Mulberry Trees, Silk Moths & Modern Sustainability Measurements

In this episode of Weaving Voices, Rebecca chats with:

• João Berdu, a Brazilian agronomist.

• Veronica Bates Kassatly, a London-based sustainable fashion analyst.

Here are some highlights:

Textile Waste

• Rebecca introduces the episode by detailing statistics on how much textile waste is produced annually.

• She continues by sharing that the world’s largest fast fashion companies, including Shein, are implementing sustainability programs.

• Rebecca begins to explain how silk is portrayed as the most polluting fiber on our planet today.

Silk in Brazil

• Rebecca introduces João Berdu, who is working to develop a supply chain for silk growers in Brazil.

• She continues by explaining that Brazil produces the most and the highest quality silk, according to João.

• João explains the silk production process in Brazil, including global distribution.

• Rebecca and João explain the many uses and benefits of silk compared to other textiles.

The Myth of Unsustainable Silk

• Rebecca describes the Higg Materials Sustainability Index (Higg MSI) as a tool used to assess sustainability by the global fashion industry.

• She continues to explain that with the Higg MSI, silk is considered the most polluting fiber— even when compared to polyester.

• João debunks the myth that silk is the least sustainable fiber.

• Veronica highlights that the Higg MSI does not take socioeconomic impact into consideration.

• Veronica explains that LCA Quantis is a Life Cycle Assessment that measures the environmental impact of materials.

The Sustainable Apparel Coalition

• Veronica introduces the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), funded by Patagonia, Walmart and other brands and manufacturers.

• She describes the increase in industry-funded sustainability initiatives.

• Rebecca explains that brands are struggling to meet their sustainability goals due to incomplete definitions of “sustainability.”

Social Relevance of Silk

• Rebecca and João highlight that the silk industry provides jobs and income for millions of people.

• João discusses how especially important the silk industry is for women, since they make up about 90% of people working in silk production.

Carbon Footprint of Mulberry Trees

• João talks about the importance of mulberry trees in silk production and mitigating the industry’s carbon footprint.

Silk Production in China

• Veronica helps debunk the myth that silk is unsustainable by sharing that silk has been (and continues to be) produced in parts of China since 4,000 B.C.

The Problem with Higg MSI

• Veronica goes into further detail on how Higg MSI determines sustainability and why measurements are unfairly skewed.

• She presents an alternative system to measure textile sustainability.

• Veronica highlights the importance of including socioeconomic impact and living wages into the alternative sustainability measurement system.