On April 15, AmCham and its Sustainability & Innovation Committee hosted their annual Movie Evening. This year, attendees watched Patagonia’s “The Shitthropocene”, a thought-provoking and humorous account of humanity's consumption habits and the quality of the items we use. We were thrilled to have an expert panel, including Tyler LaMotte, Product and Marketing Director EMEA at Patagonia, Pascale Wautelet, Vice President Global R&D and Sustainability at Avery Dennison, and Michiel Dekkers, Co-Owner at i-did, discuss the film and its themes.
Clothing production has shifted from being designed to last to being designed to keep up with trends before being quickly discarded. Billions of new clothing items are produced and marketed to customers every year, and much of it ends up in landfills. The constant production and consumption rely on limited resources, unfair working conditions, and environmental degradation. For consumers, one of the best things people can do for the environment is to use what they have for as long as possible, consuming less overall. They can demand more from the companies they buy from, especially in terms of quality and labor conditions. For companies, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Researching already available technology, innovating, and collaborating with regulators, competitors, or other partners are all ways to reduce environmental impact. As long as sustainability is centered, there are endless opportunities.
