WAKEFIELD – Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes in our editorial newsroom? If so, why not have a listen to the first two episodes of our new series of Ecotextile Talks podcasts available on Apple, Google, Spotify and Deezer.

Like good journalists we’ve always kept these confidential discussions well under wraps. That was until our working circumstances during the COVID-19 lockdown gave us an idea to launch our remote editorial chats as a series of easy listening ‘on the couch’ style podcasts about the latest social and environmental issues impacting our industry.

“It’s a great way of giving our readers a glimpse of the personalities in the editorial team – as well as the discussions we have about the news we bring them,” said Chris Remington, the assistant editor of Ecotextile News.

The new Ecotextile Talks: Behind the News podcast series was born at the end of June and the first few episodes have already been quietly released on Apple, Google, Spotify and Deezer platforms – feel free to give them a listen.

In our pilot episode we talk about the challenges of sourcing original news during lockdown and picked out a few key stories that managed to turn our heads over the last month. These include the dynamic and troublesome situation around worker safety in Bangladesh and the issue of ‘chemical leasing’ – or chemical circularity – which is being promoted as a new way to drive the fashion sector towards new, more sustainable business models.

“Workplace safety has improved massively in Bangladesh since Rana Plaza,” notes Ecotextile News reporter Simon Glover in our pilot episode. “But things are changing rapidly, and we’re determined to keep a close eye on what’s happening there on behalf of all of those who want to make sure those improvements are maintained.”

Episode 1 meanwhile, gives listeners an insight into what our team thinks will happen to textile trade shows and other events post-pandemic. Will they all survive? How will those that survive evolve?

Like many of our readers, we feel somewhat ‘zoomed out’ as we move out of the lockdown period – it’s been something of a ‘Zoombie Apocalypse’ for many people and the natural human desire to once again establish personal relationships is starting to kick in strongly.

In this episode, we therefore chat about why physical face-to-face meetings are also preferable for news-gathering, why they are still so important to both journalists and the tactile textile industry, and we name some of our favourite events that we attend, why we enjoy them – but also question if they are really sustainable.

We hope you enjoy the listen ... and don't forget to subscribe to our feed.

We'll have another one coming out shortly.