SUBSTANCE  
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Latest Episode: Fabrics 

Fabrics and fashion are deeply tied to sustainability – not least because the scale of production and consumption means huge volumes end up as waste or pollution. This episode of SUBSTANCE asks what it would take to “close the loop” and move fabrics toward a circular economy. Host Joe Hanson draws on perspectives from both the Hong Kong-based nonprofit Redress and BASF in his exploration of why circularity is a useful way to turn intent into action.

Christina Dean, PhD, founder and CEO of Redress, argues for a broader system shift in fashion where circular design, education, and industry action matter as much as consumer choices.

Dag Wiebelhaus, PhD, Head of Innovation of BASF’s Monomers division, presents a groundbreaking technology that turns used textiles into new garments. At the same time, he acknowledges the economic hurdles that still make scaling challenging.   

Host Joe Hanson guides the conversation through both the innovative approach and the real-world constraint of changing how clothing is made, used, and recovered. 

Listen now!

Our guest: Christina Dean, PhD

Christina Dean is a sustainable fashion advocate who has championed better practices in fashion for over 18 years. Born and brought up in the UK, Dean first worked as a dentist, before retraining as a journalist. After moving to Hong Kong in 2007, she took on assignments covering the impact of industrial pollution. That opened her eyes to the environmental costs of the fashion industry. Within months, Dean had switched careers again, founding Redress, a Hong Kong based NGO working to reduce textile waste in the fashion industry. Christina Dean was listed as one of British Vogue’s Top 30 Inspirational Women.
 

Our guest: Dag Wiebelhaus, PhD

Dag Wiebelhaus is an experienced senior leader with more than 27 years at BASF, holding a PhD in Chemistry from RWTH Aachen University in Germany and a proven track record in product innovation, strategic marketing, business management, and new business development. He is currently responsible for driving product innovation within the Monomers division and he is the lead of the loopamid^® project.

Our host: Joe Hanson, PhD 

Joe Hanson is an internationally recognized science communicator. Before working in science media and education, he researched genetic engineering and cancer biology, obtaining a PhD in biology from the University of Texas.

He is the creator, host, and head writer of Be Smart, a YouTube science education show with more than 5 million subscribers on YouTube.
Hanson has won Webby and Telly Awards and the Kavli Science Journalism Award for his work. 

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