Kristine Frøseth, Frida Aasen, and Babba Rivera has joined the ranks of over 200 fashion insiders in signing #SupplyChange’s petition to stop the deforestation in the Amazon. Vogue Scandinavia speaks to Céline Semaan who is spearheading the charge
A report released earlier this week by Stand.Earth show the implication of multiple fashion conglomerates in their contribution to deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. The new research analysed nearly 500,000 rows of custom data, showcasing how the fashion industry’s complex global supply chains based on their connections to tanneries and other companies involved in the production of leather and leather goods.
“Scientists have warned in recent studies that the Amazon Rainforest is at the brink of an ecosystem collapse,” says Céline Semaan, designer and co-founder of the Slow Factory, the group behind #SupplyChange. “If we continue with business as usual, deforestation will push it to total destruction, which will have catastrophic effects for the entire planet.” She goes on to explain that over 90 per cent of deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest is illegal, but legal or not, all deforestation pushes us towards climate collapse, and puts the lives of Indigenous communities at risk.
Céline Semaan, founder of Slow Factory and leading the charge of the #SupplyChange movement. Photo: Céline Semaan
A complex web of suppliers and manufacturers all go back to key slaughterhouses and tanneries that are known to process hides from cattle that have been raised on recently deforested Amazon land. The main culprit in the environmental drama is deemed to be Brazilian leather exporter JBS, which is known to engage Amazon deforestation, who recently made a commitment to achieve zero deforestation by 2035 – a goal that environmental groups have called insufficient.
“This is an industry-wide problem, so action must be taken at the level of government and corporation,” says Semaan. “Robust legislation—as well as adequate budget for enforcement—that requires full traceability throughout the entire lifespan of the cattle is essential to stopping the destruction.”
Photo: Getty
And the industry has rallied behind the petition. Supermodel Frida Aasen, actress Kristine Frøseth, and Vogue Scandinavia’s eco-beauty expert Babba Rivera are part of the ever expanding list of fashion insiders who push for climate action. “It’s deeply encouraging to witness solidarity across the industry when it comes to an existential crisis such as this one,” says Semaan. “We need everyone on board here because brands have not yet responded to this and won’t until we make them see that we all deeply care for our collective future.”
Norwegian supermodel, Frida Aasen.
Kristine Frøseth, as seen in Vogue Scandinavia's inaugural issue. Photo: Ellen von Unwerth
Speaking to Riviera, she explains why she joined the campaign. “The Amazon Rainforest is at the tipping point of irreversible ecosystem collapse, and this recent study from SlowFactory sheds light to the fact that most leather goods from many of our favourite brands are linked to the deforestation,” she says. She goes on to point out that, given the urgency of the situation, we need to act together in unison to ensure the highest impact, as individually boycotting isn’t going to cut it at this magnitude of scale. “As customers we have the right to know where our products are coming from and where our money is going.”
Vogue Scandinavia's eco-beauty expert, Babba Rivera.
According to Semaan, no matter what any given brand says about their supply chain, the fact is: the Amazon is burning, today, to clear land to raise cattle; the skins from which ends up in fashion products. “If a brand cannot prove that their products do not come from these cattle,” she says “the risk there is real, and the effect is clear.”