Global Measure

Not all fashion systems are created equally, and that distinction often gets lost.

I've been exploring this more through recent research, particularly in relation to textile waste and policy responses like EPR.

More to come over the next few weeks.

If you're interested, read the full paper here: https://globalmeasure.org/epr-8/

It’s been a little while since my last post! Life (and grad school!) has kept me busy in the best way.

But I’m excited to finally share this piece.
Through surveys and interviews with over 40 Canadian fashion businesses, I explored how small brands are reacting to the possibility of EPR. One message echoed across the board:
“We need infrastructure first.”

Small businesses make up 98% of Canada’s fashion industry. So why are their voices largely absent from EPR conversations?

What was very evident to me through hours of conversations, was that small brands are NOT resisting sustainability. They’re asking for systems to exist before being required to comply within one that doesn’t. (Confusing sentence? Imagine if that were your reality.)

Implementing a framework without support in place risks marginalizing and potentially collapsing the backbone of the Canadian fashion industry – small businesses. Is this really what we want?

Thank you to the heart of Canada’s fashion industry (small business) for contributing your voice to this research. Your generous insights reminded me why I started Global Measure in the first place – to make the concept of “sustainable fashion” accessible, fair, and rooted in equity.

Click the link in bio to read feedback from some of your favorite brands.

🌍 Earth Day 2025 🌍
Fast fashion’s impact on the planet is impossible to ignore — from extensive pollution to mountains of textile waste and exploitative labour practices.

It’s a system built on speed, volume, and disposability — often at the expense of the very communities facing the harshest effects of climate change.

But not all fashion is made this way. Local, slow, and responsible production is showing us what’s possible — when people and the planet are prioritized over profit.

The clothes we choose — and the systems we support — should reflect the values we hold, where sustainability and climate justice are woven into every thread.

📢 Small Canadian fashion brands—your voice matters.

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policies are moving forward in Canada, and they could have serious cost + time implications for small, independent brands.

At Global Measure, we’ve started quantifying those impacts—and now we’re gathering feedback from across the industry to make sure your experiences help shape what comes next.

🧵 If you’re a Canadian brand, take 5–10 mins to fill out our survey.
📣 Your insights will be featured in our next article and shared with policymakers.

👉 Survey link in bio
💬 Tag a brand that should have a say in this conversation.

Canada is eyeing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) as a fix for fashion’s waste problem.

But here’s what no one’s talking about:
🔹 94% of clothing sold in Canada is imported.
🔹 98% of Canadian fashion businesses are small and independent.
🔹 And yet—it’s these small Canadian brands that will be first to pay.

EPR could add thousands in fees, hours of reporting, and tighter restrictions—without addressing the core issue: overproduction.

Not to mention other pressing issues, including:
⚠️ No textile-to-textile recycling system.
⚠️ No limit on how much fast fashion can flood the market.
⚠️ No protection for the brands already doing it right.

Let’s ask the hard question:
Are we solving the problem—or just shifting the cost?

🧵 Read the full article in the linkinbio.