Every change starts with us

Frustration, lack of control, feeling powerless - these are feelings that increasingly accompany us when we think about climate change. And yet, when we think there is nothing more we can do, the answer is likely to come from something we can affect – ourselves. Let's just simply start with ourselves.

?In our team, the most recurring topic of conversation, debate and often much frustration is the speed of climate change. It is happening too fast, and action to stop it is too slow. In our daily lives, we all face different opinions – we hear them from relatives, friends and strangers. We are surprised to hear that environmental degradation is not a problem, and from the other hand it is extremely sad to hear that the scale of some of the damage is already irreparable. Climate catastrophes are happening in front of our eyes (droughts, fires, pollution, floods), and we often feel the most powerless.

In July 2020, we created a cross-departmental team whose first task was to examine the entire OTCF company from an environmental perspective and propose solutions. We already knew that as a company we were part of the problem.

?According to UN data, the fashion industry is responsible for around 10% of greenhouse gas emissions (it generates more carbon dioxide than international flights and all shipping), and according to a 2017 report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the industry's share of carbon emissions could rise to as much as 26% by 2050. Furthermore, according to data from the World Resources Institute (WRI), the fashion industry is the second largest consumer of water in the world. For every tonne of clothing produced, approximately 200 tonnes of water are used.

?These and other facts about the clothing industry surrounded us during the development of the first version of our 4F Change environmental strategy, which we worked on with a group of 12 people. There was no one from the PR or marketing department among us at the time. One of the first words we wrote down was 'WHY' – meaning our motivation. It consisted (and still does today!) of three simple points: the planet is in a critical state, clothing brands have an impact, we must as a company take responsibility for our actions. For our group of 12, these three statements were unmovable! We knew from the beginning that we would either start acting for real or nothing would ever work.

?Two years later, we can see the real results of our actions.

?A lot has changed in these 24 months! Together with Ubrania do Oddania, we clean up the entire clothing industry in Poland and give clothes a second life. Pre-owned clothes have appeared in selected 4F stores, and we have launched the Ubraniomat (an automatic clothes collection device) at the Bonarka shopping centre in Krakow. We introduce in our collections more and more clothes with the wear_fair label, i.e. clothes that have been made in a more sustainable way. We have changed the plastic packaging to paper packaging in both our stationary stores and e-commerce. These changes will be noticed by everyone on the outside, but internally there are many more. They are visible in our offices, shops and warehouses. They affect both processes and resources (see Strategia – zmieniamy siebie i ?wiat na lepsze – 4F Change for more details).

Today, as we look back on these two years of activities, we know one thing. None of this would have happened without people and investment in a key area of our strategy – Philosophy. From the very beginning, we knew that it was not possible to change our actions without first changing our thinking. Each of us who joined the 4F Change team did so voluntarily, out of concern for the common good that is the Planet. Each of us had acted for it before, and each of these actions began with a personal change in thinking.

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"Be the change you?want to see in the world."?- Mahatma Gandhi

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As people committed to change, we wanted to inspire others and see the results of our actions. This is why we have become Changemakers and, as the name says, we are the ones creating this change. We do it because we know that there is no Planet B and that the one marked A is out of time. We do it because we want to have an impact. And if there is anyone we really have an impact on, it is us! No matter if we are business owners or employees. If we want to see change, we need to move people's hearts, but first and foremost start with our own. Responsibility is the key word with which our team started. It is said that significant change usually starts thanks to individuals, somewhere on the periphery, and this is exactly what we experienced. In our case, it started from the bottom up with individual employees who started looking for solutions that were better for the environment.

?The planet needs radical change, and it needs it now, so starting with ourselves is the best way to fight frustration and the belief that "there is nothing I can do". Small changes lead us to bigger ones. And over time our authenticity, like a virus, infects others to go somewhere further, to those who also have an impact. And may this be the start of even bigger changes as more people start with themselves!

If you want to find out more about our activities, talk to us or ask us anything – please feel free to contact us: e-mail: [email protected].

?Author: Przemys?aw Feliga , ESG Project Manager at OTCF