For an industry that revolves around seasons, two fibres are popular all year round. The first is cotton, a natural fibre with links to forced labour that is as thirsty as it is in demand, taking up to 2,700 litres of water to make one shirt. The second is polyester, a key driver of the man made fibre market, that depends on now-declining reserves of oil and gas.
The increasingly obvious environmental impacts of both are leading entrepreneurs, designers and businesses to look to more sustainable alternatives like organic cotton and recycled polyester, but some are venturing even further out of the box.
Erin Smith, an artist focused on biomaterials, grew her own wedding dress, while fruits that feature in your five a day are also creeping into fashion, along with soy foods, salmon and sleeping bags.
However, can sustainable innovations in material really rival the commercial viability and performance of current materials in the market, and can consumers be persuaded that sustainable materials aren’t just beige and scratchy?
Join the discussion
On Wednesday 25 March, 1.30pm - 2.30pm GMT a group of experts will join us on this page in the comments section to discuss these questions and others, including:
- What environmental and social challenges surround the sustainability of cotton?
- Are there sustainable alternatives to leather?
- What tools can help designers make sustainable material choices?
- Materials have been made from food by-products, including fish and pineapple. How likely are these to reach the mainstream?
- What impact might advances in technology such as fibre recycling, 3D printing and biomimicry, have on materials?
The panel
Susan MacDonald, business development director and part of leadership team at CottonConnect.
Kate Fletcher, professor, author and consultant working in sustainability, design and fashion.
Erin Smith, artist in residence at Microsoft Research focused on sustainable biomaterials.
Cia Sohlman, responsible for sustainable materials strategy and development at H&M.
Christian Wieth, senior manager in textile and leather, Novozymes.
Heidi Carneau, director of accessories brand Heidi & Adele specialising in eco-exotic leather.
Giusy Bettoni, CEO and founder of Class, a worldwide platform that showcases fashion, textiles and materials created using smarter sustainable technology for fashion designers, industry and business.
How to join
The live chat is completely text based and will take place on this page in the comments section below, kicking off on Wednesday 25 March at 1.30pm GMT. You can submit any questions in advance by using the form below, tweeting them to @GuardianSustBiz using #askGSB or sending an email to hannah.gould@theguardian.com and we’ll put them to the panel on the day.
The fashion hub is funded by H&M. All content is editorially independent except for pieces labelled ‘brought to you by’. Find out more here.
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