Slow Fiber celebrates three years with responsible fashion decalogue

It was born three years ago, on 7 November 2022, as a rib of the Slow Food Movement, but in the textile sector. Slow Fiber is celebrating its three-year anniversary by taking stock of the journey so far, systemising good practices and possible transitions and trying to relaunch a sustainable model of the textile industry.

Hyper-consumerism, environmental impact, consumption of raw materials, unbalanced management of production cycles. These are just a few of the critical aspects of a sector that generates 10% of CO2 emissions, consumes 20% of the total water used in the world, with dyeing processes as the second biggest cause of water pollution, without forgetting, Slow Fiber points out, that it releases more than 90 million tonnes of solid waste into the environment every year, including microplastics, released at every wash by synthetic fibre garments. Without forgetting the social impact linked to poor work and exploitation.

Calling together members of the Slow Fibre Movement, experts, students and entrepreneurs is the association's president Dario Casalini, at a conference promoted to encourage discussion and progress, in the sector, on issues related to sustainability. The association's next step, Casalini anticipates, could be to launch a veritable vademecum on responsible consumption, a decalogue to be constructed in a collegial key, bringing together good practices and different sensibilities, and that could become a public tool, downloadable online from the Slow Fiber website to promote the culture of sustainability in the world of consumption as well.

"An alternative model is possible, has always existed and just needs to be rediscovered. If happiness and well-being are not selfish satisfaction of individual needs but relational goods that do not admit environmental degradation and the suffering of others, we must affirm with our daily choices that only what is good, healthy, clean, fair and durable can be beautiful. Slow Fiber was born with this hope,' emphasises association president Casalini.

The original inspiration of the Movement remains that of bringing together Italian companies in the textile supply chain, with the aim of creating and promoting industrial models 'that offer products that are beautiful because they are good, healthy, clean, fair and durable, and respect the dignity of human beings and the delicate balance of nature'. With these premises, therefore, the association's first congress is being held at the Fondazione Sandretto, an appointment that falls at a very critical stage, in which a series of enquiries and news stories have highlighted the flaws of sustainability even in the highest end of the market, dominated by the big fashion and haute couture brands.