Understanding interventions for pro-biodiversity behaviour in a sectoral context: An example of the Tuscan textile, apparel, and fashion industries

Textile, apparel, and fashion (TAF) industries are significant contributors to global biodiversity loss through their multitude of negative impacts on natural ecosystems and their services. These impacts are distributed across the supply chain of production, processing, consumption, and product end life. Production of cotton, viscose, modal, rayon, lyocell, wool, and leather drives vast land-use changes (deforestation) and excessive water consumption that together with intensive pesticide use have a serious impact on biodiversity. TAF industries account for 20% of global water pollution, which changes the ecosystems by means of the acidification and eutrophication. While the environmental impacts of TAF industries in the global supply chains have been widely addressed in the existing literature, such research with focus on biodiversity is scant. National and regional governments also struggle to set reliable priorities and develop interventions capable of fostering transformations towards sustainability in TAF industries. This study examines the examples of Prato (Tuscany), the largest textile centre in Europe (yarns and woollen fabrics), and Santa Croce, a globally recognised location for leather production. The main strategy of both the public authorities and the key actors of the TAF system here has mainly focused on "ensuring sustainable production and consumption patterns" (most recently driven by Sustainable Development Goal 12) with little or no link to biodiversity. The regional biodiversity strategy, for example, does not address impacts of TAF industries beyond the regional boundaries resulting from raw material sourcing choices. There are however several initiatives led by luxury brands and multinationals whose objectives and actions, as well as impacts around biodiversity is yet to be studied. We apply a mixed qualitative research approach to understand more global - political (international norms, path dependencies) – and more local - behavioural (cognitive, social, dispositional) - factors hindering prioritisation of biodiversity in the sustainability agenda of the sector. Through a discourse analysis and a series of in-depth interviews as part of PLANET4B project, we uncover the meaning of key TAF actors’ behaviour, as defined from their own point of view. How do they value some of the most-widespread policy interventions (including labels and certifications) for transforming attitudes towards biodiversity across the supply chain? To what extent is the distribution of benefits and costs perceived equitable? Results will allow us to holistically understand pro-biodiversity behaviour in its social context and generate further research questions to define potential interventions and understand how they might be applicable in other contexts.