The word ‘sustainable’ gets thrown around a lot as fashion brands greenwash their questionable practices. So, when that word has lost so much meaning, where does it sit within an African context? We’re talking about a continent where traditional practices and ways of consuming – be that through thrifting, the caring for and passing down of garments or making artisinal adornments – naturally lean towards respecting nature. To put it bluntly, when overconsumption happens overwhelmingly in the Global North – which produces a carbon footprint 100 times larger than the Global South – why should Africans care about western notions of sustainability?

Roundabout is answering some of those questions and more. The brainchild of Lagos-based consultant Zara Odu, this beautifully designed digital network offers a space for likeminded creatives from across different industries to share insights they’ve gained from their mindful working practices. “This platform is important as a gathering space. It's a community that offers an opportunity to come together and be one with one another in terms of how we grow,” says Odu. “We’re providing resources, sparking ideas and conversations around multiple topics so that people can learn and be inspired. We want to be at the forefront of making real tangible change.”

Odu’s new venture stems from being surrounded by Nigerian craftsmanship growing up and over a decade’s experience in the fashion industry working for the likes of Lisa Folawiyo and Lagos Fashion Week. It’s also revisiting ideas she first investigated while studying for her MA in Fashion from University College for the Creative Arts. “I wanted to go back to the source. What is local to us? How do we create consciously? I wanted to turn the idea that Africans are naturally sustainable on its head because, yes our processes are more meticulous and what’s produced is more beautiful, and no we aren’t the ones that have created all of the problems, but we still need to be part of resolving them because they’ve tricked down to us. I want us to help designers to think critically about how many pieces they need to make within a collection, what pieces stand the test of time and also which natural fibres exist in the continent.”

These goals are close to the heart of Post-Imperial founder, Niyi Okuboyejo. “I have a very radical stance on what sustainability looks like,” he says of his menswear brand that produces textiles and garments in Nigeria with respect woven into every seam. The designer “humanises materials” and sees each collections as an opportunity “to set a new standard of design”. When Okuboyejo looks to the future, he sees Post-Imperial as going beyond the realms of fashion. “I want to positively impact the world with new ideas, as well as old, and to steer us into a more wholesome way of living. We need to work together to give humanity a chance to heal itself.” The label works towards these ambitions by respecting everyone who engages with Post-Imperial: “The people who die and ship our fabrics, the people who sew our clothing and those who wear them are all our storytellers.”

Newtype founder, Yegwa Ukpo, takes a similar stance on sustainability. “To me, it’s about being a good custodian of the environment and moving through the world, maintaining and building the tools and systems that enable our species to continue to exist and thrive.” These beliefs are at the heart of the Lagos-based thinker’s practice. With a background in design and curation, Ukpo’s latest project aims to move the dial further still. “Newtype is exploring alternatives to typical design, scientific and rational approaches developed in Western Educated Industrialised Rich Democratic (WEIRD) countries, and instead engaging with our traditional practices and cultures to cultivate unique perspectives on food, shelter, clothing and being, in a way that is relevant to contemporary life.”

Meanwhile Lagos-based firm ADD.apt, founded by Eve Nnaji, focuses on architecture, design and data. “ADD.apt is named after the word ‘adapt’ because it needs to be able to respond and evolve in order to sustainably exist,” Nnaji explains. “Maybe the future won’t need brands and companies, maybe only people and places. In the meantime, we aim to simply do good stuff.” For Nnaji, sustainability equates to the ability to do something over and over, which in turn requires new systems. “It's important for us, as a colonised region, to first question what we are doing and how we got here, before we determine what we would like to sustain because ultimately we could end up deteriorating our environment through disproportionate practices aspiring to Western definitions of ‘sustainability’. So, our part is to bring the information to light. We make key data commonplace in order to subconsciously practise environmental care.”

It’s this commitment to making life better for ourselves and for the environment that brings all of these rebels together on Roundabout. Other change-makers sharing their innovations include Nkwo, Bubu Ogisi, Dye Labl, 16/16, The OR Foundation and Kirsten Scott. Visit Roundabout now to read about South African mohair from Frances van Hasselt and Leandi Mulder, about Ugandan bark cloth by the Bukomansimbi Organic Tree Farmers Association and about agro-waste in Ghana by Mae-Ling Lokko.

For Odu, sustainability and circularity speaks to every part of our existence - food, clothing, waste reduction and more – so that individuals and communities can have “a fuller, more special, joyful kind of life.” And to reach that goal, African participation is crucial because, not only is the continent’s creativity finally being globally recognised, but it’s also the Global South that is the most impacted by the climate emergency. As such, solutions start at home. “As Africans, we are naturally more sustainable but that is not enough. We all have a part to play. Yes, definitely, it’s our time to eat – but we must eat carefully, we must eat consciously.”