012. Hansika Singh on Systems Change

Hansika Singh is a sustainable fashion professional currently based in Bangalore, India. Last week we talked to Haniska about her start in the fashion industry…. Her time with H&M as a merchandiser responsible for coordinating with various factories producing H&M goods and her time in consumer advocacy, founding Eco-Folk and running her own fashion boutique.

This week we turn to Hansika’s conviction that sustainability in the fashion world requires a systems lens. We start by talking about what systems change means to Hansika. Next, we get into some concrete examples of what systems change looks like in Hansika’s current role with Forum for the Future. And finally, we ask: if systems change resonates, where does that leave the individual? Should we just throw up our hands? Where do the individual and the system intersect? And what can we, as sustainable fashion advocates, actually do?

Photo Johan Anblick

Want to dig deeper ?

How can we harness the radical disruption presented by today’s crisis to drive a truly sustainable, just and resilient future? Watch this recent webinar from Forum for the Future.

Interested in learning more about the work of Nobel Laureate Elinor Ostrom? Watch this Big Think interview. Read more about Rationality and Complexity in the Work of Elinor Ostrom. Or discover the Tragedy of Commons: How Elinor Ostrom Solved One of Life's Greatest Dilemmas.

Or check out this introductory video to system change by the Donella Meadows team.

Interested in learning more about Hansika's work with Forum for the Future? Check out this Cotton Up webinar on how to source sustainable cotton. Learn more about Cotton 2040 and Circular Leap Asia.

Read Kim's full thoughts on a recent New York Times investigation into forced labor in fashion supply chains, and why systemic framing really matters.

Photo Atharva Tulsi (left), Handy Wicaksono (right)