Jeans: Social Responsibility & The Environment (Pre-Recorded)

PRE-RECORDED

If you’d like to book on to a talk but can’t make the dates of the live ones, you can now buy a recording that you can re-watch as many times as you like ;-)

In this talk we will take an in-depth look at the impact that the denim industry has had on the environment before and after the industrial revolution and since the arrival of fast fashion.

Exploring the problems around mass production and consumer demand, we'll question why we consume so much - is it because the things we buy are not made to last? Is it because we feel pressure to keep up with the ever changing trends being presented to us on every form of media?

We'll look into the idea of distressed denim - one of the only instances in which we willingly buy pre-damaged clothing.

We'll ask why we no longer have the patience to wait for natural fades, when we can have the luxury of buying them with fades and holes already in them, and why it is exactly, that we find that appealing.

We'll look at what it means to live in a system that requires constant economic growth and continuous consumption, and what that means for our planet.

‍There’s no more certain way to reduce your impact on the environment than to reduce the amount of clothes you buy. But when you do buy, it is better to be equipped with the facts, and a good eye for greenwashing.

300,000 tonnes of clothing end up in landfill every year. We know that the textile industry is one of the biggest offenders when it comes to CO2 emissions, social responsibility and waste, and it doesn't have to be this way.

We'll explore some of the uncomfortable truths of the denim industry around worker exploitation, water wastage, pesticides, child labour, toxic dye processes, loss of bio-diversity, soil degradation, farmer debt, deforestation, micro plastics, and climate change...

...and then we'll look at some of the VERY exciting solutions that have the potential to bring about positive change in the denim industry, like the advent of waterless finishing processes, the banning of sand blasting, foam dyeing, end-to-end transparency in the supply chain, funded training programs for farmers, drip irrigation, and sustainable fibres like hemp, tencel and recycled cotton as alternatives to virgin cotton.

We'll shine a light on the brands making an effort to cut energy, waste, and water usage.... and we'll highlight the tell tale signs that a brand is greenwashing (pretending to be green and fair purely as a marketing tool)
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We'll look into whether organic cotton is better or worse for the planet, and question whether natural indigo could cope with todays demand for denim.

There is always new technology in development to lessen our negative impact on the planet and its inhabitants (that includes us), but the larger task is normalising the idea of a greener industry, making green products affordable and desirable, and changing the mindset of the consumers in a system that does not currently support or prioritise that.

Please note: Upon booking this talk, you will receive a Vimeo link and password via email.