How brands like Patagonia are using regenerative agriculture in China to lessen fashion’s damage
- Patagonia’s push for clothing made from hemp and Chinese brand Bombyx’s eco-friendly silk farm show that fashion doesn’t have to be so destructive
- The companies are among a growing number of brands embracing regenerative agriculture in line with consumers’ eco-friendly demands
With 16,000 acres of organically grown mulberry trees – hosts for silkworms – in southwest China and a high-end silk manufacturing plant running solely on solar energy, Bombyx is a new fashion brand and supplier with a cogent green story behind it.
Hilmond Hui, founder and president of the brand that launched in May under apparel group Profits Fund Global (PFG), tells the Post that its clients love the sustainable narrative behind the company’s production.
Hui explains that fashion is among the world’s most polluting industries due to effluent discharge, wasteful purchases and other harmful practices. Materials such as linen and cotton come from the land, so how they are grown has a significant impact on the environment.
According to the non-profit Regeneration International, regenerative agriculture refers to “farming and grazing practices that … reverse climate change by rebuilding soil organic matter and restoring degraded soil biodiversity”.
