Necessities of Life: Food, Clothing and Shelter Week
Promoting "Ethical living"
Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition
The programme, together with the General Sponsors, explores: 'How can we develop "ethical lifestyles" that both tackle human consumption challenges and present new options to consumers'
Recorded video available
Discussion
- Others
| Transmission of simultaneous interpretation | Provided |
|---|---|
| Language of interpretation | Japanese and English |
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Agenda2025
Organised Programme
- Time and
Date of
the event -
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2025.06.16[Mon]
17:00 ～ 19:00
(Venue Open 16:30)
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- Venue
- Theme Weeks Studio
Programme details
英語
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From the destruction of the natural environment to the crisis of democracy and capitalism, the global environment is in a state of unprecedented turmoil. As we consider the future, the choices we make for the next step are of critical importance. In this session, which explores the concept of ‘ethical living’—a lifestyle that prioritises ethical choices in clothing, food, and housing—we would like to welcome legendary pioneers and challengers who have opened new doors in areas such as fair trade, organic products, and traceability, as well as activists who continue to push the boundaries of ethical fashion. Together, we aim to create a space for meaningful dialogue to explore what the next crucial step should be for our collective future.
Reports
<Programme Summary>
The session centered on the concept of 'ethical living,' which encourages individual behavioral change to build a sustainable society in response to global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and social inequality. It was made clear that ethical living is not just a personal lifestyle choice but deeply tied to structural transformation in society. Through the practices and research shared by the panelists, the discussion reaffirmed that ethical consumption and lifestyle choices can generate new social value and that institutional design and education are crucial to support them sustainably. The session emphasized the importance of a shared vision and ongoing dialogue among people of different backgrounds to co-create and deepen the concept of ethical living.
<Speaker Summary-Yoshiko Ikoma>
Yoshiko Ikoma, a long-time advocate of ethical fashion and sustainable lifestyles, opened the session by stating that 'everyday ethical choices' can drive social change in the face of global challenges. She pointed to issues throughout the supply chain such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and labor exploitation, emphasizing the importance of embedding socially conscious decisions in daily life. She highlighted the fashion industry’s significant environmental impact and exploitative structures, stressing the power of consumer engagement. Ikoma described 'ethical' not as a trend, but as a fundamental philosophy for rebuilding relationships with people and nature, requiring deep societal perspective. She introduced alternative values emerging among the younger generation and local circular economy models, advocating for collectively nurturing the 'standard of the future.' She concluded that ethical living is not about restriction, but about transitioning to a richer and more meaningful way of life, and stressed the value of Expo 2025 as a space for co-creation across sectors.
<Speaker Summary-Safia Minney>
Social entrepreneur and founder of REAL Sustainability CIC, Safia Minney, spoke passionately about the transformative power of ethical consumption. She raised awareness about child labor and exploitation within the fashion industry, referencing her 'Slave to Fashion' campaign that exposed the structural violence consumers unknowingly contribute to. She emphasized that each piece of clothing we choose can impact someone’s life and urged consumers to understand the weight of their purchasing decisions. Minney argued that both companies and consumers must undergo a shift in consciousness to enable sustainable production and consumption. She demanded full traceability and transparency from global brands and ethical standards throughout the supply chain. Citing youth-led movements for climate justice and ethical consumption that are already influencing policies, she emphasized the importance of offering alternative choices and storytelling to inspire change. She concluded by stating that education, business, and policy must collaborate to evolve into an economy grounded in ethics, and expressed her commitment to using Expo 2025 as a catalyst for this change.
<Speaker Summary- Gordon Renouf>
Gordon Renouf, co-founder of Good On You, emphasized the importance of providing information to empower consumers to make sustainable and ethical choices. Based on his experience developing evaluation criteria and data-driven platforms, he stressed the necessity of both the 'power to choose' and 'environments that enable choice.' Good On You independently rates fashion brands on environmental impact, labor rights, and animal welfare, providing consumers with accessible scores. He explained that maintaining credibility and fairness in evaluations requires extensive research and cooperation across the industry. He noted that companies increasingly use these evaluations to identify areas for improvement. Renouf pointed out that information asymmetry contributes to consumer indifference and advocated for greater transparency to build trust. He also highlighted the importance of respecting local contexts and cultural differences when designing evaluation criteria. He concluded by stating that consumption is a daily vote on the state of the world and that spreading information literacy and ethical decision-making is key to creating a better economy and society.
<Speaker Summary- Sally V. Fox>
Sally V. Fox, an organic cotton breeder since the 1970s, offered a perspective connecting agriculture and clothing. She criticized conventional agriculture for degrading soil and ecosystems and promoted organic farming as an alternative. She shared her long-term research on naturally colored cotton, which reduces the need for chemical dyes and minimizes environmental impact. Fox emphasized the link between textiles and climate change and called for a redesign of supply chains starting with agriculture. She spoke of blending scientific knowledge with natural wisdom and collaborating with generations of farmers and artisans to balance tradition and innovation. She conveyed that 'what is good for the soil is good for our bodies,' and framed soil health as fundamental to ethical living. She also discussed the potential of 'carbon-positive' agriculture, showing that farming can be part of the solution to climate change. She concluded by stating that sustainability means listening to nature's cycles and living in harmony, expressing hope that Expo 2025 will spread this message globally.
<Speaker Summary- Arisa Kamada>
Arisa Kamada, co-founder of unisteps and fashion model, shared her insights on connecting sustainable living with social activism through personal experience. She began by pointing out that younger generations are increasingly sensitive to future uncertainties and social issues, and stated that personal questions and interests often serve as the starting point for taking action.She shared her efforts to expand empathy through clothing choices and communication. Kamada emphasized the importance of promoting a positive perception of sustainability not as sacrifice but as a discovery of creative choices. She highlighted the significance of 'relationships' in sustainability—between people, nature, and generations. She introduced initiatives to visualize social impact and local circular economy projects using regional cultural assets. Her message resonated deeply with the audience, illustrating how grassroots action can influence broader societal systems.
<Discussion Summary>
In the latter half of the session, all panelists exchanged opinions on the practice, challenges, and future of ethical living from their respective perspectives. Moderator Yoshiko Ikoma emphasized that 'awareness is the foundation of ethical living,' and raised the role of education and how media communicates information. Safia Minney responded by highlighting the need for consumer education and institutional support to promote ethical choices. Gordon Renouf reiterated the importance of transparency in influencing consumer behavior, and also discussed the ethical responsibilities of platform design and algorithms. Arisa Kamada emphasized that personal emotions and everyday sensibilities can drive social change, and shared how youth-led actions influence institutions and companies. Sally V. Fox reflected again on the philosophy of coexistence with nature and described ethics as 'starting from listening to the voice of nature.' Audience members raised concerns about the price and accessibility of ethical products. In response, panelists discussed viewing sustainability as a form of long-term cost-saving and suggested the need for community-led distribution reform. Toward the end, the discussion addressed the challenge of differing ethical definitions across cultures and religions, concluding with a shared recognition of the need to build a common ethical foundation grounded in diverse perspectives. Overall, the session reinforced the idea that ethical living is not just about doing good deeds, but a philosophical and social practice of 'how we live.' The panelists closed the session with the hope that Expo 2025 will become a starting point to pose this question to the worl
Cast
Moderator
©︎Art Dynamics
Yoshiko Ikoma
Fashion Journalist, Art Producer, Traditional Craft Development Producer, President of Art Dynamics Inc., Chairman of Japan Ethical Initiative
Consulting, directing, producing, and providing branding advice in the cultural aspects of fashion, art, and traditional crafts, as well as ethical sustainability.
After working as deputy editor of VOGUE and ELLE, she became editor-in-chief of “Marie Claire” in 2008 before going independent. She proposes a new generation lifestyle based on culture and ethics, from fashion, traditional crafts, art, and design to social contribution and Cool Japan. She is involved in development projects for local and traditional industries.
Producer of Japanese Heritage for Agency for Cultural Affairs since 2015, Mentor of LEXUS NEW TAKUMI PROJECT since 2016, Producer of HIRUME, a luxury brand of Japanese traditional crafts based on fashion and art since 2018. And since 2024, HIRUME ART LABORATORY, she started to transmit traditional crafts x art x fashion x digital.
In June 2024, the Japan Council for Ethical Promotion, of which she is the chairman, published “Ethical Bible,” an explanatory book on ethical standards written by 58 experts.
Temporary member of the Cultural Economy Subcommittee of the Cultural Affairs Council, Agency for Cultural Affairs; Sustainable Fashion Supporter, Consumer Affairs Agency; Member of the Textile Subcommittee of the Industrial Structure Council, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry; Member of Edo Tokyo Kirari, Tokyo Metropolitan Government; Creative Director, Mie Terrace; Director, Japan Japanese Culture Promotion Project; Brand advisor, Citizen L, Supervisor of Underground Ltd. (Ai Tominaga's personal office), etc. Lecturer at Musashino Art University and Sugino Fashion College Graduate School.
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Speakers
Safia Minney
Social entrepreneur, consultant and advisor
Safia Minney, MBE, FRSA, is an award-winning social entrepreneur, consultant and advisor. Safia is recognised by the World Economic Forum as an Outstanding Social Entrepreneur and is a leading influencer and international speaker on sustainable fashion, sustainable supply chains, ethical business and climate action.
Safia has authored 9 books including ‘Slave to Fashion’, campaigning to eradicate modern day slavery in the fashion industry, ‘Slow Fashion - Aesthetics meets Ethics’ and in 2022 ‘Regenerative Fashion’.
Safia founded REAL Sustainability CIC in 2019, to promote awareness and action for sustainable living and leadership. In 2022 REAL launched Fashion Declares – a bottom-up, industry wide movement to promote rapid action to redesign the fashion industry to operate within planetary boundaries.
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Gordon Renouf
Co-Founder, Good On You
Gordon Renouf is the co-founder of Good On You, the world's most trusted and easy to use sustainability rating system for consumer brands. Good On You ratings are used by global retailers, discovery platforms and shopping malls to advance sustainability performance and engage conscious shoppers. Since 2015, Good On You has rated over 6,000 brands across fashion and beauty and enabled millions of consumers to shop more sustainably. Mr Renouf has been an advocate for consumer rights for more than 30 years, including as a Board Member of Consumers International and Deputy Chair of the Consumers Federation of Australia. Gordon’s work is focused on consumers’ right to make sustainable and ethical choices in line with Sustainable Development Goal 12. As more and more people shop sustainably, together we will drive an increasing number of brands to put ethics and sustainability at the heart of their business. In 2016 Gordon gave the annual Ruby Hutchison Lecture, "Can Consumers Buy a Better World", at the invitation of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and CHOICE, Australia’s leading consumer organisation. The lecture explored consumers’ right to consume responsibly, and the corresponding obligations on producers to provide accurate information about their impact on the issues consumers care about. Gordon regularly presents on how we can support consumers to make more sustainable choices including at the 2020, 2021 and 2022 Tokushima International Consumer’s Forum. Gordon has also served as a Board Chair of Australia's leading Type 1 environmental certification scheme Good Environmental Choice Australia, and held numerous positions advancing consumer interests including as a Director on the Board of the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman Scheme, and Chair of the Australian Securities and Investments Scheme Consumer Advisory Panel.
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Arisa Kamada
Co-founder of unisteps
Co-founder of unisteps, the Association dedicated to fostering a "diverse and sustainable fashion industry." Leads a broad range of initiatives aimed at raising awareness about the environmental and social impacts of clothing production and disposal. Secretariat of the Japan Sustainable Fashion Alliance, the FASHION FRONTIER PROGRAM, and FASHION REVOLUTION Japan. Also leads "Seeds of Clothing," a project that grows cotton from seed to create garments.
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Sally V. Fox
Organic Cotton Breeder since 1982; owner of Vreseis Limited and the trademarks: Foxfibre® Colorganic®
As the first to breed cottons specifically for both organic production in the Southwestern United States while offering a natural pallet of colors within the fibers themselves - no dyes required- Sally helped usher in the organic and sustainable cotton conversation in the late 1980’s. Her personal background as both a hand spinner and hand weaver allowed her to direct her breeding in a way that included processing criteria crucial to the successful introduction onto the marketplace of these special cottons. She used sales proceeds from the cottons to offer the use of the trademarks to customers worldwide, while working with certification organizations in the US and later worldwide to develop systems of authentication of first the bales and then the products. Over the decades as the industry grew and developed, newer more sophisticated systems have arisen and have been adopted. But it began and remains alive today because of the sophistication and the artistry of the Textile Industry of Japan who were the first and remain the only industry offering the most exquisite organic naturally colored textiles available anywhere in the world.
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Necessities of Life: Food, Clothing and Shelter Week
Promoting "Ethical living"
The programme, together with the General Sponsors, explores: 'How can we develop "ethical lifestyles" that both tackle human consumption challenges and present new options to consumers'
-
2025.06.16[Mon]
17:00～19:00
(Venue Open 16:30)
- Theme Weeks Studio
- * Programme times and content are subject to change. Any changes will be announced on this website and via the ticket booking system.
- * The schedule is subject to change depending on the organiser's circumstances.
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Necessities of Life: Food, Clothing and Shelter Week
