My Story: About The Owner & The Author - Anne Hurley
James&Co Owner and Founder
Where I am now with the James&Co business and all brands is the confluence of past careers and life's events.
I started professional life as a lawyer which evolved into an expertise in telecommunications law. That led to departing legal practice for executive roles in large corporations and ultimately CEO of Australia's representative organisation for telco businesses. A satisfying career to then involving much networking, speaking, policy development, governance et al.
Then life's events played a major role in 2011 with the death by suicide of my son James, which had been preceded just 5 months earlier by the sudden death of my husband. My capacity to deliver professional services felt markedly constrained and I investigated opportunities to deliver goods of some description.
The growth of the digital economy having been a significant part of my professional telecommunications career, James&Co was born in 2012 as an e-commerce business then specialising in faux leather fashion for vegans.
As I watched innovative technologies responding to replacing toxic faux leather polyurethane (PU) with more sustainable textiles, I saw the opportunity for differentiation of the brand as pioneering in sustainable vegan leather fashion as well as the opportunity to make a real contribution to addressing the challenges of climate change.
In 2018 I ended the use of traditional polyurethane (PU) containing toxic chemical components and switched to the evolving lab-grown waterbased PU (WBPU) and plant-based synthetic leathers. Starting with the natural plant-based washable paper, cork leather and classic organics such as cotton, hemp, jute. End-of-life re-purposing is included when products in this textiles are purchased.
The innovation of synthetic leather-look materials is ongoing but it is not an easy business enterprise. There have been/are brands said to be based on plants - Mirum, pineapple leaves, cactus, banana leaves. Not all are ongoing operations and fair to see that materials such as cactus-based materials are not completely plastic-free.
My commitment to growing James&Co brands as a providers of classic accessory essentials in 100% plastic-free materials remains unabated
Author of Published Books
For The Planet By 2030: We Must Switch To Sustainable Alternative Leather
This is the 5th edition of the book that has been detailing why the leather look synthetic fabric made in traditional polyurethane (PU) or polyvinylchloride (PVC) has a harmful impact on the environment and workers in its manufacturing process and its materials. And why it needs to be replaced with the developing innovative lab-grown and plant-based sustainable replacements for apparel and fashion items.
Since the 4th Report, the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change IPCC Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report (Synthesis Report) has been released. The Synthesis Report reiterated in strong language that we are still hurtling towards a grim future unless we accelerate action on climate change now and throughout the 2020s.
“Without immediate and deep emissions reductions across all sectors, limiting global warming to 1.5C [by 2030 and net-zero by 2050] is beyond reach.”
There have been many Reports released by experts and consultants in environment and climate change with recommendations for urgent action needed by the fashion industry to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and meet the ultimate global target of net-zero by 2050.
However there has been limited movement by fashion industry stakeholders - suppliers, Government, consumers - to drive the change required.
This edition draws together the developments since 2022 and the increasingly louder calls for fashion industry action to take action for the sake of the planet.
Digest Of Sustainable Fashion Lies: Consumer Guide To Hoisting Greenwashing Brands On Their Own Petard
The fashion industry, despite its glamorous facade, is a major contributor to global pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, ranking as the world's second-largest polluter. This industry is marred by the practice of greenwashing, where businesses falsely market their products as environmentally friendly. Such misleading claims confuse consumers, leading them to purchase items that are far from sustainable.
Greenwashing involves brands making exaggerated or false claims about the environmental benefits of their products. This deceitful marketing convinces consumers that they are making eco-friendly choices when, in reality, they are not. Greenwashing tactics include vague claims, irrelevant certifications, and misleading labels that portray products as greener than they are. The consequences are twofold: consumers are misled, and genuine sustainability efforts are undermined.
Consumers hold significant power in driving the fashion industry toward sustainability. By recognizing and rejecting greenwashing tactics, boycotting harmful products, and supporting genuinely sustainable brands, consumers can drive the fashion industry towards a more sustainable future. This collective effort will help improve the industry's attainment of net-zero goals and contribute to global environmental sustainability.
This guide emphasizes the need for consumers to go beyond awareness and provides information to make impactful choices of boycotting greenwashing brands.
