Changemakers in fashion (part 6): Natascha van der Velden

interview

There are countless sustainability initiatives, but who in the fashion industry is really driving change – regardless of whether the efforts are visible to the general public or not? We interview changemakers, consultants, sustainability experts and activists in fashion. What can we learn from their work?

Who are you and what is your background and area of ​​expertise?

I’m Natascha van der Velden and I’ve been fascinated by textiles, clothing and fashion my whole life. In 1994 I completed my studies at the TU Delft in the field of sustainable textiles. I was one of the first to deal with this topic. That was real pioneering work.

After graduating, I worked in the textile industry for 15 years. I then returned to TU Delft to do my doctoral thesis to investigate how fashion designers can influence sustainability. I specialize in calculating the impact of different materials and production methods using life cycle analysis (LCA). Since then, I have been working on research projects, advising companies, writing articles and teaching about sustainability and LCA in the textile industry.

What are you currently working on?

I work on projects that help companies quantitatively measure and improve sustainability. For example, I work closely with a company that has a system for… On demand-Production builds up. This means that clothing is only produced when there is demand. This is in stark contrast to common practice in fashion. This is where products are first developed, produced and then presented to consumers. Demand-driven production is a promising way to combat overproduction and the destruction of unsold clothing.

I also focus on materials research. This includes the use of recycled fabrics and the processing of textile waste to further improve the sustainability of products.

How has sustainability developed since your doctoral thesis? What progress has been made? Would you even call it progress?

The latter is a good point. From a demand-driven production perspective, it is difficult to understand why most of the industry still clings to mass production and endless markdowns on poorly selling items.

The positive thing is that sustainability is on everyone’s radar. This applies to both fashion professionals and students in training. This awareness is crucial because if you don’t know what’s going on, you can’t develop solutions.

The negative thing is that the numbers, like the overall environmental impact, are not yet falling significantly. This is mainly because more and more is being produced. You can make products more sustainable, but if the total quantity continues to increase, the impact remains high. Without strong incentives or clear regulations, this will not change quickly.

Unfortunately, in a world of free trade, it is difficult to establish effective rules. When laws are being prepared, you can see that business lobbies are trying to weaken them, as happened with the CSDDD.

Achieving the 2030 climate goals is complicated. One example is the reduction in CO₂ emissions by 55 percent compared to 1990. The industry produces so much more today that even halving emissions per product is not enough. That worries me.

Fortunately, I also see hopeful developments. Many companies are investing in innovation and beautiful combinations of technology and craftsmanship are emerging. But that requires patience.

By the way, the textile industry is not alone in this: many industries are struggling with the same problem.

What message or food for thought do you have for our readers?

Consumers are expected to make ‘the right decisions’. It is very understandable that they buy on sales or on Black Friday. After all, the products are offered at low prices and purchasing them is not prohibited. I think that companies themselves need to take more responsibility.

Fortunately, the need for organizations to have all product information is becoming increasingly important. Make sure you have answers to questions like: Where does my product come from? What materials are included in it? Who makes it? How and by whom is it used? And what can happen to it at the end of its life – can it be reused or made into new clothing? This is important not only because of the upcoming CSRD reporting requirement and the digital product passport. Consumers simply expect this too.

Those who produce far away automatically have less overview and control. Labor-intensive manufacturing, a major cost factor, is often outsourced to low-wage countries. I strongly believe in a more local economy. The shorter and more manageable the chain, the more control you have. This can even save costs.

I always advise companies: ‘Do less, but do better’. In other words: smarter produce. Nowadays there are resources for this. Digital systems make it possible to closely coordinate material stocks, demand and production, as with On demand-Production.

Or take Whole Garment-Knitting machines that can produce a garment in one operation. This saves a lot of manual work. This is another way to shorten the chain and make local production more realistic.

How do you see the future of the fashion industry?

Fashion is an incredibly exciting topic. Everyone has an opinion about it because it affects people directly. This ensures that sustainability is and remains on the agenda.

At the same time, I feel that something really needs to change. I’ve actually been waiting for a big change for 30 years. Many initiatives, such as those in the area of ​​circularity, are valuable. But they are still quite small in relation to what is needed: systemic change.

Which initiatives are a step in the right direction?

Take developments in recycling. New semi-synthetic materials from old textiles, the existing wool recycling and the growing attention to cotton recycling. These are steps in the right direction.

But there are also less good examples, such as recycled polyester. That seemed positive at first. A label that says ‘made from recycled material’ has a sustainable effect. But using plastic drink bottles for polyester clothing is not. It took years before this became known to a wider public.

An LCA for textiles shows that new, bio-based or recycled materials are not automatically more sustainable. The environmental impact depends on the specific application. In order to handle materials more intelligently, more basic research is necessary. It is necessary to investigate which materials work best in which context – something that rarely happens in this traditional industry.

In addition to innovation, how do you see the role of collaboration in the fashion industry?

The fashion industry used to be hesitant to provide knowledge or assets to share. Today, companies and training institutions are increasingly willing to work together. This is positive and important because collaboration brings a lot. It promotes innovation, makes processes more efficient and helps the industry become more sustainable.

Collaboration with other disciplines is also becoming increasingly important. Think, for example, of mathematicians who can model new techniques and systems. By looking beyond your own horizons, solutions emerge that help you real fundamental change make possible.

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