“By choosing to
be vegetarian, my
carbon footprint is
about half that of a meat-eater’s.
I saw the documentary Earthlings,
about the meat industry, when I was
at school and decided to become
vegetarian because of how unfairly
animals were being treated. Later I
realised livestock farming produces
a huge amount of all greenhouse
gas emissions (20-50 per cent) and
that’s when I was assured that
a vegetarian diet, especially with
locally grown, seasonal food, is
an important contribution towards
a sustainable future.”
ISABEL LUCAS @isabellucas“Divesting my
superannuation to
a super company
that does not invest in fossil fuels,
tobacco, animal cruelty or export
corruption, polluting, intensive
agriculture, slave labour or logging,
is one small way I ensure I am
helping to fund a sustainable future.
With over $2 trillion of Australians’
money invested in super, it’s a
great way to stop unconsciously
supporting industries that contribute
to climate change and poor
treatment of humans and animals.”
LAURA WELLS @iamlaurawells“I refuse and
reuse. You won’t
catch me without
my KeepCup, I keep my kitchen
plastic-free and avoid takeaway
foods. Beeswax food wraps are
life-changing.”
ISABELLE CORNISH @isabellecornish“I do my best at a
community level
to applaud,
support, work with and purchase
from companies who have
made positive efforts to be more
sustainable. Companies are now
being challenged to question the
impact of each and every element
of a product or garment from its
initial design phase. I think what
we’re quickly learning from this is
that transparency is key and no
matter how small the changes
made may be (such as a seemingly
simple act like changing post bags
to biodegradable, for example),
it can make a world of difference
and a difference to our world.”
JULIA ASHWOOD @the_vista“I wish there was
a silver-bullet
solution! At home,
we compost all of our scraps,
are eating much less meat and
celebrating local produce from
our farmers’ markets. We try to
shop at bulk stores and make
a point of bringing all soft plastics
back to the supermarkets (so they
know how much we want to see
less of it!). My biggest passion
at the moment is trying to influence
a more sustainable approach to
fashion through my family business,
[modern-bohemian clothing brand
Spell & The Gypsy Collective].
Fashion should be a force
for good, and my team and
I are working really hard on
implementing more sustainable
fibres and finding innovative ways
to regenerate and give back.”
ELIZABETH ABEGG @spellKruse had to fight at first: “Even though the fashion
industry was notably absent when Denmark hosted COP15
[the 2009 UN Climate Change Conference that she timed
the first Copenhagen Fashion Summit around], many other
industries participated,” she says. “I knew, even though
there was no support from fashion then, it was — and is — a
super potent industry with enormous influence. Even though
my dad, for example, says he’s not interested in fashion, he
still buys clothes. Clothing is a very personal thing and a very
visible thing. What we eat and which energy sources we
use at home are far less visible to the outside world.”
Many brands have been involved in the Copenhagen
Fashion Summit since the beginning, including Kering (the
French luxury group behind Gucci, Saint Laurent and
Balenciaga), Levi’s, Barneys and the Financial Times. Since
then, major brands, including H&M, have joined in. At this
year’s summit, Google Cloud announced a new pilot, in
collaboration with Stella McCartney, aiming to empower
fashion brands with greater insight into the impact of their
supply chains using Google Cloud’s technology.
“We made a 10-year action plan, and recently looked at
it again,” says Kruse. “The topics are still current, whether it’s
reducing chemical use, water consumption or carbon
dioxide emissions, and we’ve made progress in some areas.
But the most significant progress is the change in the
collective consciousness about how fashion affects the
environment, climate and people. It’s a huge trend in fashion
now, and the conscious consumer asks questions and wants
answers. The brands that aren’t participating now are going
to lose out in the long run.”
But it’s not only brands that need to be held accountable
— it’s everyone’s responsibility. “Consumers have to be
included in this conversation. Our consumption has an
impact. It doesn’t mean we can’t eat, travel or consume, but
we have to do it differently. You must consider how much
you buy, what you buy and what you do with it when you’ve
finished using it.”
Fashion and how we consume it has been transformed in
the past decade (think Instagram and AfterPay), yet many
influencers are still racking up likes for posting a new outfit
every day. “When we hold masterclasses, influencers often
tell me they feel embarrassed about their consumption when
they hear about its cost,” explains Kruse. “Once people
begin to understand the impact on the climate, they’ll move
away from this see-me-in-new-clothes-every-day thing.”
What’s the future of fashion? “Sustainability means textile
recycling, reducing resource consumption in production and
ensuring reasonable prices, working conditions and a fair
wage for workers,” says Kruse. “But it’s also about innovation
in fibres and technology. It’s conscious consumers who’ll
have the most influence – those who demand transparency
all the way. Power is coming back into the people’s hands.” EQ: What’s the one thing
you’re doing to help ensure
a sustainable future?
Words: Anne Absalonsen; Hannah James. Photography: Andreas Houmann
#ELLEFUTUREISNOW