Erik Toenhake from Aarden calls for fair fashion and bold policy in Arnhem

“My name is Erik Toenhake. I speak on behalf of Aarden Coöperatie, an Arnhem-based fashion collective that is changing the fashion world from within. Honest, transparent, without waste and with something unique in the Netherlands. The earth also has a seat at our board table. Not as a symbol, but as a guide. What do we do? It has to be in line with what the earth can sustain. And that is exactly why I am here. Because just this morning, the news reported that another sustainable initiative had failed. Daico, a company that dyed fabrics in an innovative, environmentally friendly way. Not because they were bad, on the contrary, but because the market is dominated by parties with deep pockets, cheap pollution and a constant stream of advertising that normalises overconsumption. 

This proposal, which we are here to support tonight, gets to the heart of the problem. It breaks the power of fast fashion in the streets. It says, we will no longer reinforce what is damaging our future. I asked the ghost swimmers representing the Earth in our council: What does the Earth say about this proposal? And the message was clear. The movement is coming anyway. I, the Earth, have already set that change in motion. The choice is yours. Will you stand by and watch, or will you join in? With this ban, you are joining in. You are not choosing against people, but for a fair market. For entrepreneurs who create value instead of waste. For a city that does not bow to the power of money, but listens to the power of the future. It is not just about pollution or market forces alone. 

It is about a distorted view of prices. It is about changing the image that determines what we consider normal. Bargains, unfair prices, throwing things away, overconsumption. Arnhem calls itself a sustainable fashion city. Now is the time to live up to that. Not with applause, not with compliments, but with policies that give space to frontrunners, to innovation and to a healthy relationship between people, fashion and the earth. And this proposal is not an end point, it is a starting point. It sets a tone, it breaks through a role pattern, it makes Arnhem a frontrunner and it shows that the municipality can have the courage to provide direction instead of waiting. This proposal is like a stone thrown into water, an oil slick that can inspire other municipalities, a signal that we are not only following, but also leading. 

On behalf of the generations who do not yet have a voice, but who live with what we decide.”