How Can Fashion Benefit Biodiversity? Textile Exchange Has Some Ideas
With more than a third of their materials sourced from land-based ecosystems, fashion, textile and apparel companies play a key role in protecting biodiversity. That’s the key finding of the Textile Exchange’s 2023 Biodiversity Landscape Analysis report.
The goal of the Biodiversity Landscape Analysis report is to clarify the process of taking action to restore and protect biodiversity by helping companies in the textile industry make moves to lessen their impact on ecosystems. Focusing primarily on raw material extraction and initial production stages of the supply chain, the report was designed to offer insights not only to fashion manufacturers, but also retailers, suppliers, farmers and policymakers.
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According to the report, in 2023, the World Economic Forum categorized biodiversity loss as the fourth-largest long-term global risk. Much of that loss is tied to consumerism, unsustainable resource extraction, greenhouse gas emissions and the race for limitless economic growth.
The fashion, textile, apparel and footwear industries play a major role in that loss, as much of the fibers and raw materials used in its products, such as cotton, wool, leather, viscose and more, come from the land.
The Textile Exchange report outlined several opportunities for fashion and apparel companies to mitigate risk and improve biodiversity. Supporting biodiversity intactness relates to preventing deforestation, particularly in areas deemed irreplaceable. Improving ecosystem integrity requires agricultural production to adopt practices that improve ecosystem function. This includes agroecological and regenerative agricultural practices, such as efficient water management and reduced use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, related to the production of natural fibers.
“Around the world we have agricultural operations in unique and complicated landscapes,” said Colette Glazik of Lewisham Farm. “The challenge is to identify how production can co-exist with nature and biodiversity and bring knowledge areas together so that we can protect what we have and rehabilitate what is needed.”
The report offers a number of recommendations for companies looking to reduce their negative impact on biodiversity. First, taking a science-based approach to making decisions will allow companies to more adequately address their impact on biodiversity. This science-based approach includes staying abreast of the latest scientific developments and adjusting policies as needed.
The report’s second recommendation is to recognize the need to act on a landscape level, practicing responsible land management and promoting soil health.
“This shift requires moving beyond individual species conservation to focus on overall impacts and habitat/landscape management,” the report said. “The primary objective should be preventing further losses of intact natural ecosystems and promoting management practices that enhance ecosystem function, ultimately supporting positive outcomes for biodiversity.”
The third recommendation is to accept there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution for biodiversity, and companies need to tailor their action based on the needs of their location. With that in mind, the report then suggests companies build strategic collaborations at all levels of their supply chain to enable impact at scale. And finally, companies should not only take action, but continue to monitor their impact on biodiversity and adapt their strategies as needed.
“As our understanding of the biodiversity crisis evolves, so must the way we address it,” the report said. “As supply chain data availability and accuracy improves, science advances, and nature evolves and adapts, continued monitoring and evaluation is critical to support adaptive management. While it is also crucial to be honest and transparent about the gaps in data and where assumptions have been made, do not let these shortcomings stand in the way of action.”
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