Would you wear socks made from wood pulp?

If you’re like most people, your clothes are made of cotton produced with pesticides, fertilisers, and hundreds of litres of water. Or they might be synthetic, made from petroleum, and destined to become ocean-borne micro-plastic. “The fashion industry has a lot to answer for,” says Maxime Le Floch, an analyst with Regnan’s Global Equity Impact Solutions Fund (distributed by Pendal). “Fashion is responsible for 5 percent of annual carbon emissions. Some 6 percent of global pesticide production is applied on cotton crops alone.” Austria’s Lenzing Group (held in the portfolio) may have an answer. It’s making fabrics from sustainably sourced wood pulp for shirts, shorts, towels, nappies, and wet wipes.

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