One of the most ancient fibers, silk has been cultivated for 5,000 years. The silk moth produces a filament designed to protect the moth from heat, predators, wind and water. In turn, these properties generate enduring and high quality second skin garments. Brazil (by luck and fate of Japanese immigration) hosts the Vale da Seda (Valley of Silk), a landscape that has generated high quality, beautiful raw fibers for decades. We explore the Vale da Seda with agronomist Joao Berdu and evaluate the reasons why mainstream modern sustainability measurement frameworks have hit silk hard— making farming and raw fiber production a more vulnerable proposition for those who make mulberry tree farming and cocoon production their livelihood.

Weaving Voices is part of Whetstone Radio Collective. Learn more about Weaving Voices here.

Find show notes here.

And transcript here.