Oliver Scutt recently sat down with Sarah Angold, co-founder of 29acacia, to discuss her determination to transform the fashion industry by producing textiles from agricultural banana waste.
The idea was born when her business partner Varun, whose experience in agricultural waste management in India meant he was seeing in real time the large-scale waste streams that are typically burned or discarded, wanted to look for a better solution. With Sarah’s extensive fashion background and deep understanding of fashion supply chains, the two were able to see how a high-performance, low-impact material could offer a scalable, sustainable alternative to cotton and viscose for brands and manufacturers.
In this 30-minute interview, Oliver and Sarah focus on not just the importance of environmental sustainability when it comes to textile creation, but also the social and economic redress that is required across the entire supply chain.
They talk about reducing overall clothing consumption while protecting livelihoods in countries such as Bangladesh, India and Vietnam, the impact of AI, and critically, the role government and regulation can play in driving meaningful change across the industry.
You can watch the interview in full below.