The Current: Sustainable Fashion Policy
Join us for a virtual lightning talk with Parsons student Sofie Johansson and Dr. Joanne Brasch, PhD, on California’s groundbreaking bill holding producers accountable for the full lifecycle of their products.
Join CoDesign Collaborative for The Current, a virtual, student-led lightning talk series highlighting vital topics in design, on June 25, 4-4:30 pm ET / 1-1:30 pm PT for a conversation on sustainable fashion policy with Parsons Design student Sofie Johansson and Dr. Joanne Brasch, Ph.D., Director of Advocacy and Partnerships at the California Product Stewardship Council.
Textile waste is the fastest-growing contributor to landfills, with one garbage truck of textiles being landfilled or burned every second globally. The fashion industry accounts for 8% of global climate pollution from sourcing to disposal, yet 60% of brands are currently behind on their sustainability targets.
Despite the significant environmental impact, there is limited policy literacy in the textile and fashion industry at large, even as 87% of fashion executives anticipate regulation will impact their business operations. This creates a critical gap between awareness and action that needs to be addressed.
An important opportunity has emerged with California’s SB 707, signed in September 2024, establishing the nation’s first Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program for textiles, creating a framework for producers to manage the full lifecycle of their products. Sofie and Joanne’s discussion will explore how to bridge the gap between static policy documents and living, breathing implementation, examining how stakeholder engagement and collective action can transform regulatory compliance from a checkbox exercise into a catalyst for meaningful systemic change.
This talk will explore the intersection of sustainable fashion and policy, focusing on how designers can play an active role in shaping and implementing systemic change. Drawing from real-world insights and recent legislation like California’s SB 707, the discussion will address:
- The critical gap between awareness and action in sustainable fashion.
- How stakeholder engagement can bring policy to life beyond compliance.
- The role of designers in translating policy into practice within industry and community contexts.
- Opportunities to reimagine compliance as a catalyst for environmental and social transformation.
Wednesday, June 25, 2025
4 – 4:30 pm ET / 1 – 1:30 pm PT
Virtual Lightning Talk
Free for Students, Members & Partners
(see your email for the promo code)!
$5 General Admission. Registration is required.
Members and partners should have received a promo code for free registration. Email membership@codesigncollaborative.org for assistance.
Sofie Johansson
Parsons School of Design, MS SDM Strategic Design and Management class of 2025
(she/her/hers)
Dr. Joanne Brasch, PhD
Director of Advocacy and Outreach, California Product Stewardship Council
(she/her/hers)
About Sofie Johansson
Sofie Johansson is a textile engineer and a 2025 candidate for the Master of Science in Strategic Design and Management at Parsons School of Design – The New School. She is deeply committed to advancing sustainability and climate action within the fashion industry, focusing on the intersection of design, policy, and systems change. Sofie has served as a Public Affairs Intern at the New Standard Institute, where she contributed to advocacy efforts aimed at increasing accountability in the fashion sector. Her professional background also includes roles in sustainability and R&D coordination at Helly Hansen and business development at Another. For her graduate capstone, she developed PolicyPilot, an AI-powered platform designed to help fashion professionals navigate emerging environmental regulations like Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws.
About Dr. Joanne Brash, PhD
Dr. Joanne Brasch holds a PhD in Textile Economics and Environmental Analysis from the University of California, Davis, where she also received a Master’s degree in Textile Science and a Bachelor’s degree in International Agricultural Development. With more than 13 years of academic work experience, Joanne has held lecturer and research appointments at UC Davis, CSU Sacramento, and Donghua University in Shanghai, China. She currently works as Special Project Manager at the California Product Stewardship Council (CPSC) leading projects that promote a circular economy using Product Stewardship and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). Dr. Brasch is appointed by California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) to two advisory committees for carpet and mattress recycling with the position of Chair or Vice Chair on both. She made Waste360’s “40 under 40” list for 2021.
