Blue Cast: European Climate Pact Ambassador Marwa Zamaray on Driving Fashion’s Sustainability Charge
Blue Cast is a podcast series from the TENCEL™ Denim team. Each episode features a conversation with a special guest from within the industry or the fringes of the denim community. The following is a recap of Episode 505.
Sustainability has gone from an option to a necessity as regulations ramp up. In Europe, this includes the European Green Deal that targets becoming the first carbon-neutral continent by 2050.
Part of the Green Deal is the European Climate Pact, which unites individuals, communities and organizations to combat global warming and work toward this carbon-zero goal. Throughout Europe, 500 pact ambassadors have been appointed, including Marwa Zamaray from the Netherlands who focuses on the fashion industry. On the latest episode of our Blue Cast podcast, Marwa joined Lenzing’s Tuncay Kilickan to discuss best practices for prepping for regulations and where the industry stands with sustainability today.
“In the beginning, I was that one loud lady who kept saying that regulations are coming, you have to prepare for it,” said Marwa. Now, the conversation goes both ways, as companies are reaching out for guidance to manage regulatory requirements. The stakes are high; should a company not comply with laws, repercussions range from fines to even jail sentences.
Part of Marwa’s approach is being the “friend that tells you the truth,” providing “wake-up calls” to the industry. She laid out some of the “concerning” facts about the industry, from the prevalence of forced labor-made goods to vague environmental claims and lack of recycling. Tuncay noted that it is as if the industry is on a treadmill, exerting effort but staying in the same place.
One of the things holding fashion and textiles back in sustainability is a lack of investment. Marwa noted that a smaller budget is allocated to research and development in apparel than in other industries. This is also true of human resources, as “one-man show” sustainability departments are tasked with managing complex compliance demands and more.
“Instead of protecting your budgets, just be more generous in spending on all these innovations and solutions that are out there, so you could actually be ready for the regulations when you have to comply with it,” Marwa said.
Just as they shouldn’t try to have one person do it all, companies shouldn’t shift responsibility onto their suppliers. Instead, they should forge stronger relationships with the supply chain. “My advice to avoid the roadblocks would be to foster a more collaborative approach, to be more supportive, engaging and if necessary, provide financial support to your suppliers so they could have the tools they need and they are empowered and they are ready to help you comply with the regulations and take away a huge burden from yourself and from them,” said Marwa.
Listen to the episode here.