What is regenerative agriculture? When 'sustainable' is not enough

At first glance, it may seem an exaggeration to say that being sustainable is no longer enough, but the data does not lie. This view is shared by circular fashion experts such as Mariola Marcet, founder of Upcyclick. “Five of the nine planetary boundaries have already been crossed: climate change, chemical pollution, the phosphorus and nitrogen cycle, land use change and the destruction of the biosphere,” she says when speaking to FashionUnited. After years of stating that “fashion is either sustainable or it is not”, another concept is now coming into play: regenerative fashion. But what exactly is it?

What is regenerative fashion and why is it the new concept that everyone is talking about?

The need for using the term “regeneration” stems from the fact that “we have degraded the natural ecosystems and the social systems in which we live and to which we belong”, says Gema Gómez, CEO of the Slow Fashion Next movement. A fact that makes it clear that terms such as circular economy or carbon neutrality are no longer sufficient and therefore “the term ‘regenerative fashion’ is becoming increasingly popular among veterans of sustainable fashion,” says Marcet.

”Regenerative fashion is committed to giving back to the earth everything it takes from it. It uses natural resources, but in a controlled way, without chemicals and with a living wage for all workers in the textile chain.”

Beyond recycling, reusing or reducing emissions, the goal is to restore and regenerate the ecosystem “that makes room for life as we know it, including human life,” shares Gómez. So where to start? According to Jesús Iglesias, ambassador of the European Climate Pact in Spain and expert in nature-based solutions at his company NBS Climate, “we need to think about how we can reverse the negative effects that the production system known as fast fashion has on ecosystems and people”.

The list of ills is long: the misuse of natural resources, the use of synthetic fibres, the proliferation of microplastic and excessive water consumption - a crisis that even affects world peace, as the United Nations World Water Development Report 2024 states.

When nature is the answer

Little by little, the letter “R” is creeping into the speeches and roadmaps of numerous industry platforms. The last edition of Circular Sustainable Fashion Week Madrid, which took place in April this year, was themed “R-Generation” and led by The Circular Project, which stated: “The solutions have always been there for those who wanted to see them and had the will to work with knowledge and ethics. As physicist Jorge Wagensberg would say: ‘If nature is the answer, what is the question?’.”

”The answer could come from the most advanced technology we know today, which has managed to last more than 3.6 billion years: nature.”

With this in mind, the Slow Fashion Next team was in the midst of preparations for its eleventh event on sustainable fashion at the time of writing. Created to discuss and reflect on the textile industry, it took place on 6th and 7th June at the Royal Botanical Gardens of the National Agency for Scientific Research and Technological Development (CSIC) in Madrid. “We need to find solutions in all sectors, and in the fashion industry one of the most important responses to these impacts can come from the most advanced technology we know today, which has managed to last more than 3,600 million years: nature.”

Five steps towards more regenerative fashion

The first step starts with each individual and is nothing other than stopping the degeneration. What does that mean? “We must reduce our consumption of resources and energy until we remain below the planetary boundaries, the limits of ecosystem regeneration,” emphasises Iglesias. Secondly, the ecosystems that we have already damaged must be restored. One way to do this is for companies to grow these raw materials themselves, for example flax or hemp, or to use wool to create opportunities for rural development.

If “regenerative fashion is committed to giving back to the earth everything it receives from it,” as Mariola Marcet advocates, another solution is to “use natural resources, but in a controlled way, without chemicals and with a living wage for all the workers in the textile chain, from the farmers to those who make the clothes,” adds Marcet. A fourth point could be to “count on small and local brands that help with territorial activation, taking into account the climate and soil conditions to maximise yield; as well as giving more importance to artisanal production to restore soils, ecosystems and biodiversity,” says Marcet, who is also one of the teachers of the master's degree in sustainable fashion at the EASD (Escola d'Art i Superior de Disseny) in Valencia.

”Reducing energy consumption, controlling the use of natural resources, focussing on local and artisanal production and maintaining economic, social and environmental development are some of the keys.”

In short, it is about continuing the principles of the triple bottom line, which takes into account not only economic growth, but also social and environmental growth. An inclusive socio-economic development through regenerative cultures that promote biodiversity and product quality without neglecting the rural level. In other words, a strategy with solutions based on Mother Nature herself.

Regenerative agriculture, the other (necessary) side of the coin

It is impossible to talk about regenerative fashion without also talking about regenerative agriculture. As with fashion, this practice stems from the need to regenerate the soil. According to the Iberian Association of Regenerative Agriculture, it is “a reformulation of the system” and, as with sustainability or the circular economy, “here it is not enough to do without toxins and poisons, we must regenerate what has been degraded”, reads the manifesto. For this association, the key lies in the soil, in “maximising natural dynamics” with the aim of “increasing the organic carbon content of the soil so that it becomes more fertile and retains more water, carrying out the right interventions with the appropriate machinery and using the services of animals, following nature's example.”

With the main objective of soil health, crops that have a positive effect should be promoted. “In northern Spain, a high-quality type of flax was cultivated in the last century. When cultivated, flax and other crops such as hemp become carbon sinks and promote biodiversity at the same time,” explains Slow Fashion Next. Wool is another example of nature's mastery, it is “the best eco-design fibre, no other industrially produced material can compete with it in terms of elasticity, thermoregulation, breathability and flame retardancy”. Migratory animal husbandry and merino wool are essential to prevent deforestation and forest fires.

This article was originally published on http://FashionUnited.es . Edited and translated by Simone Preuss.