Indigenous Partnership Principles – developed with Indigenous peoples and local communities – promote consent, collaboration and recognition
COPENHAGEN (May 21, 2024) – Today, at the 2024 Global Fashion Summit, Conservation International, in collaboration with Textile Exchange, launched the first-of-its-kind guidelines for fashion, apparel and textile companies seeking to partner with indigenous peoples and local communities.
Notes to editors: Additional citations are listed at the bottom of this release.
The Indigenous Partnership Principles were developed in partnership between Conservation International and Textile Exchange, with direct input and leadership from Indigenous peoples and local communities. The Principles include 12 criteria to help companies better prioritize the rights and perspectives of Indigenous peoples and local communities in their product development initiatives and throughout their supply chains.
There are more than 370 million indigenous peoples in 70 countries around the world, and these communities protect an estimated 80% of the world’s intact biodiversity. Yet a recent study by Textile Exchange found that of 252 fashion companies surveyed, only 5% said they consult indigenous peoples about their nature and biodiversity strategies.
The creation and production of fashion and textiles impacts indigenous peoples and local communities, their cultures, their lands and their worldviews. At the same time, these communities and their traditional knowledge systems are often underrepresented and excluded from the benefits of the industry.
The guidelines aim to reflect indigenous and local community perspectives. To achieve this, Conservation International engaged with 33 representative indigenous and local community stakeholders from around the world with experience in the fashion, apparel and textile industry across the entire value chain, from sourcing to design, production and disposal.
“It is important to recognize that Indigenous peoples have rich and vibrant fashion communities with knowledge, practices and designs that have been developed and passed down over thousands of years,” said Quinn Manson Buchwald, director of Conservation International’s Indigenous and Traditional Peoples Program, who co-led the development of the Indigenous Partnership Principles. “Not only have these nations and communities historically been excluded from operations that impact their livelihoods and design traditions, but the fashion industry can be notorious for exploitative methods of sourcing materials that cause lasting damage to the ecosystems that many Indigenous and local communities call home.
“Furthermore, well-intentioned conservation strategies are often developed without consultation with Indigenous peoples and local communities, risk violating Indigenous land rights and pushing local communities off the lands that define their identity and provide their livelihoods,” said Buchwald, who is also a citizen of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana and the Manitoba Métis Federation. “Such displacement can create vulnerabilities and increase exploitation.”
Indigenous jobs are woven throughout industry supply chains and play a key role in ensuring sustainable resource use, protecting ecosystems from overexploitation, and limiting the impacts of waste and pollution.
Indigenous peoples and local communities are considered among the best stewards of nature, and effective partnerships with them can enable fashion, apparel and textile companies to develop more informed nature and biodiversity strategies that respect indigenous and local rights, culture and intellectual property.
The 12 principles aim to address a wide range of concerns and potential threats from the fashion industry on behalf of Indigenous and local community partners, and include guidelines such as:
Understand and mitigate the environmental and social impacts of our activities. Obtain consent. Respect Indigenous and local designs. Invest in the future of Indigenous and local community crafts and industries.
“Now that the fashion industry is beginning to better understand and address its disproportionate environmental impacts, it’s only natural that it take a hard look at a predominantly male-led and predominantly white industry and think about better inclusion across the industry,” said Virginia Borchert, senior director of sustainable fashion at Conservation International and co-leader of the Indigenous Partnership Principles. “It’s the right thing to do. Respecting and recognizing all stakeholders will help these companies serve consumers inclusively and protect people and the planet.”
The Indigenous Partnership Principles for the Fashion, Apparel and Textile Industries will be formally introduced at the 2024 Global Fashion Summit during a “Pathways to Indigenous Partnership” panel.
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Quote Bank
“We are committed to protecting the rights of our people,” said Dayana Molina, an Indigenous designer and activist at NALIMO and development consultant for the Indigenous Partnership Principles (in her native Portuguese, translated into English).
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“It is essential to rethink our current fashion habits. The traditional impact of fashion is very harmful. The future of the planet depends on all of us. That is why it is so important to reflect on all our actions and social spheres, to enable future partnerships with indigenous peoples, to pollute less and create more solutions. It is impossible to address any problem related to life on Earth without a lens of sustainability.”
“We’re thrilled to partner with Textile Exchange to help reduce our carbon footprint,” said Beth Jensen, senior director of climate and natural impacts at Textile Exchange.
“The fashion, textile and apparel industry is only just beginning to think about and truly understand its impact on nature and biodiversity, and we hope this initiative will lead to the inclusion of Indigenous and local community voices from the start of any strategic planning and business integration activities. Textile Exchange is excited to partner with Conservation International to take the next step in providing concrete guidance to the industry in this area, centering and leading with Indigenous and local communities themselves.”
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About Conservation International: Conservation International protects nature for the benefit of humanity. Through science, policy, field research and finance, we focus on and protect the climate, biodiversity and natural environments that matter most to people. With offices in 30 countries and projects in more than 100, Conservation International partners with governments, businesses, civil society, indigenous peoples and local communities to help people and nature thrive together. For more information, visit Conservation.org. Follow us on Conservation News, Facebook, or Twitter. twitterTikTok, Instagram, YouTube.
About Textile Exchange: Textile Exchange is a global nonprofit that creates a positive impact on climate and nature across the fashion, apparel and textile industry. We grow our community of brands, makers and farmers to lead the way to more purposeful production, starting from the beginning of the supply chain. Our goal is to help the industry reduce emissions from fiber and raw materials production by 45% by 2030. To achieve that goal, we maintain a holistic and interconnected focus, accelerating the adoption of practices that also improve water, soil health and biodiversity conditions. To create real change, we need a clear path for everyone to make a beneficial impact. That’s why Textile Exchange believes that by combining easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions with collective action, we can change the system to make preferred materials and fibers the accessible default, and mobilize leaders through achievable strategies, proven solutions and a motivated community. At Textile Exchange, materials matter. Learn more at textileexchange.org.
