>[!INFO] >This is one of the [[Ethical values]] of craft >Editor: [[Jenan Taylor]] Care for the environment reflects a responsibility for nature, of which we are inevitably a part. We seek to protect species and ecosystems so that life  may flourish on our planet Earth. For the sake of our own species too, we  appreciate that our current trajectory of consumption and production is not sustainable. As António Guterres (2022), UN Secretary-General, declares: “We do have  a choice: Creating tipping points for climate progress – or careening to tipping points  for climate disaster. This is an all-in moment” Craft offers an alternative to profit-driven processes that degrade the natural environment and life quality of communities by enhancing economic, cultural, social and environmental sustainability and encouraging pro-environmental attitudes and practices. It contributes to the circular economy and thus helps combat climate change. ### Key Claims %% DATAVIEW_PUBLISHER: start ```dataview list summary from #claim AND [[Environmental value of craft]] ``` %% - [[Weft/Claims/Claim - Craft encourages greater care of the environment.md|Claim - Craft encourages greater care of the environment]]: Craft can promote greater awareness of the injustices that are inherent to man-made climate change, and consequently inspire practitioners to adopt better practices to reduce their environmental impact. - [[Weft/Claims/Claim - Craft production is environmentally responsible.md|Claim - Craft production is environmentally responsible]]: Craft practitioners, particularly traditional and rural-based makers, tend to be small-scale, lean toward using materials that are locally sourced, readily available and employ methods less detrimental to the environment. - [[Weft/Claims/Claim - Craft promotes local development.md|Claim - Craft promotes local development]]: As an alternative to industrial production, craft favours the use of local materials and distribution to local markets. This offers more enduring employment, community involvement and local pride. In the bigger picture, this encourages autonomy and diversity. - [[Weft/Claims/Claim - Craft provides employment at a time of de-growth.md|Claim - Craft provides employment at a time of de-growth]]: Craft offers versatile opportunities for employment for skilled and unskilled workers alike. As automation and artificial intelligent replace more human workers, craft remains as an intrinsically humanistic occupation. The unemployment predicted in scenarios of de-growth can also be countered by meaningful craft employment. %% DATAVIEW_PUBLISHER: end %% ### Case study – Making real change through fashion Zimbabwean brand Vimbai Natasha Naomi empowers marginalised women through the slow fashion movement (Blanchard 2021). It revives waste textiles and second-hand clothing into new, better-made textiles.  Founder Vimbai Mupfurutsa wants the fashion industry to recognise how over-production has contributed to environmental degradation and disproportionately affected disadvantaged communities least responsible for the pollution.  “I carefully consider fabric consumption, recycling and waste management, with regard to their contribution towards people, economies and the environment,” Mupfurutsa says. ![[Attachments/45d528d317db41b2dd41ff96dea27451_MD5.png]] Stock photo by [Mel Poole](https://unsplash.com/@melpoole?utm_content=creditCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unsplash) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/photos/pile-of-cloth-on-white-surface-4byBtNuIyIg?utm_content=creditCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unsplash) ### References Blanchard, T. (2021, October 29). Cop26: Meet nine fashion designers making real change. The Guardian.  https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2021/oct/29/cop26-meet-nine-fashion-designers-making-real-change Gálvez-Sánchez, F., García-López, A., Molina-Moreno, V. and Prados-Peña, M. (2022). Sustainable Crafts: Describing Conceptual Evolution Through a Bibliometric Analysis and Systematic Literature Review. Frontiers in Environmental Science.  [https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2022.949681](https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2022.949681) Kaar, J B (2020, November 13). How solving a 50-year-old mystery resurrected sustainable methods. Craft Scotland. https://www.craftscotland.org/journal/article/exploring-green-horizons-joanne-b-kaar Rennstam, J. and Paulsson, A. (2024). Craft-orientation as a mode of organizing for postgrowth society. Organization 1-18. [https://doi.org/10.1177/13505084241231461](https://doi.org/10.1177/13505084241231461) Suarez del Real, A. (2021, September 22) Plastic is out. Ixtle is in. Global Press Journal. [https://globalpressjournal.com/americas/mexico/plastic-is-out-ixtle-is-in/](https://globalpressjournal.com/americas/mexico/plastic-is-out-ixtle-is-in/) Vanderploeg, J. and Lee, S (2019). Factors Influencing Pro-environmental behaviours in Craft Business. Clothing and Textiles Research Journal Vol 37 (1), 51-65. [https://doi.org/10.1177/0887302X18800394](https://doi.org/10.1177/0887302X18800394) ### [[Sustainable Development Goals]] ![[E-WEB-Goal-11.png|150]] ![[E-WEB-Goal-12.png|150]] ![[E-WEB-Goal-13.png|150]]