Letter from the Founder of Sisters In Sustainability
Emma Slade Edmondson, founder of Sisters In Sustainability (SIS UK), tells its origin story.
What the landscape was like when I founded Sisters In Sustainability (SIS)
When I started my work in sustainable fashion back in 2008, I felt like I was ‘the only’ in any given room.
It could be very lonely at times, and I definitely found it a challenge to assert myself and to truly be heard in many instances.
As the years went on and I became more and more embedded in the sustainability space - to begin with circles were small. Everyone seemed to know each other and still representation and diversity didn’t seem to be improving.
It didn’t feel like there was much platforming of other women who looked like me in the space.
Then, in 2018, I was invited onto Channel 5 to talk about sustainability and reuse. As is often the case with TV invitations it was quite last minute and I didn’t have a chance to ask who else would be appearing on the segment.
What I did grasp right away is that this was not an invitation to talk about ‘doing sustainability while Black’, it was not tokenistic. It was simply an invitation to talk about my work and to share my knowledge of sustainability.
I remember just how delighted I was.
So imagine how my delight exploded when I found three other Black women in the green room waiting for me.
We’d all been asked to come on the same segment.
Looking back, I believe that we were all so surprised to find each other there that that is why, silently, without anyone suggesting it, we held hands in a circle in that green room just before we went on.
There was an unspoken acknowledgement of how special it was, not just to find each other but to find each other there in this particular scenario, about to be on screen together as a trio of excellence.
Sisters In Sustainability Panel at The Good Clothes Show Birmingham NEC.
Why I founded Sisters in Sustainability
I founded Sisters In Sustainability (SIS) in 2020, after reading an article by Piarvé Wetshi of Colechi that highlighted women of colour working in sustainability.
I felt it was high time we were brought together to share resources, and advocate for one another, to be inspired by one another’s projects and to take on the work knowing we had each other at our backs.
SIS was founded to provide a safe space for women from the global majority, to uplift us, highlight our work, provide mutual support, opportunities and representation.
A bit about me – why the world of sustainability needed this collective
My career in sustainability started with fashion and second hand retail. I’m proud to have created and contributed to some of the major campaigns that shifted public attitudes towards second-hand fashion.
From there, my career in behaviour change, sustainability and marketing consultancy grew.
Over the years, I’m proud to have been able to:
Develop the first-ever second-hand fashion show officially recognised by London Fashion Week via Charity Fashion Live.
Serve as a thought leader and sustainability awards panel judge
Redesign and develop Cancer Research UK’s retail strategy and flagship store.
Lead the UK NGO sector in reframing second-hand fashion, consulting for Oxfam Retail, Barnardo’s, Cancer Research UK, British Red Cross, and Love Not Landfill.
Be recognised as a Forbes 100 Environmentalist.
Deliver a TEDx Talk (Life Finds A Way)
Graduate from Cambridge in Governance in Sustainability for Business.
Speak and facilitate for organisations such as Milan Fashion Week, Selfridges, Drapers, Retail Week, Retail Gazette, Shelter, and The British Council.
Author and publish two books.
Win a Sustainability Influencer Award.
The impact Sisters In Sustainability has had to date
Since I first started in the field, Sisters In Sustainability (SIS) has continued to grow in it’s impact and via the connectivity of our members.
We’ve collaborated with brands and organisations including L’Occitane, Copenhagen Fashion Week, The Lab E20, and The Good Clothes Show.
Our work as a collective continues to expand – connecting, amplifying, and celebrating the women who are reshaping the sustainability landscape.
Through Sisters In Sustainability, I wanted to channel all that experience and learning into something collective, something that ensures no one has to feel like “the only one in the room” again.
Together, we are creating a movement rooted in community, visibility, and impact – a sisterhood that continues to grow and change the sustainability space for good.
Follow along with the journey over at @sis_uk.
