Maxine Bédat Of The New Standard Institute: Setting new standards for 'sustainability' in the fashion industry (podcast interview)
Maxine Bédat is the founder and director of the New Standard Institute (@NSIFashion2030), which is an information platform that seeks to bring together and accelerate existing sustainability efforts in the fashion industry and ensure that strong science and data drive change in the sector.
Prior to New Standard Institute, Maxine co-founded and was the CEO of Zady, a fashion company that was named one of the world’s “Most Innovative Companies” in retail by Fast Company for its work in sustainability.
In this podcast episode, Maxine sheds light on how the New Standard Institute is going about setting a new standard for the fashion industry, especially when words such as sustainable and eco-friendly are not standardized and often are used as a greenwashing tool; why recycled microplastic fibers used in so-called ‘eco’ athletic wear or swimwear, might not be as eco-friendly as it's made out to be; and more.
To start, get a glimpse below into the conversation between Maxine and Green Dreamer Podcast's host, Kamea Chayne.
Musical feature: Trust The Sun by The Fruitful Darkness by Trevor Hall (@TrevorHallMusic)
“The cotton industry and clothing was a driver for both imperialism and slavery. With the clothing we wear and the fashion industry, we have to recognize that the very roots of it are in colonialism and in slavery. ”
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This is a conversation on Green Dreamer with Kamea Chayne, a podcast and multimedia journal illuminating our paths towards ecological regeneration, intersectional sustainability, and true abundance and wellness for all. This preview has been edited for clarity. Subscribe to Green Dreamer Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any podcast app, and support Green Dreamer on Patreon so we can keep the show going and accessible to all!
On how the fashion industry was rooted in colonialism and injustice:
"There's an excellent book, Empire of Cotton, which really dives into how the cotton industry and how clothing itself was a driver for both imperialistic moves and for slavery. With the clothing we wear and the fashion industry, [we have to recognize] the very roots of it are in colonialism and in slavery.
We have to understand those very roots if we're even going to begin to understand the modern ramifications of those roots."
On the greenwashing happening in the fashion industry:
"There is not a single standard of sustainability. When you look under the hood of what brands are doing, it's a lot more marketing than it is addressing fundamental issues like carbon, chemicals, wages, and working conditions.
Even going back to the protests that are happening now, we need to push for a lot more accountability from these brands and [emphasize that] this is not just a marketing gimmick.
I've seen marketing presentations from brands that the trends of the future are animal print, customizable clothing, and sustainability. That is not the right approach. This is not a trend. Sustainability is not another trend to create another product for, it is addressing real systemic issues within the industry and across the supply chain. A lot of what is out there is noise, unfortunately."
On if recycled synthetic fibers are as ‘eco’ as we think they are:
"A lot of times the claims we come across with recycled polyester is that it's reducing plastic from the landfill—and that is not the case.
Unless the recycled polyester company is actually helping remove plastic from the ocean or from the environment, they are not, in fact, removing plastic going into the landfill.
The way in which we would reduce plastic going into the landfill is if we, as citizens, put plastic into recycling or if we reduce how much plastic we're using.
When we looked under the hood and started to investigate [the use of recycled polyester], what we came to understand is that the fashion industry is actually in major competition with the bottling industry for these used plastic bottles.
So what it has actually ended up doing is that it has driven the need for a 'green' or 'sustainable' product is that the price of recycled plastic bottles has just gone up, but it has not meaningfully achieved a reduction of plastic pollution."
Final words of wisdom:
"Justice and sustainability are a marathon and not a race. So we should be in it for the long haul and get ourselves ready."
