“Sustainability, as defined and measured in fashion, is currently an elitist, even imperialistic concept,” says Veronica Kassatly, analyst and consultant for data-based sustainability claims. In this four-part series, Kassatly examines how Western brands, consumers, and activists define the conversation around sustainability, based on their own interests and cultural values. She brings light to unfounded assertions about the long-lasting fiber traditions of wool, silk, and alpaca production in an effort to map out better solutions for moving toward “sustainable” fashion that is truly sustainable and socially just.
Read MoreCategory: Research
Microplastics Policy Moves Forward in California

Thanks to an outpouring of public comment earlier this year to the Ocean Protection Council, our Fibershed community’s voice helped shape next steps in California’s precedent-setting framework on state-led microplastic research, risk assessment and action.
Read MoreFibershed 2021 Symposium: Agroforestry Panel – Sonja Brodt, Liz Carlisle, Guido Frosini, Jesse Smith

Watch a recording of the Agroforestry Panel at the Fibershed 2021 Wool & Fine Fiber Symposium.
Read MoreFibershed 2021 Symposium: Presentation by Anja Lynbaeck of Local Futures

Watch a recording of a presentation by Anja Lynbaeck of Local Futures at the Fibershed 2021 Wool & Fine Fiber Symposium.
Read MoreTakeaways From the 2021 Carbon Farm Fund Report

Bringing producers, artisans, and policy together has the potential to increase fair payments to farmers to support more ecologically sound farming practices while providing a premium product to regional artisans and creators. Read our takeaways from the 2021 Carbon Farm Fund Report to understand the variety of ways we support on-the-ground climate beneficial land-management practices for more resilient fiber systems.
Read MoreWhat You Need To Know About Microplastics and Textile

The truth about the textile industry’s role in microplastic pollution and what you need to know to fix it.
Read MoreRegional Fibershed Communities Adapt to Global Climate Change

What rapidly changing weather conditions mean for our regional fibersheds and how innovative farmers and ranchers are stepping up to the challenges. The largest scientific expedition in Arctic history took place last year and included 300 scientists from 20 countries. The team spent 400 days taking ice, ocean, and air samples. Lead scientist Markus Rex […]
Read More‘Sustainable’ Fashion Forgot Where It Came From

Written by Veronica Kassatly ( This is just a quick primer. Anyone looking for more in depth analysis will find it in “The Great Green Washing Machine Part 1:Back to the Roots of Sustainability.”) Defining Sustainability: Back to the Roots In fashion, sustainability appears to have become an elitist, even imperialistic concept in which the […]
Read MoreHow Do Our Clothes Impact the SF Bay & Ocean Health? Experiential Learning with Materevolve

Written by Jess Daniels with photography by Paige Green Earlier this month, we set sail on the San Francisco Bay with a small group of textile industry experts and ocean health advocates to discuss how fibers and fashion are impacting two of our planet’s largest carbon pools: soil and sea. The trip was organized by […]
Read MoreFibershed Solutions to Microplastic Problems: Why textiles need to be at the core of California’s action on microplastics

By Jess Daniels This is a big year for a vast yet microscopically small problem: microplastics. California is set to begin a series of regulatory and policy efforts aimed at understanding, measuring, and strategizing to mitigate the plastic smog that blankets our waterways, soils, and even air. With more than 7 Trillion microplastic particles pouring annually […]
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