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Do you know where the clothes
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
with designer labels,

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but what they're made of?

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Do they come from materials
that are harming the planet?

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Are our clothes just a mirror reflection
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
but in everyday life.

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The connection between our clothes
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
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
what sustainable fashion could look like

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without compromising
the beauty of our clothes.

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

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through a global effort known as
"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
in the garment industry".

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The environmental impact
of the fashion industry's actually immense

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and a large part of that
is the production of textiles.

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Manufacturing of clothes
is very water intensive

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and releases high levels
of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

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

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

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

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and produces around 20%
of global wastewater.

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

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Enough to make
a single pair of denim jeans.

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That's as much water
as a human being drinks

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over the course of 10 years.

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

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

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With clothing more affordable
and more availabe than ever before,

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is it time to move on
from throwaway fashion?

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Today with fast and cheap production,

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85% of textiles end up in landfills
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
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
the forests remain healthy

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and continue to grow.

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So fashion out of forests
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
that has little impact on the environment

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can look as good or even better
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
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
from natural wood based fibers.

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

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a place where artists come together
to explore connections

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between their work
and broader social issues.

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Welcome to Cittadellarte!

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Its founder is the world renowned artist
Michelangelo Pistoletto.

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

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

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Designer Tiziano Guardini
represents precisely

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this greater awereness of ethics
and production

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a young generation of creative artists
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
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
to think about our future.

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

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Tiziano works with wood based fibers

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that use on average 60x
less water compared to cotton

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and produces 50x fewer carbon emissions
than synthetic fibers.

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Wood chips from certified
susteinable forests

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are processed into pulp.

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Reduced to a viscous solution
that produces fibers.

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And ultimately,
these are turned into threads,

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

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Smart fashion from sustainable sources
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
to be produced sustainably,

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more and more brands
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
for the first time.

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Wearing this dress is a privilege,
I realized.

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I would have never thought
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
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?