How much waste is produced then your clothes are manufactured? And it there anything that can be done to reduce that?

The Pentland Centre’s Dr Madiha Ahmad joins us to talk about her PhD research at Heriot-Watt University, in Edinburgh, which involved looking at sew-free techniques that dramatically reduce fabric wastage.

Madiha tells us about textiles in her Pakistan homeland, where it is an $18bn industry, and we go in-depth on how fibres become yarn becomes fabric, spanning global supply chains and representing a more complicated process than you might imagine.

We learn about the lifecycle of fibres as they become fabrics and garments; about issues of over-consumption, fast fashion, and landfill, but also how waste is created when a garment is produced; and about the many technicalities of weaving.

Madiha reveals the many layers of sustainability that need to be considered, and how knowledge and practice in this area can be part of a company’s international competitiveness.

We talk about fabric waste, and how this is both a natural part of the standard manufacturing process but also something that could be tackled with a different weaving method – one that will have you checking how many seams you have on your clothing. We even take the concepts of sew-free and see how similar ideas can be applied in aerospace.

Plus, Jan tells us about being raised to be a farmer’s wife; Paul objects to Jan’s suggestion he doesn’t think about how and where his clothes are made as he reveals he is made in Egypt on this particular day; and the horrible idea of square scones rears its ugly head.

Here is a handy outline of how textiles are manufactured: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Textile_manufacturing

If you want to understand more about weaving, see here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weaving

And if you want to listen to our previous episode on the Uzbek cotton industry, this is the place: https://pod.fo/e/3cf0a4

What do the public think about climate change? How do they think governments should act? These are the people who will often be most affected by policy and action, so how do we find out their views? This answer may lie in citizens’ assemblies.

Dr Andy Yuille, is an interdisciplinary qualitative social scientist (!) from the University of Manchester. He takes us through citizens’ assemblies and their role in creating understandings about people's thoughts about the environment and government policy, and how they show that members of the public can take informed, positions on difficult policy decisions.

We encounter the concept of deliberative mini-publics, and how they can reflect the broader population to ensure views of assemblies reflect those of the public at large; discuss where and at what level climate assemblies operate; and understand how they are formed and operate, and the disqualifying factors for taking part.

Andy tells us about his interest in how major decisions that affect the environment are made and his work on the Our Energy Futures panel; we look at the polarisation of society and how this affects matters; and how assemblies might be a way to build trust in government.

What actions do governments take on assembly recommendations? Do assembly members ever find out why their suggestions are (or are not) taken up? And can these assemblies be considered a successful initiative?

Plus, what do people think about changes to energy usage and demand? How do they think businesses should adapt? Did Jan behave in school assemblies? What are human assembly plants? And what is a sociologist?

The UK Parliament has an introduction to citizens’ assemblies: https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/committees/climate-assembly-uk/about-citizens-assemblies/

Here are some examples of past citizens’ assemblies: https://tinyurl.com/pastcitizensassemblies

More details about the assembly Andy talked about can be found here: https://www.edrc.ac.uk/research/projects/public-support-and-engagement-for-low-energy-futures/

Episode Transcript

How can businesses – and business schools – have a positive effect on their regions? And do we need to reconsider the connections between us all?

Ellie Hamilton is Professor Emerita at Lancaster University Management School, with a lengthy background in entrepreneurship and working with businesses. She is also the co-author of a new book, Rethinking Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, with former Lancaster colleagues Dr Rhiannon Pugh and Dr Danny Soetanto.

Ellie joins us to talk about how we need to focus on the role of universities as anchor institutions in their communities; the evolution of entrepreneurship as a concept; how regional development is seen as addressing regional inequalities – but how the focus on economics can be too great; and

We consider how sustainability can be a key part of both entrepreneurship and regional development, and mull over the need to break stubborn habits; shine a light on place-based and community-based entrepreneurship that is embedded in a region; and emphasises the importance of context in any region (be it geographical or institutional) to successful development.

The importance of the input from indigenous people in planning for change comes to the fore once more; a cog model of policy shaping research shaping engagement shaping teaching shaping policy is discussed; and Ellie looks to what the future might bring.

Plus, Ellie tells us about becoming an accidental academic and how to properly enjoy retirement; Jan struggles to spell entrepreneurship – but can blame the French; and Paul laments the treatment of medieval polar bears in the Tower of London.

See Ellie’s new book here: https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/rethinking-entrepreneurship-and-regional-development-9781802201437.html

For more information on Lancaster University’s entrepreneurship research, see here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/lums/our-departments/entrepreneurship-and-strategy/research/

Episode Transcript