Development of most Comprehensive Regenerative Textile Standards

DIRT charity and the Biodynamic Federation Demeter International announce the completion of their first official standard for certifying dyes. The two organisations, dedicated to verified regenerative biodynamic agriculture have joined forces to create ten new standards for the production, processing and disposal of textiles in a regenerative way.

Through this collaboration, DIRT Charity and the BFDI aim to address the pollution challenges present in the fashion industry. Suppliers and brands who follow the Demeter Standard will positively impact water purity, soil fertility and air quality.  The ten new Demeter Textile Standards for fashion’s raw materials – dyes, cotton, silk,  wool, leather, tree fibre, basts (linen, flax, hemp), feathers, cashmere, mushroom
leather – seek to elevate sustainability practices by setting guidelines that prioritise  environmental and social responsibility, holistic certification practices, and the  restoration of our planet. Demeter, known for its stringent certification practices in food and wine, is bringing its expertise to the textile industry through this partnership with DIRT Charity.

This initiative marks a significant step towards a future in which the fashion supply chain begins to restore health to our planet, thus helping DIRT Charity achieve its purpose of garnering fashion’s sourcing power to support soil regeneration and thereby turning fashion into a climate solution. What’s more, the Demeter Textile Standards will mandate that the entirety of the garment must be either compostable, or that those parts which are not compostable must be easy to disassemble by the consumer so that they can be removed and recycled. The Demeter Textile Standard is thereby addressing the textile waste problem
that plagues our planet. Imagine a future where piles of fashion waste can be composted, eaten by worms and microorganisms, transformed into fertility for the soil as they nurture plant life, instead of the raw toxic waste that we see in mega-piles of garment waste today.  “From soil to soil – the real circular economy in fashion, at last.” – Arizona Muse, founder of DIRT charity.
Read the full press release here (PDF)

DIRT CHARITY IS AWARDED A CLIMATE ACTION AWARD 2024
DIRT charity won the Camera di Moda Italiana Sustainable Fashion Climate Action Award 2024
during Italian Fashion week in Milan for the creation of ten new Demeter Textile Standards for the fashion industry. “We are overjoyed to be recognized globally by this world-renowned fashion council, Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, for our work to raise the standard within the fashion industry”, says DIRT charity’s founder Arizona Muse.

WHO IS DIRT CHARITY
DIRT is a UK charity working globally to turn fashion into a climate solution, starting with the soil
on which our fibres and leather are grown.  Fashion is grown in soil, and the way we currently grow our raw materials causes tremendous harm to soil, and is a catalyst for climate change. We could grow fashion crops in a way that heals soil and restores nature to full health and thriving biodiversity. Regenerating soil is a long term solution and the fastest answer we have to climate change.

Our goal is to bring fashion’s sourcing power behind soil regeneration globally. Our mission is to
grow and process all fashion’s raw materials such as cotton, silk, wool, leather, tree fibres and
dyestuff in ways that contribute to nature restoration rather than nature’s degradation