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Do you know where the clothes[br]in your wardrobe come from,

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not just if they are from the high street

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or if your cupboards are packed[br]with designer labels,

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but what they're made of?

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Do they come from materials[br]that are harming the planet?

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Are our clothes just a mirror reflection[br]of what is happening to our environment?

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Hi, I'm Michelle Yeoh.

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I like to look good,

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not only for the red carpet[br]but in everyday life.

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The connection between our clothes[br]and their impact on the environment

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doesn't immediately come to mind.

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If a jacket, a skirt or a dress looks good[br]and if we can afford it, we buy it.

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But the environment pays the price.

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I'm going to find out[br]what sustainable fashion could look like

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without compromising[br]the beauty of our clothes.

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The United Nations promotes[br]a better future for people and the planet

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through a global effort known as[br]"The Sustainable Development Goals".

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So I've come to the UN's office in Geneva,

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to learn more about what some are calling

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"an environmental emergency[br]in the garment industry".

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The environmental impact[br]of the fashion industry's actually immense

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and a large part of that[br]is the production of textiles.

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Manufacturing of clothes[br]is very water intensive

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and releases high levels[br]of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

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The fashion industry generates[br]around 10% of global carbon emissions.

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That's more than all international flights[br]and maritime shipping combined.

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It is also one of the world's[br]biggest users of water

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and produces around 20%[br]of global wastewater.

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It takes up to 10 thousand liters of water[br]to produce just 1 kilo of cotton.

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Enough to make[br]a single pair of denim jeans.

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That's as much water[br]as a human being drinks

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over the course of 10 years.

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When we wash synthetic fibers,[br]the other most commonly used materials,

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they release microplastics into our rivers[br]which end up polluting the oceans.

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With clothing more affordable[br]and more availabe than ever before,

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is it time to move on[br]from throwaway fashion?

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Today with fast and cheap production,

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85% of textiles end up in landfills[br]or are incinerated.

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So, what's the alternative?

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Forests can provide part of the solution.

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Using the latest technology to produce[br]wood based fibers for our clothes.

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Of course this has to go hand in hand

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with sustainable forest management.

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If we are to use forests' products,

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we need to make sure[br]the forests remain healthy

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and continue to grow.

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So fashion out of forests[br]is possible and sustainable.

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Let's see how it looks like.

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We are traveling to Biella in Italy.

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So I can see for myself if clothing[br]that has little impact on the environment

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can look as good or even better[br]than the ones we are all used to.

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We have 4 young italian designers.

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All of them, wathever they do[br]is with sustainable fabrics.

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I'm choosing a design for a dress

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and a jacket to make[br]from natural wood based fibers.

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My dress and jacket will be made[br]to order here in Cittadellarte,

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a place where artists come together[br]to explore connections

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between their work[br]and broader social issues.

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Welcome to Cittadellarte!

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Its founder is the world renowned artist[br]Michelangelo Pistoletto.

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Fashion is very important because[br]it brings the aesthetic into the society.

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But for me, it's not enough.[br]We have also to bring the ethic.

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Designer Tiziano Guardini[br]represents precisely

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this greater awereness of ethics[br]and production

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a young generation of creative artists[br]bring to the fashion industry.

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I've picked his design.

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I love the simplicity but at the same time[br]when you go in you see the details.

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But explain to me the whole process.

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I use only eco sustainable materials

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because, for me, it's important[br]to think about our future.

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In the second step I search fabrics[br]that can explain my idea.

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Tiziano works with wood based fibers

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that use on average 60x[br]less water compared to cotton

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and produces 50x fewer carbon emissions[br]than synthetic fibers.

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Wood chips from certified[br]susteinable forests

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are processed into pulp.

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Reduced to a viscous solution[br]that produces fibers.

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And ultimately,[br]these are turned into threads,

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with create soft and silky materials[br]with a light footprint on the environment.

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Smart fashion from sustainable sources[br]is already widely available.

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And not only from high end designers.

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It is also affordable.

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As we insist for our clothes[br]to be produced sustainably,

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more and more brands[br]are quickly joining this new trend.

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I'm in Paris,

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one of the fashion capitals of the world,

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where I will be wearing my new outfit[br]for the first time.

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Wearing this dress is a privilege,[br]I realized.

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I would have never thought[br]that it came from the forest.

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A beautiful outfit is even more satisfing

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knowing that it's been made[br]from natural materials.

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Materials that are not harming the planet.

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From the forest to the city.

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I made my choice.

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What choice are you making?