What is your role at Poetry? I’m the Ethics and Sustainability Manager, and I see my role as someone who identifies the gaps in what we could do better regarding our impact on the planet, suggests where we could improve, and helps make those changes. I’m also in daily contact with our suppliers and our supply chains, ensuring that we have traceability for all our products. As Poetry is an inherently sustainable brand I also often work with the marketing team to agree how we can tell our customers about what happens behind the scenes regarding sustainability
SHINING A LIGHT
ON SUSTAINABILITY
Ethics & Sustainability Manager Liene talks sustainability
What is your role at Poetry?
I’m the Ethics and Sustainability Manager, and I see my role as someone who identifies the gaps in what we could do better regarding our impact on the planet, suggests where we could improve, and helps make those changes. I’m also in daily contact with our suppliers and our supply chains, ensuring that we have traceability for all our products. As Poetry is an inherently sustainable brand I also often work with the marketing team to agree how we can tell our customers about what happens behind the scenes regarding sustainability.
What is sustainability?
I think there are many ways to understand it, but at the core it means actions or systems that can operate or be sustained in the same way for a long period of time. Nowadays, it is usually understood in relation to our collective issue of using natural resources in a short-sighted way that can’t last without damaging our environment and depleting the same resources we rely on.
I’m the Ethics and Sustainability Manager, and I see my role as someone who identifies the gaps in what we could do better regarding our impact on the planet, suggests where we could improve, and helps make those changes. I’m also in daily contact with our suppliers and our supply chains, ensuring that we have traceability for all our products. As Poetry is an inherently sustainable brand I also often work with the marketing team to agree how we can tell our customers about what happens behind the scenes regarding sustainability.
What is sustainability?
I think there are many ways to understand it, but at the core it means actions or systems that can operate or be sustained in the same way for a long period of time. Nowadays, it is usually understood in relation to our collective issue of using natural resources in a short-sighted way that can’t last without damaging our environment and depleting the same resources we rely on.


How can we tell the difference between ‘greenwashing’ and sustainability?
I personally have an unconventional opinion regarding greenwashing. I think most of it happens not because of ill-willed brands or marketing teams but because of how complex the fashion industry is and a general lack of knowledge. To be able to make nearly any ‘green’ claim without greenwashing, there must be proof. But the proof often comes in either very complex-looking paperwork or through true knowledge of the product processes or even environmental science. Sustainability mostly asks for a holistic approach, which is true, but when complex products and global supply chains are involved, which is always the case for clothing, having a deep understanding of every single cog in the machine becomes nearly impossible. This is not unique to fashion and is true for any manufacturing industry. Do we know how sustainably each part of our microwave is made? What about our smartphones?
That being said, I don’t think it is impossible. Right now, fashion sustainability is a messy world for many reasons, but I think the most important one is that it is still relatively new. Ten years ago, most of the sustainable certifications or technology weren’t even dreamed of, and I would say that many are still at their testing stage. It takes time to understand how to approach such complex issues, and this is true for everyone: brands, policymakers and customers themselves. I’m pretty excited to see how this landscape will change in another ten years.
I personally have an unconventional opinion regarding greenwashing. I think most of it happens not because of ill-willed brands or marketing teams but because of how complex the fashion industry is and a general lack of knowledge. To be able to make nearly any ‘green’ claim without greenwashing, there must be proof. But the proof often comes in either very complex-looking paperwork or through true knowledge of the product processes or even environmental science. Sustainability mostly asks for a holistic approach, which is true, but when complex products and global supply chains are involved, which is always the case for clothing, having a deep understanding of every single cog in the machine becomes nearly impossible. This is not unique to fashion and is true for any manufacturing industry. Do we know how sustainably each part of our microwave is made? What about our smartphones?
That being said, I don’t think it is impossible. Right now, fashion sustainability is a messy world for many reasons, but I think the most important one is that it is still relatively new. Ten years ago, most of the sustainable certifications or technology weren’t even dreamed of, and I would say that many are still at their testing stage. It takes time to understand how to approach such complex issues, and this is true for everyone: brands, policymakers and customers themselves. I’m pretty excited to see how this landscape will change in another ten years.
Can fashion and sustainability coexist?
Of course! The same as food and shelter, clothing is one of our basic needs. And since the beginning of time, what we wear has always been linked to self-expression, which is what I would define as fashion.
Another question is if fast fashion can be sustainable, and in that case my answer is ‘no’. The amount of clothing, and especially non-biodegradable clothing, the world produces simply does not make sense. We use materials that are not recyclable, and will stay on this planet for hundreds of years, to produce clothing of very low quality and lacking physical or emotional durability. It took billions of years for our planet to make oil, and it will take hundreds, at best, to break it down. Yet we treat these materials, which are also increasingly harder to extract, like they are a cheap commodity. There is nothing wrong with plastic; we just need to treat it as the unique and precious material it is and use it for appropriate products, which does not include clothing. There is absolutely no advantage to using a material that doesn’t breathe, doesn’t feel great, has no ability to adapt to the wearer and is prone to host bacteria when worn next to the skin every day. Natural fabrics also can come with sustainability issues, but there is no excuse for using plastic to make clothing.
What I also find incredibly destructive is that fast-fashion brands accustom people to unreasonably low price-points and low-quality garments, so when they come across good quality and higher prices, they can’t appreciate them. You need to have worn a good quality lambswool or cashmere jumper at least once in your lifetime to appreciate why it is worth paying much more for it than for a cheaper acrylic one.
Of course! The same as food and shelter, clothing is one of our basic needs. And since the beginning of time, what we wear has always been linked to self-expression, which is what I would define as fashion.
Another question is if fast fashion can be sustainable, and in that case my answer is ‘no’. The amount of clothing, and especially non-biodegradable clothing, the world produces simply does not make sense. We use materials that are not recyclable, and will stay on this planet for hundreds of years, to produce clothing of very low quality and lacking physical or emotional durability. It took billions of years for our planet to make oil, and it will take hundreds, at best, to break it down. Yet we treat these materials, which are also increasingly harder to extract, like they are a cheap commodity. There is nothing wrong with plastic; we just need to treat it as the unique and precious material it is and use it for appropriate products, which does not include clothing. There is absolutely no advantage to using a material that doesn’t breathe, doesn’t feel great, has no ability to adapt to the wearer and is prone to host bacteria when worn next to the skin every day. Natural fabrics also can come with sustainability issues, but there is no excuse for using plastic to make clothing.
What I also find incredibly destructive is that fast-fashion brands accustom people to unreasonably low price-points and low-quality garments, so when they come across good quality and higher prices, they can’t appreciate them. You need to have worn a good quality lambswool or cashmere jumper at least once in your lifetime to appreciate why it is worth paying much more for it than for a cheaper acrylic one.


What has Poetry changed over the past year and what are you working on currently?
Last year, we set a target to move towards 100% biodegradable garments, from thread to labels. We have changed all our garment labels to be made from 100% cotton, and we no longer use plastic buttons. Some of our materials do contain a small amount of synthetic fibres for quality purposes, like elastic in denim or nylon in bouclé yarn, but even there we have made improvements. We have developed new brushed bouclé alpaca yarn where nylon is replaced by silk, making the yarn biodegradable. We have also changed our packaging to be made from recycled materials. Even the tape we use to seal our boxes is now made from recycled paper. We are working on using cotton sewing thread and exploring different types of dye but both tasks might take a longer time to accomplish as there are not many options on the market.
Last year, we set a target to move towards 100% biodegradable garments, from thread to labels. We have changed all our garment labels to be made from 100% cotton, and we no longer use plastic buttons. Some of our materials do contain a small amount of synthetic fibres for quality purposes, like elastic in denim or nylon in bouclé yarn, but even there we have made improvements. We have developed new brushed bouclé alpaca yarn where nylon is replaced by silk, making the yarn biodegradable. We have also changed our packaging to be made from recycled materials. Even the tape we use to seal our boxes is now made from recycled paper. We are working on using cotton sewing thread and exploring different types of dye but both tasks might take a longer time to accomplish as there are not many options on the market.
What is the biggest challenge as a sustainable brand?
I believe Poetry is already one of the most sustainable brands out there, by using only natural fibres to create long-lasting clothing. Add to this long-term relationships with a small number of suppliers and conscious production planning, and it is pretty good in the current market.
That being said, of course, there are still so many things that could be improved. I think the difficulty comes from still trying to push for even more improvements. For some, like previously mentioned biodegradable threads, the supply chains are not ready for this change. Not enough big brands are as demanding, which makes it harder for smaller brands like us.
I’m lucky to work for a brand that has sustainability in its core values, which is actually the most important thing. Poetry has a history of making beautiful clothing using natural materials, a design team that understands natural fabrics and, most importantly, customers who understand and appreciate the clothing we make. Without them, none of this would be possible.
I believe Poetry is already one of the most sustainable brands out there, by using only natural fibres to create long-lasting clothing. Add to this long-term relationships with a small number of suppliers and conscious production planning, and it is pretty good in the current market.
That being said, of course, there are still so many things that could be improved. I think the difficulty comes from still trying to push for even more improvements. For some, like previously mentioned biodegradable threads, the supply chains are not ready for this change. Not enough big brands are as demanding, which makes it harder for smaller brands like us.
I’m lucky to work for a brand that has sustainability in its core values, which is actually the most important thing. Poetry has a history of making beautiful clothing using natural materials, a design team that understands natural fabrics and, most importantly, customers who understand and appreciate the clothing we make. Without them, none of this would be possible.