As part of the #MakeItFeelRight campaign, Lenzing’s Harold Weghorst, Global Vice President Marketing & Branding hosted a roundtable discussion with Samata Pattinson, CEO of Red-Carpet Green Dress and Arizona Muse, model and founder of Dirt Charity to share perspectives on how sustainability can be better enhanced in different segments within the fashion ecosystem.

As a fashion influencer, Arizona’s insights on the importance of shifting consumer mentality to be more sustainable were vital. Samata’s advocacy for greater textile choices in design was timely and Harold’s call to manufacturers and suppliers to lead the change in the supply chain was inspiring.

Throughout the virtual roundtable the speakers covered a variety of pertinent topics. At the beginning of the discussion Harold started by discussing the claims that fashion was still largely unsustainable. It was time to get into the details on why there is an urgent need to drive sustainability in the industry and both Arizona and Samata agreed that the urgency is being echoed by stakeholders across the fiber value chain.

Arizona remarked that “We have some work to do to define what truly is sustainable”. Consumers should be encouraged to “dig deeper” and understand the details on what makes brands sustainable. Many brands are exploiting the fact that sustainability is an “unregulated word” that can be used as an “unspecific label”.

The problem of fast fashion was also raised, and the group concluded that brands need to be more aware of the impact, particularly in carbon emissions, that they have in continuing to produce unsustainably. The solution to tackling this problem was to educate consumers that they have the power to succeed where fast fashion brands fail. By choosing to shop sustainably and calling for greater transparency of the textiles that make their garments, they can make a difference.

Samata said that designers look at sustainability through an “environmental” and “social” lens. Designers are curious on “how what we are extracting impacts the environment”, they are asking “how is it impacting communities, how is it engaging communities?”. She remarked that small designers struggle to answer these questions because it’s hard to get involved in the early parts of the fiber production chain, instead they opt to source from sustainable producers that are trusted and verified.

The group wrapped with a positive sustainability outlook in 2022 and an optimistic post pandemic recovery for the fashion industry as the world begins to bounce back.

Harold concluded by saying “I’m also very positive about the future and the impact we can create for the environment, but also for people and for communities around us”.

The full Green Room roundtable can be watched below.