How Sustainable is Fashion Upcycling?
Upcycling runs on the assumption that, because it works with what already exists and rescues materials from incineration and landfill, it is sustainable by design. Dr. Luca Coscieme, from the Hot or Cool Institute, gives us an inspiring, empowering way to think about our impact as upcyclers.
Upcycling carries a quiet assumption: that using what already exists is automatically "sustainable by design." In this episode, Angie sits down with Dr. Luca Coscieme, Programme Lead for Sustainable Lifestyles at the Hot or Cool Institute, to see what the actual research says - also in light of the EU's incoming Green Claims Directive.
They talk about what "impact" really means beyond a single number or technical jargon - its systemic nature, the role advertising and social norms play, the myth of "consumer choice," and what a fair, honest way to measure an upcycler's own impact could actually look like. Less compliance checklist. More: are we actually moving in the direction we meant to?
TOPICS COVERED
01:54 — The intro: from measuring entire economies to measuring what's in someone's closet
04:23 – What "impact" actually means today, and why sustainability can't be reduced to one number
10:50 – The uncomfortable data on who really overconsumes, and why fast fashion "democratizing" style doesn't hold up
15:05 – The question every upcycler should ask is not "is upcycling good,"
16:52 – Measuring impact from an upcycler´s perspective
19:05 – Wellbeing as the missing piece
27:06 – The EU's incoming greenwashing directive, and what it signals for small upcycling businesses
29:50 — Closing: What would you upcycle?
LINKS
Hot or Cool - Research
Report: Towards a Circular Wellbeing Economy: An Integrative Framework for Europe
Listen also on Spotify and Apple Podcasts
COM/VERGE: community and convergence — on the road to the first global fashion upcyclers summit.