Transcriber: Alex Samara Reviewer: Anna Sobota
We’ve all heard of the quote,
“Be the change you want to see in the world.”
What do you think when you hear of this?
Is it ridiculously cheesy or is there some truth behind it?
Here's what it means to me.
I am an impact entrepreneur,
a chemical engineer,
a startup advisor,
an investor,
and quite recently, a mother.
I spend my time fighting for a more equitable startup ecosystem
and pushing to reduce carbon emissions -
this is certainly not what I could have imagined growing up.
I was an overweight teenager
with very little self-esteem or confidence.
I didn’t feel comfortable in my own skin
and all I really wanted to do was to fade into the background.
The thought of doing a talk like today would have absolutely terrified me.
I had a weird relationship with clothing. It was a love-hate phenomenon.
I bought clothing to make myself feel better,
but at the same time I hated that feeling of it not fitting properly.
Cheap, fast fashion was the answer, and studies have proven that that works.
A 2014 study from the “Journal of Consumer Psychology”
shows that buying clothing makes you instantly happier
and can fight lingering sadness.
The ironic thing was I was studying chemical engineering at the time
with the goal to reduce carbon emissions from the world,
and I actually wanted to go and design renewable energy plants.
After graduating university,
I ended up working in many different industries
and eventually I ended up in the waste recycling sector.
I designed plants that were recycling household waste,
food waste and coffee waste.
I used to visit many different recycling facilities during this time,
and during one such visit
I happened to see people having to pick through our waste.
It was shocking to me
that this was someone’s job to pick through our waste.
And whilst it was a very unique insight, of course I had an extreme sense of guilt.
A couple of years later, when I was visiting my family in Tanzania,
I happened to come across second-hand clothing markets
brimming with outdated football shirts,
and it got me thinking.
I’ve been to so many waste sites before, how come I haven’t seen clothing waste?
What happens to it when we no longer need it?
I researched and I read as much as I possibly could.
I spoke to second-hand stores, large charities,
and even looked at the carbon emissions produced from the fashion industry,
and the truth was pretty grim.
So what happens to our clothing when we put it in a donation bin?
Step one, clothing that fits the style of that country
is sorted and sent to be sold in second-hand stores.
Step two, clothing that doesn’t fit the style,
but still can be worn is sorted by season.
Autumn winter clothing is sent off to Eastern Europe
and spring summer clothing is sent to countries in Africa and Southeast Asia.
Now, there's a common misconception that this is a good thing,
that we're donating our clothing.
And perhaps that was a good thing 20 years ago,
when we were giving good quality pieces.
But now, with low quality, fast fashion, it’s not a great idea.
We’re ruining the local textile infrastructure
and putting the environmental burden on them
to get rid of our clothing when we no longer no need it.
Step three, when clothing cannot be worn again,
it’s sorted to be sent to turn into carpet, insulation, landfill,
or to be burned.
Every second, an entire truck full of textiles ends up in a landfill
or is burned,
with 87% of everything we wear ending up in a landfill or an incinerator.
A landfill is essentially a large dumping ground,
and it’s one of the oldest forms of waste disposal.
Clothing is made out of synthetic fabrics such as polyester,
so it's essentially plastic.
So, of course, it does not biodegrade
and it can sit there for over 200 years
with the toxic dyes from our clothing leaching into the soil.
If it’s not sent to a landfill such as this,
it’s burned in a large incinerator
with toxic emissions entering into the atmosphere.
All of this got me thinking.
I have a background in waste recycling.
I have an interest in wanting to solve this problem.
Is there something that I can do about this?
I had previously read of the Japanese concept ikigai
whereby you find your life’s purpose
by looking at your talent, your profession,
and what you believe you can give to the wider world.
And I realized I needed to solve this problem.
I simply could not get over the magnitude of the problem
with 100 billion garments being produced every year.
I have to do something about this.
So as Madam C.J. Walker once said,
“Don’t sit and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them.”
So that’s how the story of my startup, Kleiderly, came about.
At Kleiderly we recycle clothing waste into a plastic pellet.
These pellets can be used to produce anything
from clothing hangers to furniture to eyewear.
And by doing this,
we solve two environmental problems at once:
the problem of clothing waste and the problem of plastics.
So here’s the thing.
There’s many different industries out there that are causing problems
for the environment, people and the planet.
And if there’s one thing I want you to take away from today, it’s this.
Take a closer look at those problems.
What do you have the power, the privilege and the passion to solve?
Once you've figured out what that problem is,
the passion that you have will give you the resilience you need
to make sure it comes true.
And don’t do it alone. Find your community or your tribe. I did.
I have such a fantastic community of investors, advisors and mentors
helping me.
So find that community for yourself.
But also make sure to take those with you who aren’t part of your community,
because for systemic change to happen, we need the whole system to change.
The power is in our hands.
We don’t have much time.
We’re going to face the impact of climate change
whether we like it or not.
Will you be able to tell the next generation
that you had a hand in creating a more sustainable future?
So to answer my question from the beginning,
“Be the change you want to see in the world.”
No, it’s not cheesy.
It’s the mantra that I live by.
Be the change the world so desperately needs.
Thank you.
(Applause)