Circular Talk with Zeno Staub
«Technological progress is the key to a more sustainable future.»
Zeno Staub, former CEO of Vontobel Bank, politician, and investor in CLIMATEX, discusses in an interview why the future must be circular. He shares his views on the EU's Green Deal, the rationale behind a recycling fee for textiles, and his belief in CLIMATEX and its Circular Textile Technologies.
«CLIMATEX has the potential to make a decisive contribution to a very important problem.»
Zeno Staub
CLIMATEX: Could you tell us a little about how you got involved with CLIMATEX?
Zeno Staub: Apart from growing up in St. Gallen, I've never had much direct contact with the textile industry. However, I am interested in textiles and sustainability. The textile industry is facing major challenges that require attention. It's alarming that we have managed to create not only the Great Wall of China, but also a textile landfill in Ghana that is visible from space! When I heard about CLIMATEX's Circular Textile Technology, I was intrigued. I found the technology impressive, and the focus on circularity combined with functionality was particularly noteworthy.
In your opinion, how can a change of mindset be encouraged?
We have become so accustomed to wealth and comfort that a society based on sacrifice cannot work. It's unrealistic to expect everyone to limit themselves to buying three cotton shirts a year. A more sustainable future can only be achieved through technological progress. CLIMATEX offers innovative textile technologies that integrate circularity, functionality and Swiss quality. As an investor in CLIMATEX, I want to contribute to a more sustainable, circular future.
You once said that capital, innovation and technology are key to moving our economy towards sustainability. What criteria does a company need to meet to convince you?
The economist Peter Drucker once said that the sole purpose of a company is to solve a customer problem better and/or more cost-effectively than its competitors. I firmly believe in this principle. CLIMATEX has the potential to make a significant contribution to a very important problem. We know that we can't solve these challenges alone, but we are committed to playing our part. So if a company is addressing a significant, relevant customer problem with the right team, I'm interested in the business model. What is the product or service being offered? How much capital is required? What is the sales cycle? When can revenue be expected? What about patents? But the business model becomes irrelevant if I don't believe in the team and the customer problem.
What is your «elevator pitch» for CLIMATEX?
In a nutshell: The demand for personalised fashion, functional leisure and sportswear will continue to grow. If we are to meet this demand without harming our planet, the textile industry must become circular. CLIMATEX has the technologies to make this possible without compromising on functionality. From fully recyclable materials to cleanly separable and cradle-to-cradle certified technologies.
What do you wish for CLIMATEX?
The new team brings together a powerful combination of textile and technology expertise, customer understanding, branding and strong operational skills. I hope that this team can create traction, develop market relevance and lead the company to success. There must be a sense that CLIMATEX can contribute to the transformation of the textile industry. The next step is to invest more in innovation, research and development. CLIMATEX must remain a technology company.
“If a recycling fee was raised on every T-shirt, many things would change immediately.”
What are your thoughts on the EU's Green Deal?
The Green Deal is a laudable and ambitious approach. But I think the EU is in danger of over-regulating. The EU taxonomy, for example, tries to distinguish between good and bad activities. It would be better to focus on the transition through price incentives. The problem won't be solved unless the negative environmental impact, the throw-away mentality and the burning of overproduction are priced in. If, for example, a recycling fee were added to every T-shirt, things would change immediately. And the fast-fashion stores could start closing one by one. Unfortunately, politics is not brave enough to do that.
Where do you see the challenges in the sustainable transformation?
We must focus on transition and on the innovative and discovery power of the market and remain open to technology. Take nuclear energy, for example: for a long time I considered it to be unsustainable because of the problem of final storage and the residual risks that cannot be insured on private markets. Today, however, research has obviously made huge progress, such as a Swiss company whose technology reduces the volume of the final storage problem by 80 percent and shortens the half-life from 100,000 years to 500 years. This shows how important it is to be open to new technologies and innovations. The Green Deal restricts this in some approaches or uses the wrong means. Nevertheless, the ambition, the thrust and the will to change must of course be praised.
You are campaigning for the Swiss marketplace in politics. What drives you?
How a country with no natural resources and no geographical advantages can achieve one of the world's highest levels of value added per capita is incredible. This is directly linked to the institutions we have created: Direct democracy, federalism, institutional competition, subsidiarity, a liberal labour market and a good public education system - that's Switzerland, that's Swissness. Swiss companies sell this Swissness. Reliability, quality, service, stability and long-term thinking. So does CLIMATEX. And that is something that customers appreciate and are ready to pay for.
In our «Circular Talks by CLIMATEX», we give thought leaders, visionaries and innovators in the field of circular textiles a voice to inspire and inform - and to drive positive change.