Textile Exchange

Meet some more speakers taking to the stage over the next few days at the 2024 Textile Exchange Conference. We’ll hear from leaders across the fashion and textile supply system—from brands and retailers to subject matter experts and farmers working directly with the land. Together, we’ll be unpacking the latest in everything from impact data to regenerative agriculture, from legislation to equitable partnership, making a strong case for long-term systems change. Swipe to see some of the faces we’ll be welcoming →

In conversation with Ambercycle 💬   A materials science company based in Los Angeles, Ambercycle was founded in 2015 by scientists Shay Sethi and Moby Ahmed.    Driven by the idea that textile recycling technologies were outdated, it sought to develop a process that could separate and regenerate mixed materials at a molecular level.    We spoke with co-founder Shay Sethi to find out more →

How are brands working to protect climate and nature through their materials sourcing? Keep watching to find out ▶️ Among the 418 brands and retailers (including subsidaries) that reported through our Materials Benchmark, many have set formal climate targets and have started taking measures to reduce impacts associated with their materials. The majority have introduced sourcing restrictions to manage climate and nature-related risks, and over half are working to support more sustainable material production beyond their own sourcing. However, despite these initial steps, the industry as a whole still faces challenges in reducing its overall greenhouse gas emissions tied to raw materials and is waiting to see the associated impacts from the positive steps they have taken. Discover more insights from our 2024 Materials Benchmark factsheet: https://lnkd.in/d9nFqmv6 Learn more about associated impacts on our Climate+ dashboard: https://lnkd.in/eiKv2N4E

Data from our 2024 Materials Benchmark shows that most participating brands and retailers still don't know the country of origin for the majority of the raw materials they source. 80% of cotton sourced in 2023 came from an unknown country of origin, 80% of wool, and 82% of viscose. Without this knowledge, it is harder to address critical sustainability issues like biodiversity impact, deforestation, land use, and labor rights. Improving visibility around where materials are produced will be a priority if brands are to take a holistic approach to more sustainable materials sourcing. Discover more key insights in our 2024 Materials Benchmark factsheet: https://lnkd.in/d9nFqmv6

The 2024 Materials Benchmark results are in 🔍 Since its launch in 2015, our Materials Benchmark has become the largest peer-to-peer comparison initiative in the fashion, textile, and apparel industry. By providing a standardized framework for companies to fill in, the program creates consistency in sustainability reporting at the material level. It tracks the uptake of more sustainable fibers and raw materials, as well as how companies are addressing areas like circularity, biodiversity, land, freshwater, and forests. This year, 418 brands and retailers (including subsidiaries) worldwide used it to report on their materials sourcing progress. To see how they performed, download our 2024 factsheet, which shares key insights from the results, and explore in-depth data in our Material Change Index. Download the full factsheet: https://lnkd.in/d9nFqmv6 Explore the Material Change Index: https://lnkd.in/dfUzDE44

Introducing the runner-up of our 2024 competition in collaboration with Magnum Photos 📷 Born in Tamil Nadu, India, Priyadarshini Ravichandran is a documentary photographer and artist whose work explores the themes that emerge from relationships that root, reveal, or unsettle her. Her storytelling focuses on women, their lives, and the land. In the selected photo series, Ravichandran documents Wardha, a village in the heart of India that holds historical significance as Mahatma Gandhi's adopted home. Here, cotton cultivation was once a political act. Gandhi envisioned a decentralized future, promoting hand-spun Indigenous desi cotton to uplift farmers and households while respecting the earth's resources. Today, Wardha reflects the harsh realities of industrialization, with chemical-intensive cotton farming leading to health issues and escalating farmer debt. Through her lens, Ravichandran uncovers the remnants of Gandhi's vision, exploring the enduring connection between the people and their land. See Priyadarshini's full project on our website https://lnkd.in/eDy_UpsC

Sueño en Azul (A Dream in Blue) is a photo series by Cusco-based photographer Alejandra Orosco, documenting the efforts of Indigenous women to sustainably revive indigo cultivation on their ancestral land. Indigo, present in Peru as far back as six thousand years, has since disappeared—likely due to climate change and colonization. Orosco won our 2024 photography competition, hosted in collaboration with the world-renowned Magnum Photos. The annual competition invites emerging photographers to visually explore the materials behind textiles and clothing. This year, its third edition attracted 356 photographers from 64 countries, submitting over 6,000 images that reflect the impact of textiles on people, places, cultures, and nature. See Alejandra's full project on our website https://lnkd.in/eDy_UpsC

Meet the winner of our 2024 competition in collaboration with Magnum Photos  📷 Based in Cusco, Peru, Alejandra Orosco’s work explores the intersection of identity, colonization, and untold stories. Her photographs transcend language barriers, encouraging viewers to appreciate distant realities while finding common ground with their own. Orosco’s winning project, Sueño en Azul (A Dream in Blue) visually explores the possible impact of climate change and colonization on Andean textile culture, focusing on the indigo blue plant. Used in the traditional textiles of Chinchero, a pre-Inca town renowned for its rich textile heritage, indigo has since disappeared from the country. Orosco’s work follows the journey of a group of Indigenous women who are working to revive its cultivation amid economic and environmental pressures, seeking to reconnect with their heritage by growing the plant on their land once again. See Alejandra's full project on our website https://lnkd.in/eDy_UpsC

As we get ready for our 2024 Textile Exchange Conference, these words spoken by our CEO Claire Bergkamp during New York Climate Week are feeling all the more relevant. At the heart of this year’s agenda is the subject of systems change and what resilient, regenerative materials production systems and sourcing really looks like. Here’s a taste of the topics we’ll be covering: - What beneficial outcomes for nature look like on the ground - The future of impact data and traceability - Reimagining growth - Financing the transition to preferred materials - Scaling textile-to-textile recycling - Fostering a just transition - Navigating certification - Policy updates from the US and EU Explore the updated agenda: https://lnkd.in/eSAQQY_k

At New York Climate Week, we welcomed some of our community for an afternoon of direct and honest conversations on the need for system-level transformation to enhance climate resilience within the textile industry. A pair of panel discussions, hosted with Tapestry, addressed two critical and often-overlooked areas in need of restructuring: the role of growth in environmental impact, and the imperative for women in leadership. Together, the dynamic conversations emphasized the need to reimagine industry practices and leadership dynamics from the inside – driving substantial, long-lasting change. Our first panel, “Fashion’s Climate Response and the Power of Women in Leadership” featured Textile Exchange’s CEO, Claire Bergkamp, alongside Brittany Sierra, Founder of Sustainable Fashion Forum, Helen Crowley, Global Business and Biodiversity Expert, and Taryn Bird, Director at the kate spade new york Foundation. The panel was moderated by the award-winning climate journalist Sophia Li. The second talk, “Reimagining Growth in the Fashion Industry, saw Beth Jensen, Senior Director of Climate and Nature Impact at Textile Exchange come together with Rachel Arthur, Consultant, Speaker, Writer, and UN Environment Programme Advocacy Lead for Sustainable Fashion, Joe Murphy, Executive Lead at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and Sandrine Dixson-Declève, Co-President of The Club of Rome. The panel was moderated by Sarah Kent, from The Business of Fashion. By creating space to talk about these systemic shifts, we aimed to spotlight the urgent need for a comprehensive approach that moves the industry forward.