Beyond Microfibres: The Hidden Impact of Textiles on Waterways

League of Artisans (LoA) presents Beyond Microfibres: The Hidden Impact of Textiles on Waterways. Hosted on 11 September 2024, this is the fifth in the series of insightful talks leading to the first Leek Textile Week 23-29 September organized by LoA. These global conversations explore how knowledge can help transform futures.
The compelling explorations discuss unseen environmental impacts of textile fibres on aquatic ecosystems. While microplastic fibre pollution from washing machines is widely recognized, far less is understood about the effects of natural fibres, which are often chemically treated or dyed. Researchers from Keele, Loughborough, and Nottingham Universities will reveal their findings from studies at Rudyard Lake in Staffordshire, discussing how these fibres affect biodiversity, water quality, and even human health. Discover how seemingly 'natural' fibres could be contributing to a persistent, yet underreported, pollution crisis.
The speakers:
Carry Somers
Tom Stanton
Antonia Law
Deirdre McKay
Khatri Abdul Rauf Abdul Razak- In conversation
Host- Dr Ritu Sethi, League of Artisans
About the speakers:
Carry Somers is a force for change in the fashion industry, a globally-recognised entrepreneur, activist, speaker and writer. Her career in fashion began accidentally in the early-‘90s when a holiday project grew into award-winning brand, Pachacuti, a pioneer of radical supply chain transparency and the world’s first Fair Trade Certified company. As founder of Fashion Revolution, the world’s largest fashion activism movement, instrumental in pressuring the industry to take responsibility for its social and environmental impacts. In 2022, she co-founded League of Artisans, a non-profit promoting artisanal skills as a vital response to global challenges. Named by Business of Fashion as one of the key people shaping the global fashion industry, She holds an MA in Native American Studies, an Honorary Doctor of Letters from Keele University and is a 2023 Churchill Fellow.
Tom Stanton is a Lecturer in Geography at Loughborough University in the UK. His work lies at the nexus of human and physical geography, utilising social science and environmental science methodologies to explore the social and environmental pathways, prevalence and impact of pollution in aquatic environments, with a particular specialism in material pollution.
Antonia Law is an Assistant Professor in Geography at the University of Nottingham in the UK. Her research focuses on one of the biggest environmental challenges facing society today; the impact of anthropogenic activity, including climate change and pollution, on aquatic systems. Her current projects include working with interdisciplinary teams to understand the interactions between plastics, climate change and lake ecosystems.
Deirdre McKay is Professor of Sustainable Development at Keele University in the UK. She is a social scientist who applies qualitative research methods to interdisciplinary environmental problems. Her current projects explore textile fibre pollution, marine litter and urban biodiversity.
Khatri Abdul Rauf Abdul Razak lives and works in Dhamadka, a small village in Kachchh, Gujarat. As a 10th generation family of traditional hand-block printers and natural dyers he was taught and trained by his father Abdul Razak Mohamed bhai Siddik bhai Khatri, a renowned National Award winner. Educated up to 9th grade Rauf became an expert block-printer by the age of 14. He is also an expert wood-block carver.
Dr. Ritu Sethi is editor, Global InCH journal of living heritage, in addition to overseeing Asia InCH Encyclopedia on heritage arts, textiles, and crafts of India and the wider South Asian region. Her research interests examine cultural histories of textiles, arts and crafts, their contemporary continuities. interpretations in design, fashion, and the everyday. Author/editor of several publications including Embroidering Futures - Repurposing the Kantha; Designers Meet Artisans - A Practical Guide; (Trans: Spanish and French); Painters, Poets, Performers - The Patuas of Bengal; Handmade for the 21st Century: Traditional Indian Textiles; and other writings. She works on policy, serving on advisory boards in India and overseas, is founder-trustee, Craft Revival Trust, India, co--founder, League of Artisans..
Previous Leek Textile Week webinars
Webinar #1: Textiles Transformed: Following the thread from Leek to
Liberty via India ( • Textiles Transformed: ... )
Webinar #2: Textile Block Printing Past and Present ( • League of Artisans - L... )
Webinar #3: Following the Thread: Silk, Cotton, Flax ( • League of Artisans-Lee... )
Webinar #4: Natural dyeing today: From the historic to cutting edge ( • Natural dyeing today: ... )
Support for Leek Textile Week: Public funding by National Lottery
through Arts Council England, and support and from OUTSIDE Arts. Leek Textile talks are supported by Nila House, Lady Bamford Foundation and Keele University.

[@NextLevelHustlers]

Thank you for bringing such critical information to light-looking forward to your insights from Leek Textile Week on sustainable futures in the textile industry! On a side note: Best wishes on your channel, good luck and left a like 🚀