Our Mission
Fibershed is a non-profit organization that develops regional fiber systems that build ecosystem and community health.
Our work expands opportunities to implement climate benefiting agriculture, rebuild regional manufacturing, and connect end-users to the source of our fiber through education.
We transform the economic systems behind the production of material culture to mitigate climate change, improve health, and contribute to racial and economic equity.
Our Vision
We envision a textile system that embraces the values of de-colonized and equitable soil-to-skin processes. We will strengthen an international system of diverse textile communities that directly enhance regional economies for the purpose of generating permanent and lasting systems of localized fiber production. These regional land regenerating production systems will diminish pressure on the ecologically undermined areas of the world.
We see a nourishing tradition emerging that connects the wearer to local fields where clothes are grown in a system that can last for countless generations into the future. Through a host of scientifically vetted soil carbon enhancing practices, our supply chains will create ‘climate beneficial’ clothing that will become the new standard. We envision a world looking to rapidly mitigate the effects of climate change where consumers, manufacturers, designers, and ecologists collectively rethink and reimagine the lifecycle of garments.
European Fibershed – Three main impact programmes
European Fibershed acts as the European contact point for the global movement, from where it supports the regional Fibershed affiliates in Europe in capacity building, identifies and engages with relevant cross-regional stakeholders in the European network and raises awareness among different stakeholder groups about the steps to take towards a new textile system and why it is important.
Climate Beneficial Agriculture
The first requirement for locally grown, locally produced garments is the availability of the raw materials, hence it is our goal to increase the local production of fibers and dyes in Europe.
Fibershed also wants these materials to be produced in a way that regenerates the soil, with documented positive impacts for carbon drawdown and greenhouse gas reductions.
In Europe, the agricultural sector is undergoing major adjustments to adapt to climate change and changing consumer preferences, and the farmers are under a lot of pressure. We want to show that integrating fibers and dyes into the system enables not only ecolocigally sustainable ways of production, but also provides opportunities for economical viability.
The work within this program is focused on the enablement of the production of climate beneficial fibers within the Fibersheds. We will identify what is possible within our region, what are the bottlenecks and the missing pieces of information to make this happen.
Regional Textile Economies
The core of the Fibershed movement and the local affiliates is the community: the network of fiber producers, processors and makers.
We want to decentralize the processes from growing, processing natural fibers and dyes to textiles and products, and provide economic opportunities for the grassroot stakeholders within the soil-to-soil value circle.
The work within this program is firstly focused on the network building within and between the Affiliates. We invite entrepreneurs/producers to join the movement and seek for potential partnerships with other organisations.
We will collaborate in identifying the missing pieces and finding the appropriate solutions for revitalizing the local / regional bio-circular textile system for producing locally grown, locally produced garments.
Advocacy and Education
A key goal of the Fibershed movement is shifting the demand towards a more ecologically sensitive, locally grown and made products.
This requires active communication towards the public as well as policy makers and key partners. Both highlighting the importance of this change, as well as providing the information and tools needed to make it happen.
In Europe, an important stakeholder is the EU, which is currently working on redefining the legislation regulating the textile industry. We seek to impact these processes and make sure the policy makers understand the value in locally and ecologically produced products. To do this, we will also work together with our partners such as the Make the Label Count coalition to bring forth a strong united message.
A key action in this program is finding the right narrative and terminology for our vision that aligns with the European policies, in order increase the impact of the advocacy work
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