The fashion industry is under pressure. Since the emergence of “fast fashion” in the late 1990s, textile production has soared. It has now reached almost 15kg per person per year – equivalent to around 30 pairs of jeans per person each year. Calls from regulators, consumers, and investors for this resource-intensive industry to improve its sustainability practices are getting louder every year.
It’s against this backdrop that Nina Marenzi set up her non-profit, The Sustainable Angle, in 2010 in Switzerland. Now also based in London, the organisation aims to help fashion become a vehicle for change, supporting projects in textiles and related sectors (such as food and agriculture) to become more sustainable.
“It wasn’t founded with its only focus on the fashion industry,” Nina Marenzi says. “But by default, it became such an urgent issue that it took up all our time.”
First steps – how are companies tackling their environmental footprint?
Organisations like The Sustainable Angle believe the fashion industry is well-placed to become more sustainable. While emissions from cement or mining can be hard to abate, relatively simple actions by the fashion industry can allow for opportunities. For example, encouraging consumers to choose more sustainable materials can make a significant impact. Nina Marenzi believes the industry “has the potential to really change”.
So, where does the industry begin to tackle these issues? One key area is moving manufacturers away from conventional cotton, polyester, and nylon to a more diverse fibre portfolio. “The supply chain is very long and very complex,” explains Nina Marenzi, “There’s a lot of steps to go through, from a fibre grown in soil, to being finished and ready to be made into a garment. “Along the way, there are multiple points where things can go wrong. But it also means there are multiple opportunities to improve it, to reinvent at times, and to completely redesign the way we create these products. That’s why it is an exciting place to be.”
Regulators have started to take action
In the US and European Union, regulators have started taking first steps. In 2022, among a raft of new pieces of legislation, the EU made textile production one of its three focus areas on sustainability (alongside plastic recycling and building). By 2030, textile products should be recyclable, longer lasting, made of recycled fibres as much as possible, free of hazardous substances, and produced in respect of social rights and the environment.
This kind of regulation in the industry is “long overdue,” according to Nina Marenzi. And it’s something that brands and suppliers are also calling for, aiming for a level playing field where “those who are doing the right thing are rewarded, and those who are causing pollution are held to account”.
Nina Marenzi says that regulation will encourage more ‘ecodesign’ from companies (approaching manufacturing with special consideration for its environmental impact) and increase awareness of producers’ responsibilities for making the supply chain sustainable. She adds: “Legislation isn’t just around the corner, it is happening right now. It’s simply not going to be allowed anymore [for manufacturers] to create so much waste, or to incinerate waste, for example.”
Future fabrics – showcasing sustainability trends
Since 2011, The Sustainability Angle has hosted its annual Future Fabrics Expo, which invites exhibitors to showcase their sustainable solutions. “It’s about showing what could be done differently,” Nina Marenzi says. "Not just the materials, but the processes to create them, dye them and finish them. Ultimately, you have to show what the solutions look like, and people get inspired and want to know more.”
Recent examples have included a company producing materials that contain 60% banana fibre from agricultural waste, which is blended with organic cotton. Nina Marenzi says: “A lot of agricultural waste is untapped. It’s a great future feedstock, and we’ll see more and more of that. It’s also very interesting how the food and fibre industries can come together. This is very important, because cotton is often grown on fertile soil which could be used for food production.” The Expo also demonstrates other companies innovating to find ways of reducing waste, including improvements in mechanically recycled cotton.
How to make an impact as investor and responsible citizen
To make an impact as an investor – or as a consumer – choosing companies that take their sustainability efforts seriously is crucial. As the Future Fabrics Expo shows, companies are rethinking their sustainability roles in the supply chain. But there’s also much for consumers and investors to think about, too. We all have to make changes. “Probably the first thing is not to think of yourself as a consumer, but as a responsible citizen,” Nina Marenzi says. “Because it means you are aware of your actions and how your products are being created.”
She points to a growing resale market, bolstered by digital platforms that make it easier to buy and sell clothes, as a way forward. “You have to rethink everything you have in your wardrobe,” she says. “Can you reuse it? Can it be mended? Can you reinvent it before you just simply go and buy something?”
Investing in sustainable fashion, meanwhile, is for the long term, and, she urges people to look further than merely investing in sustainable fashion brands. Instead, they should focus on the supply chain. “That’s where the innovations are happening,” she says. “From an engineering perspective – starting from microfibre filters that go into washing machines – to how your garments are dyed and finished. There’s a whole new world out there of avoiding toxic dyes. New materials not made from plastic or from conventional, natural polluting materials that are disregarding better farming practises. There’s so many different ways you can actually engage and invest in the fashion space, which go way beyond brands.”