Discussing sustainability with La Rhea Pepper, CEO of Textile Exchange.

The Modern Cotton Story

We have a very exciting podcast this week as we hosted La Rhea Pepper, CEO and Co-Founder of Textile Exchange, the influential nonprofit dedicated to industry advocacy, standards for preferred raw materials used in textile supply chains, development of industry data, and actionable metrics for brands and retailers. During our discussion with Ms. Pepper, we covered a wide range of topics including a definition of “preferred” fibers and the role of Textile Exchange in the industry. Further, we discussed various challenges facing the industry today — such as efficient ways for companies to embrace sustainable production, the development of sound standards, and the use of data and insights to enable brands and retailers to measure, manage, and track their usage of fibers and materials. Finally, we discussed the problem of “greenwashing” in textile supply chains, along with ways of distinguishing fact from marketing and metrics from spin. This week’s program is an essential and insightful conversation with Ms. Pepper, a farmer and leading advocate for sustainability initiatives throughout the farm-textile-apparel supply chain.