Farm to Fashion: Encouraging Sustainable Practices in Textile Production

“The fashion and food industries are considered at the top tier of impacts that are often times detrimental to eco-system health and human health.” — Seleyn DeYarus.

The farm to table movement has grown in popularity among consumers who want to better understand where their food comes from and how it affects the environment and the animals themselves. Now the farm to fashion movement seeks to do the same to an industry that also has a significant environmental impact.

[featured image: an estimated 20,000 litres of water are needed to produce one kilo of cotton, equivalent to one t-shirt and one pair of jeans. Source WWF]

The fashion industry is the second largest industrial polluter accounting for 10 percent of global carbon emissions. In addition textile dyeing is second only to agriculture in its use and contamination of fresh water. Next week, the farm to fashion movement will be the focus of a fashion show in conjunction with the Regenerative Earth Summit that will showcase environmentally sustainable clothing for a new age of conscious consumers.

Seleyn DeYarus, the producer of the farm to fashion show, says that given the environmental footprint of fashion, there are huge opportunities to make the industry more environmentally friendly.

“The fashion and food industries are considered at the top tier of impacts that are often times detrimental to eco-system health and human health.”

DeYarus is working to educate companies and consumers on sustainable solutions to diminish the environmental impact of fashion.

“Farm to fashion is literally the first of its kind in the world where we are focusing on soil as the underlying intent around who’s selected to be in this fashion show.  We’re fiber-centric, so we’re looking at their sourcing of of fibers that are coming from natural sources.”

A land to market verification to alert consumers to the environmental impact of clothing is one of several initiatives DeYarus points to in the fashion industry, but she says more work needs to be done.

“I think there are a lot of opportunities to improve the traceability and transparency between the brands and consumers and I think we’re going to see this growing quite substantially over the next 10 years as I see the industry really stepping up to embrace this.”

Following the fashion show, leaders in food, farming and fashion will gather to formulate strategies to bring systemic change In the way their respective markets treat and maintain Land to Market systems.

The Regenerative Earth Summit aims at focusing attention on the pros of regenerative agriculture, a farming and grazing practice that helps reduce carbon emissions while creating healthier soil and crops.

To find out more about the farm to fashion show happening December 4th, or the Regenerative Earth Summit, go to http://www.attheepicenter.com/farm-fashion-show/

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