Building a Positive Future Together: Dr Helen Crowley on The Country Road Climate Fund

Why is it important for brands like Country Road to have a climate fund? What kind of message do you think it sends to the fashion industry, Country Road community and consumers in general?

For a company, the transition to net zero [achieving an overall balance between greenhouse gas emissions produced and greenhouse gas emissions removed from the atmosphere] is about building awareness, changing business models and catalysing a transformation of a sector that includes support for people and social justice.

The Country Road Climate Fund is a critically important initiative as it enables all of those things. It will support a suite of innovative approaches tackling different facets of climate change, from reducing and avoiding emissions and removing carbon from the atmosphere, through to new business approaches and engagement and support of communities that—while being the custodians of nature and nature based solutions—also are some of the most vulnerable to climate change.

Your career spans various fields and roles. Tell us about the work you have done that brought you to your current role?

My 30-year career has spanned many countries and roles but my goal has always been the same—to help build awareness of the power and wonder of nature but also to catalyse support to protect, restore and regenerate nature.

I always wanted to work with animals, but then realised that people needed to be supported in order to protect nature and help animals; then realised business needed to change to support better outcomes for nature and people and then that finance needed to pivot to support business, nature and people.

I have moved from being a Tasmanian wildlife biologist with a PhD from Australian National University doing research in the sub-Antarctic and Snowy Mountains, to working in conservation and development in Madagascar and Africa, to working in corporate sustainability and now contributing to the exciting and broad engagement of business and finance in the transition to nature positive [a state in which nature is being restored and is regenerating rather than declining].

Why are the four key pillars of the fund (Biodiversity, Innovation, Circularity and First Nations) important? What impacts can be achieved by focusing on these areas?

What makes the Fund particularly innovative and important is that—through the four pillars—it is looking across a broad range of solutions to climate change and is recognising the interconnectedness of climate, nature and Indigenous Peoples.

Through natural climate solutions and nature-based solutions, nature (Biodiversity) can provide over a third of the solution to mitigating climate change. Protecting and restoring biodiversity is critical not only for avoiding and reducing emissions, but also for sequestering carbon, and restoring and regenerating nature systems that provide the huge wealth of services upon which we depend. This includes the soil, water and pollination services that are needed for resilient production of fibres and materials for fashion. There is no business without a functioning nature.

The Innovation pillar recognises that we need to step out of ‘business as usual’ and explore new ways to do business; new approaches to materials and processes. As Einstein said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them”.

Circularity encompasses three very important interlinked and symbiotic themes that are critical for the fashion sector; design out waste and pollution; keep materials and products in use and regenerate natural systems.

More than 80% of the world’s biodiversity is stewarded by Indigenous Peoples and local communities. They are the champions of nature-based solutions; it is their practices and knowledge that can provide us with so much of the solution. They are also some of the most vulnerable to climate change.

What role do you see the fashion industry in general playing in terms of driving change? Why do you think the fashion industry in particular is important in shaping the future of the conversation (and action) around climate change?

As we know, the fashion sector does have a large environmental impact, so with that comes a responsibility to mitigate that impact. However, it is not only that. Fashion can also be about aspiration, creativity and self-expression, so it can drive trends and change across society in a particularly powerful way. There is great opportunity in the sector to be a force for good: "With great power comes great responsibility".

Over the past decade—particularly in the fashion sector—there has been a major shift in understanding the importance of ‘sustainability’. Companies have moved on from ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ and are integrating new approaches within their business. As they have started to disclose more and more about their impact and their goals and ambitions to mitigate that impact, they are moving from doing ‘less bad’ to ‘more good’.

What kind of projects might we see enter the fund? Can you provide examples of international best practice in climate in the fashion industry?

The ambition of the fund is to catalyse and support best practice. Without wanting to predict or pre-empt anything, it will be exciting to see what types of innovation and creativity we see around nature-based solutions; replicating and recognising traditional knowledge and practice; exciting new approaches to materials and processes that embrace all three circular principles; and where there can be collaboration between usual and ‘unusual’ partners and stakeholders to meet the goal of measurable positive impact for climate, nature and people.

We look forward to seeing a portfolio of projects and initiatives that will underpin a new shift in the Australian fashion industry!