Every industry has its own set of hard truths to face up to. The combustion engine for auto manufacturers, for example, or health implications of ultra-processed products for some food manufacturers.
The agricultural commodity sector is no different, with challenges ranging from links to deforestation and high greenhouse gas emissions to economic insecurity facing millions of smallholder farmers.
Most of these issues play out hundreds or even thousands of miles away from the well-stocked shelves or enticing websites of retail brands. Yet, as direct beneficiaries of these global value chains, they cannot pass the buck. Nor will legislators or buyers let them. Fast-food chains, for example, are increasingly on the hook for where their beef comes from. Tech firms are quizzed about the source of their minerals. The fashion industry is similarly exposed.
As Paul Polman, former chief executive of Unilever, pointed out in the influential US magazine Women’s Wear Daily, producing the fabrics for the clothes on our backs is responsible for a “staggering” range of environmental impacts. Fashion brands are moving to address these, but too slowly, he concludes. His recommendation: “We need to get the industry to tipping points, and fast.”