instead prevent those apocalyptic conditions from eventuating and helping people and planet to thrive.

WTiN: Thank you, Monica, thank you for joining me on the WTiN textile innovation podcast today that was really interesting, and I'm looking forward to hearing more from London College of Fashion.