Clothing sustainability presentation for Bottega Veneta Sydney

Putting clothing sustainability into everyday practice.

In mid December 2025, I was invited to speak with the team at Bottega Veneta at their Sydney CBD head office about clothing sustainability. As part of the company’s broader environmental and sustainability commitment, the session focused on practical, everyday actions individuals can take to care for their clothes, extend their lifespan, and keep garments out of landfill and within the circular economy.

Our personal responsibility toward clothing sustainability.

While some of my sustainability discussions focus on big picture corporate strategies, this session was intentionally centred on personal responsibility.

Bottega Veneta is part of the Kering Group, a global luxury group with a portfolio of well known fashion, leather goods and jewellery brands. While the Kering Group has a strong global commitment to sustainability and acknowledges the fashion industry’s environmental impact, the focus of the Sydney session was on what individuals can do in their everyday lives.

The aim was to empower the Sydney team with realistic, achievable ways to curate and maintain a more sustainable wardrobe. This included caring for the clothes they already own, extending garment lifespan, making thoughtful decisions about disposal, and approaching future clothing purchases with longevity and wearability in mind. Rather than focusing on corporate policy, the conversation highlighted how individual habits and choices play a meaningful role in reducing clothing waste, emissions and landfill impact.

Why clothing sustainabilty matters.

I opened the talk by sharing key statistics around textile waste, emissions and landfill. While fashion brands must take responsibility for how clothing is designed and produced, consumers play a major role in environmental impact, particularly through clothing care and end of use disposal.

The way we wash, dry and store our clothes contributes to energy use, water consumption and microfibre pollution. When garments are discarded, especially into landfill, natural fibres break down in oxygen-free environments and release methane, a greenhouse gas significantly more potent than carbon dioxide over a short time frame. Synthetic fibres do not biodegrade at all and can remain in landfill for decades, creating dense layers that restrict airflow and contribute to long term environmental harm.

In short, the environmental impact of a garment isn’t solely caused in it’s manufacture rbut also after it has been purchased.

Practical solutions for everyday life.

After covering the why, I always shift to solutions.  Importantly, I want people to understand that clothing sustainability does not need to be complicated or expensive to be effective.

I discussed clothing care techniques that help garments last and look better for longer. I covered responsible donating practices, focusing on how people can prepare clothing so it has the best possible chance of making it onto a retail shop floor and being purchased again.

A significant part of the session focused on repairing, altering and upcycling clothing. Simple repairs, creative alterations and small design changes can give garments a second life, often making them more wearable and personal than when they were first purchased. These skills not only reduce waste but also shift our mindset away from a throwaway culture.

Finally, I explored how to shop more intentionally when purchasing new clothing. Choosing well made garments, timeless styles, quality fabrics and versatile pieces increases wear frequency and reduces the likelihood of early disposal. A smaller wardrobe that is worn often is far more sustainable than a large wardrobe filled with rarely worn items.

Bringing clothing sustainability into the workplace and community.

A huge thank you to Diana and the team at Bottega Veneta for the invitation and for being progressive in their approach to how clothing is purchased, cared for and ultimately kept out of landfill. Conversations like these are an important step toward a more responsible and circular fashion future.

It was encouraging to see such strong engagement from the team and their willingness to reflect on personal habits, not just professional roles. These conversations show that sustainability is most effective when it is practical, relatable and embedded into everyday life.

“It was wonderful to have you in, and the whole team found the talk extremely beneficial. I personally took something away from it,” Diana Kilbane, Bottega Veneta.

If you would like to organise a clothing sustainability workshop for your business, workplace or community group, I would love to work with you. Sessions can be tailored to suit corporate teams, councils, community organisations or private groups, with a strong focus on practical outcomes and real world impact.

Start a conversation at your workplace

Get in touch to start a conversation about creating positive change through clothing.

Bex Mitchell 
0418 118 401
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