Ecotextile Talks artwork

Ecotextile Talks

50 episodes - English - Latest episode: 30 days ago -

Exclusive Podcasts that tackle the crucial environmental issues impacting today’s global textile and clothing supply chains. Put together by the team that launched the pioneering Ecotextile News magazine back in 2007, we take listeners behind the scenes to reveal how we break the news and also provide deep dive Newscasts on sustainability, ethics, policy, retail, pollution and the carbon crisis engulfing our planet.

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Episodes

Ep 2: Cash for Climate Solutions - figuring out fashion’s CO2 emissions

February 29, 2024 00:00 - 31 minutes - 30.2 MB

In the second episode of this podcast series, produced in partnership with the Apparel Impact Institute about its Climate Solutions Portfolio (CSP), we take a look at the tool it's built to help decide who should get the funding, and what a winning application looks like.  As a quick re-cap, the CSP aims to find, feature and fund any initiative, project or piece of tech with the potential to reduce energy use and/or greenhouse gas emissions at scale in the industry. And it has up to 250,...

Ep 1: Cash for climate solutions, with the Apparel Impact Institute

February 22, 2024 06:00 - 29 minutes - 27.1 MB

In partnership with the Apparel Impact Institute, Philip Berman takes an in-depth look at its new The Climate Solutions Portfolio which aims to find, feature and fund any initiative with the potential to reduce energy use and/or greenhouse gas emissions at scale in the industry.  And it has up to 250,000 dollars per year to award to projects that have the data to show they have the potential to make a big impact.   In this first episode, Philip Berman was joined by Kurt Kipka, the Appare...

TRAIL: How to win cash for climate solutions

February 21, 2024 16:42 - 1 minute - 1.88 MB

In partnership with the Apparel Impact Institute, host Philip Berman takes an in-depth look at its new The Climate Solutions Portfolio which aims to find, feature and fund any initiative with the potential to reduce energy use and/or greenhouse gas emissions at scale in the industry.  And it has up to 250,000 dollars per year to award to projects that have the data to show they have the potential to make a big impact.   Launching Thursday 22nd February 6am GMT! Subscribe for free now!!...

Threaded Together: How the US Climate Smart Cotton program is helping to reduce the carbon footprint of textiles

December 07, 2023 06:00 - 46 minutes - 42.3 MB

To coincide with the week of World Soil Day 2023, our third and final episode of our Threaded Together: cotton and sustainability podcast series, sponsored by Cotton Incorporated, looks at the US Climate Smart Cotton Program- a bold, new and exciting initiative in the US, which aims to measure and improve the country’s cottons’ carbon footprint. We look at what it is, how it works, who can take part, why it's needed, who benefits from it and why it's of interest to the whole value chain i...

Threaded Together: How best to measure cotton’s environmental impact

November 30, 2023 06:00 - 52 minutes - 48.2 MB

In the second of this three-part podcast series: 'Threaded Together' about cotton sustainability, host Philip Berman talks to Dr Jesse Daystar, from Cotton Incorporated and Joel Mertens from the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, about the best way(s) to measure sustainability in the cotton industry and how it can drive change. Jesse and Joel discuss the purpose of a life cycle assessment (LCA), the different types and, in light of  the recent KMPG review of the SAC's Higg Product Module, how...

Has Renewcell been let down by fashion brands?

November 22, 2023 11:44 - 16 minutes - 23.2 MB

Many fashion brands and retailers talk a good game on circularity, but will they ever consistently pay a premium for materials made using 100% textile-to-textile recycling? Acting CEO of Renewcell Magnus Håkansson joins Ecotextile Talks to discuss the company's current challenges in receiving a higher price for a product offering the circularity so often discussed at textile sustainability conferences. Despite great industry excitement when Renewcell moved to a full-scale production faci...

Threaded Together: Cotton and Sustainability

October 24, 2023 07:00 - 46 minutes - 42.9 MB

In a new three-part sponsored series entitled, Threaded Together, podcast host Philip Berman looks at Cotton Incorporated's role in improving the sustainability of cotton in the textile industry.    Cotton Incorporated a US-based, not-for-profit company, provides resources and research to help companies develop and market innovative, and profitable cotton products.    It’s probably best known for its Seal of Cotton trademark which was created 50 years ago, in 1973, and has become an ...

How far can fashion resale drive decarbonisation?

October 18, 2023 14:09 - 19 minutes - 26.4 MB

Following a report outlining the potential benefits for fashion brands looking to integrate resale into their business model, Ecotextile Talks hears from Andy Ruben, founder of recommerce specialist Trove, who shares his insights on where the greatest opportunities lie. In a conversation dominated by statistics rather than rhetoric, Ruben speaks to Ecotextile News editor John Mowbray at an industry event in Boston to discuss how Trove worked with sustainable tech platform Worldly to identi...

Bridging the influence gap between apparel manufacturers and brands

October 11, 2023 13:34 - 16 minutes - 22.4 MB

As a formal partnership between the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) and International Apparel Federation (IAF) is signed, a key figure involved in the collaborative process speaks to Ecotextile Talks about what the duo hope to achieve. Andrew Martin, executive vice president of the SAC, sits down with podcast host David Styles to discuss what a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two organisations might mean for the fashion and textile industries at large. When asked about ...

Fashioning a better response to natural disasters

September 29, 2023 09:52 - 37 minutes - 51.5 MB

In an extended episode of Ecotextile Talks, the way in which the apparel sector responds to natural disasters is placed under the microscope. Podcast host David Styles is this week joined by two guests to discuss reports which respectively shine a light on the past, present and potential future of the industry’s collective response to crises caused by catastrophes such as earthquakes or extreme weather events. First, Penelope Kyritsis from the Worker Rights Consortium discusses the findi...

Should QR codes replace clothing labels?

September 13, 2023 09:32 - 17 minutes - 24.7 MB

The latest instalment of the Ecotextile Talks podcast series explores the motivations behind a campaign calling on the fashion industry to move away from conventional care and content labels in favour of digital alternatives.  Steve Lamar, president and CEO of the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA), who is one of the most prominent industry voices behind the #CutTheTape campaign, sits down with Tom Bithell to share his views on why digital solutions such as QR codes ought to ...

'Viscose Voyages' - uncovering Lenzing's plans in Indonesia

September 05, 2023 07:23 - 28 minutes - 20.3 MB

Earlier this summer host Phil Berman sat down with Carolina Ledl, Lenzing’s head of product and application management, to discuss the company's ambitious plans to start producing its Ecovero-branded viscose in its manufacturing plant in Indonesia.    Lenzing first launched its ‘EcoVero’ branded viscose in 2017, in response to growing a demand for more transparent viscose fibres. And with the expansion of its dope-dyed ‘Black’ version now imminent, Carolina explains what the company’s €...

Why organic cotton monitoring is out of this world

August 23, 2023 06:24 - 16 minutes - 22.3 MB

In the latest episode of Ecotextile Talks, Jeffrey Thimm from Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) discusses an initiative exploring the potential of combining artificial intelligence and satellite technologies to monitor organic cotton production. Podcast host David Styles discusses with Thimm how GOTS reached the point at which, with project partners the European Space Agency and tech firm Marple, it is watching over cotton production in India from space. Despite what may seem like a...

Time fashion gets tough on Turkmen forced labour?

August 16, 2023 07:40 - 21 minutes - 29.4 MB

The latest report from Cotton Campaign insists the time has come for the fashion industry to act conclusively on forced labour in Turkmen cotton fields, with human rights lawyer and researcher Allison Gill telling Ecotextile Talks that legal obligations must now be met.  Speaking on behalf Cotton Campaign, an interdisciplinary coalition of human and labour rights organisations focused on cotton supply chains, Gill sits down with podcast host David Styles to discuss the past, present and po...

Australia trials voluntary textile circularity levy

August 09, 2023 07:25 - 19 minutes - 27.3 MB

As an apparent global push to include extended producer responsibility (EPR) frameworks in legislation gathers pace, podcast host David Styles catches up with Claire Kneller, managing director of WRAP Asia Pacific, to discuss the Australian Government’s approach. Claire joins the latest episode of Ecotextile Talks as a representative of the consortium behind Seamless, an initiative aiming to convince fashion brands and retailers to voluntarily contribute four cents per garment to fund text...

The DNA detectives: a look at Hohenstein's new test for organic cotton

July 11, 2023 06:00 - 18 minutes - 15.2 MB

In our latest Ecotextile Talks podcast, Philip Berman catches up with John Murphy, Hohenstein’s technical director for Europe, for an update on the company’s testing and certification process for its new Oeko-Tex organic cotton standard that was launched in April. The new testing procedure has been created to verify the labelling of organic cotton textiles, but with additional criteria that meets with the stringent Oeko-Tex Standard 100. It claims to ensure that cotton samples contain less...

Ten years since Rana Plaza: What lessons learned?

April 17, 2023 09:00 - 39 minutes - 54.6 MB

In a special edition of Ecotextile Talks to commemorate the ten year anniversary of the Rana Plaza collapse, host David Styles is joined by a range of expert guests who share their opinions on the disaster's wide-ranging impacts. The podcast explores how the catastrophe occurred, its lasting legacies for victims and the global apparel sector, as well as looking ahead to what the next decade may hold as the tragedy continues to cast a long shadow. Expert guests include: Miran Ali, vice-...

Inside the minds of sustainable shoppers

March 02, 2023 08:00 - 23 minutes - 19.5 MB

Host Phil Berman sits down with Eva McGeorge, Lenzing’s Head of Marketing and Communications, to discuss the company’s recent global survey on consumer attitudes to sustainability in fashion. Lenzing says the aim of its new survey – the key insights of which will be launched exclusively in next month's edition of Ecotextile News – was to find out what drives and motivates consumers when it comes to shopping for textiles and clothing. Is it price? Sustainability? Or something else ent...

A new due diligence approach to apparel supply chains

December 13, 2022 20:58 - 15 minutes - 13.6 MB

Host Philip Berman talks to Oeko-Tex's Melanie Teutberg about Responsible Business - a new tool launched by the global certification company in a bid to help textile businesses navigate legal obligations under the deluge of new due diligence laws. The standard is based on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), the OECD Guideline for Multinational Enterprises, the OECD Due Diligence Guidance Textile and Footwear and the OECD Guideline for Responsible Business Conduc...

How Timberland and Lenzing tackled traceability

November 02, 2022 19:14 - 26 minutes - 37.7 MB

In today’s edition host, Philip Berman, talks to Dr. Krishna Manda, Vice President of Corporate Sustainability at the Lenzing Group, and Roberta Vernocchi, a Senior Materials Manager at Timberland Apparel, about launching a new traceable apparel collection using Lenzing’s Tencel Refibra technology. Manda and Vernocchi talk listeners through the new Timberland Fall 2022 collection that uses Tencel Refibra fabrics derived from a combination of sustainably sourced wood pulp and recycled cotto...

Editor's Picks - 2 September 2022

September 02, 2022 16:12 - 13 minutes - 10.1 MB

Welcome to the third edition of Editor’s picks. Each week the Editor of Ecotextile News selects a few key stories from the magazine that he thinks you need to hear, read out by AI voices. Then a human - Philip Berman - pieces it all together with music and voice-over, and a little magic turns it into a podcast for your aural delight!  This week we report on:  The UN accuses China of "serious human rights violations" and possible crimes against humanity in the detention and torture of...

Editor's Picks - 26 August 2022

August 26, 2022 15:00 - 17 minutes - 12.7 MB

Welcome to the third edition of Editor’s picks. Each week the Editor of Ecotextile News selects a few key stories from the magazine that he thinks you need to hear, read out by AI voices. Then a human - Philip Berman - pieces it all together with music and voice-over, and a little magic turns it into a podcast for your aural delight!  This week we report on:  How a shortage of rain is reining in cotton production (2.54 min).   Major plans from the Policy Hub to cut textile waste ...

Editor's Picks - Episode Two

July 05, 2022 13:54 - 17 minutes - 24.2 MB

Welcome to the second episode of Editor’s picks. Each week the Editor of Ecotextile News will select a few key stories from the magazine that he thinks you need to hear, read out by AI voices. Then a human - Philip Berman - pieces it all together with music and voice-over, and a little magic turns it into a podcast for your aural delight!  This week we report on:  The Sustainable Apparel Coalition putting a global halt on the use of Higg MSI data on consumer-facing product labels fol...

Unpicking the problem of organic cotton fraud

June 30, 2022 11:10 - 33 minutes - 46.8 MB

In our latest Ecotextile Talks podcast, cotton expert Simon Ferrigno gives his own views to host Phil Berman on why he’d like to see a parliamentary-style inquiry into widespread fraud in the organic cotton sector.   Ferrigno also talks about his recent opinion piece on organic cotton fraud which was published as a special eight-page feature in the April/May 2022 edition of Ecotextile News magazine and later posted online here.    Ferrigno reveals how, since he wrote his article, ev...

Editor's Picks from Ecotextile News

June 29, 2022 08:59 - 18 minutes - 15.9 MB

Welcome to the first episode of Editor’s picks. Each week the Editor of Ecotextile News will select a few key stories from the magazine that he thinks you need to hear.  This week we report on: How fashion is reacting to the implementation of new regulations in the US that assume any product partly or wholly made in the Xinjiang region of north-west China, is linked to the region’s labour camps and cannot enter the country. (2.15) Some promising new DNA-based technology that claims t...

What are the biggest ESG risks in fashion today?

May 31, 2022 09:22 - 35 minutes - 33.5 MB

Randy Rankin, Eurofins Consumer Products Assurance Global Client Development Director for North America discusses the current key environmental, social, and governance risks facing the global textile and apparel industry. Rankin tells our host, Philip Berman, how he believes that new and proposed legislation on the fashion industry – on both sides of the Atlantic – are the key developments that should be concerning global brands right now. He cites the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Dil...

Why 'a-maizing' bio-polymers make textiles more than a just ‘corny’ story

April 14, 2022 12:32 - 23 minutes - 33.5 MB

Alexa Raab, the global brand and communications manager for bio-materials with US chemicals giant DuPont, explains how the company's partially *bio-based Sorona PTT is helping to lower carbon emissions and increase circularity, and why its launched a Preferred Mill Network programme to support the fibre's expansion. *37% comes from corn-starch      

How Higg is helping a major cycling apparel brand become more sustainable

March 22, 2022 12:07 - 29 minutes - 34 MB

This episode is brought to you by Higg, the technology platform that helps companies measure, manage, and share their social and environmental sustainability data. Host Philip Berman talks to McKenzie Everett, from the cycling apparel brand Pearl izumi, about her company's commitment to sustainability, and how it uses the Higg Product Design Tools to measure, manage, and share the environmental impact of its products.  To date, 300 leading brands have used the Higg Product Design Tools t...

Figuring out your carbon emissions and water impact

March 14, 2022 09:02 - 22 minutes - 30.3 MB

Host Philip Berman talks to Alisia Mätz, from OEKO-TEX®, about the launch of their new tool to help facilities measure and manage their carbon emissions and water usage. Their new Impact Calculator (IC) has been implemented into the STeP certification system at the start of 2022. You can find more details about it here.       

Re-thinking the rules of fashion

February 17, 2022 11:57 - 30 minutes - 35.3 MB

Ken Pucker discusses why 25 years of corporate social responsibility has done little to curb carbon emissions from the textile industry, and why we urgently need new laws to save the planet. Ken is a former chief operating officer at Timberland, a lecturer, and a vocal critic of the Environmental and Social Governance Industry. His most recent article for the Harvard Business - entitled The Myth of Sustainable Fashion has gained some traction online - so we thought it was time to get hi...

How Lenzing has its sights set on a zero carbon target

January 13, 2022 11:51 - 33 minutes - 62.6 MB

Host Philip Berman talks to Caroline Ledl, Head of Product Management Textiles for the Lenzing Group, about how her company plans to halve its CO2 emissions per tonne of product by 2030, and also be completely climate neutral by 2050.

How Lycra is expanding its eco horizons

December 16, 2021 14:02 - 22 minutes - 16.6 MB

In the latest Ecotextile Talks podcast, host Philip Berman speaks with the Lycra Company’s sustainability director, Jean Hegedus, about how its eponymous stretch fibre can play a part in textile circularity. Known for being hard to extract when separating blended textile waste, Jean Hegedus provides an insight into how elastane fibre could still play an important part in circular textile supply chains, if the economics stack up.   She also adds to the debate of whether PET bottles shou...

From No More to Once More: Brands and Consumers

December 01, 2021 21:06 - 23 minutes - 32.9 MB

In the final episode in our five-part documentary series, we get to hear two brands' views on the future of textile to textile recycling and talk to shoppers about their attitude to buying more sustainable clothes. Features interviews with: Jodi Evering, Fabric and Sustainability Manager, Filippa K; and Camilla Skjønning Jørgensen, Sustainable Materials & Innovation Manager, Bestseller

From No More to Once More: Making the producers more responsible

November 12, 2021 13:45 - 25 minutes - 23.9 MB

The fourth episode in our new five-part audio documentary looks at the potential impact of the 2025 Waste Directive on the reuse and recycling of textiles.  

From No More to Once More: Time to sort it all out?

November 05, 2021 11:08 - 18 minutes - 18 MB

The third episode in our new five-part audio documentary examines the challenges of sourcing enough of the right feedstock for chemical textile-to-textile recycling.   Ecotextile Talks speaks to Södra’s Niclas Berg, whose job involves sourcing feedstock for the company's ‘OnceMore’ process, and Lina Wiles, Head of Sustainability in Sweden for Elis, which is currently Södra’s major supplier.   We also talk to:   David Stevens, CEO of the Textile Services Association (TSA) whose memb...

From No More to Once More: The Sodra Way

November 02, 2021 12:32 - 19 minutes - 27.4 MB

To coincide with this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, we’re bringing to you part two of a new five-part podcast series, in affiliation with Forestry industry group Södra, that explores how diverting textiles from landfill can accelerate the industry’s environmental ambitions.     In this second episode, Ecotextile Talks host Philip Berman talks to Södra’s Johannes Bogren and Helena Claesson about the magic behind their recycling process. Plus we also h...

From No More to Once More: The Södra Way

November 02, 2021 12:32 - 19 minutes - 27.1 MB

To coincide with this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, we’re bringing to you part two of a new five-part podcast series, in affiliation with Forestry industry group Södra, that explores how diverting textiles from landfill can accelerate the industry’s environmental ambitions.     In this second episode, Ecotextile Talks host Philip Berman talks to Södra’s Johannes Bogren and Helena Claesson about the magic behind their recycling process. Plus we also h...

From No More To Once More: How did we get here?

October 29, 2021 06:34 - 19 minutes - 36.2 MB

Ahead of this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, we’re bringing to you part one of a new five-part podcast series, in affiliation with Forestry industry group Södra, that will explore how diverting textiles from landfill can accelerate the industry’s environmental ambitions.     In this first episode, Ecotextile Talks host Philip Berman speaks to Södra’s Johannes Bogren, the founder of Accelerating Circularity Karla Magruder, circular fashion researcher a...

Why Lenzing is big on biodegradability

October 27, 2021 04:00 - 26 minutes - 50.1 MB

To coincide with the release of a new scientific study from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, in San Diego, Florian Heubrandner, VP of Global Textiles Business at the Lenzing Group, discusses the importance of fibre biodegradability. 

Detecting fraud in the organic cotton chain

October 11, 2021 14:45 - 15 minutes - 14.7 MB

Ecotextile Talks host, Philip Berman, talks to Harald Notz-Lajtke from Hohenstein, about how their laboratories can now use a form of PCR testing to determine the exact percentage of GMO cotton in a sample. This could be a game-changer in helping companies spot fraudulent rather than accidental contamination in the organic cotton supply chain. 

How Zalando uses Higg data to drive sustainability

August 19, 2021 10:45 - 26 minutes - 25 MB

Host Philip Berman talks to Kate Heiny, Zalando's Director of Sustainability about how the company is helping brand partners improve their sustainability in a number of different key areas with the help of Higg tools. 

How Zalando uses data to drive sustainability

August 19, 2021 10:45 - 26 minutes - 25 MB

Host Philip Berman talks to Kate Heiny, Zalando's Director of Sustainability about how the company is helping brand partners improve their sustainability in a number of different key areas with the help of Higg tools. 

How Higg data helps the H&M Group

June 25, 2021 14:26 - 25 minutes - 47 MB

The third of our series of podcasts supported by Higg - the technology platform that helps companies manage, measure, and share their environmental and social impact data. In this episode, Philip Berman talks to Hanna Hallin, Treadler's Global Sustainability Manager, about how the H&M Group's new company is helping rival retailers find more sustainable suppliers.     

A passport to cleaner and greener textile chemistry

June 14, 2021 07:57 - 17 minutes - 25 MB

John Frazier, senior technical director at the Hohenstein Institute America, talks about why the fashion sector needs to up its game on chemical management, and how an Eco Passport can help retailers and brands to clean up their supply chains, at the same time tackling tighter regulations on chemicals.

How the Higg MSI can scale textile sustainability

May 14, 2021 18:59 - 35 minutes - 65 MB

In this latest episode of Ecotextile Talks, supported by the technology company Higg, listeners hear from Jeremy Lardeau, Vice President, Higg Index at the Sustainable Apparel Coalition; and Cash East, Director of Analytics at Higg, who explain how the Higg Materials Sustainability Index can make a significant, positive impact on environmental sustainability in the global fashion industry. They outline why material selection matters in the textile sector when it comes to the environment, h...

The Higg Index: Inside the 10-year Journey to standardize sustainability measurement

April 14, 2021 17:39 - 35 minutes - 65.5 MB

In this special episode of EcoTextile Talks brought to you by Higg, producer Phil Berman explores how the global apparel industry can effectively measure and improve social and environmental sustainability performance, and the important role technology and data play in scaling these efforts. Our guests are Higg CEO Jason Kibbey and Amina Razvi, Executive Director of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition Amina Razvi.

Textile fibre traceability: is blockchain the answer?

December 02, 2020 20:01 - 32 minutes - 61.6 MB

Former BBC producer Phil Berman hosts our Radio Show to find out if blockchain can be an important new tool for clothing retailers to provide real-time transparency in their supply networks when sourcing wood fibre – and even wool. Our guests in the studio are Robert van de Kerkhof, Chief Commercial Officer at fibre maker Lenzing; Giovanni Schneider, CEO of Italian wool and cashmere processor the Schneider Group; and Amit Gautam, CEO of blockchain specialist TextileGenesis. Listeners can...

Fashion and forced labour in China

July 29, 2020 12:25 - 20 minutes - 47.9 MB

Journalists from Ecotextile News magazine discuss the situation of forced labour in Xinjiang, China, which supplies 22 per cent of the world’s cotton crop. This newscast asks how much of this crop finds its way into the clothes sold by leading high street brands. Is every retailer somehow tainted with cotton that’s been allegedly been picked or processed using forced labour? And is this situation being weaponised by some US politicians as part of the on-going trade war in the run-up to the U...

How can textile trade shows respond to the Coronavirus?

July 07, 2020 06:34 - 23 minutes - 43 MB

A behind the news conversation between the journalists at Ecotextile News on what lies ahead for global textile events in the wake of the current pandemic. How can trade show organisers respond? What are they doing now to connect an industry where commerce is based on fabric touch – as well as price and design? And was the old way of working really sustainable anyway?

Ecotextile Talks Behind The News

June 26, 2020 11:05 - 15 minutes - 29.7 MB

In this pilot episode, we introduce some of the journalists who work on Ecotextile News, and discuss how lock-down has changed our way of working, and reveal some of the big stories we've been looking into behind-the-scenes and publishing on www.ecotextile.com