Learn how LIFT Economy is helping Winona LaDuke bring a vision of an Indigenous-led bioregional hemp economy to life, starting with a toolbag produced by Patagonia.

Climate change, economic extraction, and racial justice are some of the most pressing issues our society faces today — and as it turns out, they are more connected than they might appear. Learn how Winona’s Hemp is working to build a bioregional hemp economy rooted in Indigenous values, with LIFT Economy’s support.

What’s Wrong With The Textile Industry?

One of the industries in which the intersection of environmental, economic, and racial exploitation is most prevalent is the textile industry. Although the business of clothing humans is nothing new, the way that the textile industry has evolved under modern capitalism presents a host of problems.

Modern Textiles Rely on Fossil Fuels and Create Microplastics

It’s estimated that 60-65% of the globe’s collective “wardrobe” is comprised of fossil-derived synthetic fabrics such as polyester. The demand for synthetics bolsters fossil fuel companies and keeps money and resources flowing away from circular, land-based economies, while the products created utilizing these fossil fuels never fully break down when they are no longer in use, contributing to exponentially growing landfilling of clothing, which also contributes to GHG emissions. 

Additionally, about 16-35% of the microplastics in our oceans are from synthetic textiles, according to the European Environment Agency. Continuing to produce textiles from these sources is directly contributing to our current environmental crisis.

Modern Textiles Create Unsafe Working Conditions and Unfair Pay

While the global fashion industry is made up of over 75 million workers worldwide, most of this labor is exploitative and extractive in nature. Garment workers in India are paid as little as 15 cents per hour, and can work between 10 and 16 hours per day, according to this report from Solidarity Center. The way that current supply chains exist are in direct contradiction to an economy that works for all life.

Our Entire Economic System Is Based on Stolen Labor and Land

Although not specific to textiles, the US economic system (and many global economic systems) are based on the systemic and brutal theft of Indigenous land and livelihoods, in addition to the exploitation of Black people and other nonwhite people. As a result, Indigenous people living in the United States experience the highest poverty rate among all minority groups.

“My dream of establishing Winona’s Hemp and Heritage Farm was inspired by the decades I’ve spent fighting to protect Anishinaabe culture, seeds, lands and waters.” - Winona LaDuke

Winona’s Hemp and the Vision for an Indigenous-led Hemp Textile Economy

Winona LaDuke is an Indigenous Rights Activist, Harvard-Trained Rural Economist and Former Vice Presidential Green Party Nominee. In 2017, she purchased a farm in Minnesota and began Winona’s Hemp, with the vision of building a bioregional hemp economy rooted in Indigenous values and centered around the utilization of hemp for textile applications.

Winona’s Objective: 

The LIFT Economy team began working with Winona in 2019 to help bring this vision to life. The fullest expression of this vision would be a fully vertically-integrated ecosystem of Indigenous-owned cooperatives to produce seed-to-garment products grown and sewn in the White Earth community.

Some of our initial work included:

• research and development

• vision alignment

• prototyping

• vetting equipment and industrial machinery

We are currently in the process of identifying opportunities for non-extractive capital to create the processing infrastructure required for farmers to have ownership over the value-added step in processing raw hemp stalk for textiles. This facility will allow White Earth and the Anishinaabe farming community to retain more of the earnings from the production of this material.

Partnering With Patagonia To Produce The First Domestically-Grown Hemp Toolbag

One of the other challenges in transforming the textile system is being able to meet the needs of the supply chain for existing textile products. There is a growing trend from consumers increasingly concerned about sourcing their food and fiber more regionally.

Patagonia has been concerned with questions about how to relocalize their supply chain for years, and has produced media around this issue, including their film Misunderstood which featured LaDuke and Bring Hemp Home about the challenges and opportunities around domestically grown hemp. In 2019, Winona connected with Patagonia to identify a way to utilize the hemp grown at White Earth for their products. 

This partnership resulted in the creation of a toolbag, the first product in Patagonia’s history to utilize domestically grown hemp. This toolbag represents the possibilities that come from the intersection of climate, economic, and racial justice:

• When grown with the health of people, and planet, in mind, hemp can be grown regeneratively in ways that replenish soil health, reduce outside inputs, like fertilizers and water, and produce a fully regenerative fiber, for a myriad of uses. In addition, hemp will naturally break down after its (long) life, without adding any harmful microplastics into our soil or water.

• By producing domestically grown hemp and giving the Anishinaabe community more control over the textile production process, they are building a path to be able to ensure well-paying jobs for community members and retain earnings in the White Earth community.

• For indigenous sovereignty, we know we need #landback, reparations, and a multiplicity of solutions. Supporting self-determined indigenous enterprise is one such solution.

What’s Next:

Our hope is that investors and the community can realize the possibilities of this project and support Winona’s Hemp in the development of the decortication facility and expansion of their means of production.

We hope that you will join us in this important work. Here’s how:

• If you are interested in providing non-extractive investment in support the capitalization of this project, please contact us.

• You can view and purchase the Patagonia toolbag here.

• You can provide direct philanthropic support to the Anishinaabe Agriculture Institute here.

• Sign up for updates on LIFT Economy and other Next Economy projects here.