Radical with Amol Rajan

Tech entrepreneur and founder of tailoring and repair company SOJO Josephine Philips answers your questions on fast fashion, manufacturing and scaling the repair economy.
She also discusses how big retailers are beginning to invest in repairs, the craft of making a garment and why we need to invest more in manufacturing clothing in the UK.
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* WhatsApp: 0330 123 9480
* Email: [email protected]

Episodes of Radical with Amol Rajan are released every Thursday and you can also watch them on BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m002f1d0/radical-with-amol-rajan

Amol Rajan is a presenter of the Today programme on BBC Radio 4. He is also the host of University Challenge on BBC One. Before that, Amol was media editor at the BBC and editor at The Independent.
Radical with Amol Rajan is a Today Podcast. It was made by Lewis Vickers with Anna Budd. Digital production was by Gabriel Purcell-Davis. Technical production was by Mike Regaard. The editor is Sam Bonham. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths.

The fashion industry is the world’s second‑largest contributor to carbon emissions, surpassed only by agriculture. With such a significant impact on the climate, the question is: what can we actually do about it? Tech entrepreneur and founder of SOJO, Josephine Philips, wants you to stop throwing clothes away and think about what you’re buying.
In her conversation with Amol, they explore the wider issues tied to fast fashion, including exploitative labour practices, overflowing landfills, and the relentless pace of production.
They also look at the rise of second‑hand shopping, from charity shops to online resale platforms, and how this shift is reshaping consumer habits. She says legislation can play a major role in holding large companies accountable for their product life cycle and Josephine shares practical, everyday steps we can all take to reduce our impact on the environment.
TIMECODES
(00:02:17) What is SOJO?
(00:06:22) How the fashion industry impacts people and communities globally
(00:11:03) Corporate responsibility and legislation
(00:13:38) The environmental impact of the fashion industry
(00:21:45) Josephine’s RADICAL solutions
(00:23:38) The growth of second-hand fashion
(00:26:55) Learning to repair our clothes instead of throwing them away
(00:32:20) The downside of overconsumption
(00:35:30) Affordability in sustainable fashion
(00:38:38) Practical advice to help you consume less
(00:50:41) Learning from past generations
(00:54:24) Amol’s Reflections
GET IN TOUCH

* WhatsApp: 0330 123 9480
* Email: [email protected]

Episodes of Radical with Amol Rajan are released every Thursday and you can also watch them on BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m002f1d0/radical-with-amol-rajan

Amol Rajan is a presenter of the Today programme on BBC Radio 4. He is also the host of University Challenge on BBC One. Before that, Amol was media editor at the BBC and editor at The Independent.
Radical with Amol Rajan is a Today Podcast. It was made by Lewis Vickers with Anna Budd. Digital production was by Gabriel Purcell-Davis. Technical production was by Mike Regaard. The editor is Sam Bonham. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths.

Social psychologist and author of The Anxious Generation Jonathan Haidt answers your questions on social media bans for under‑16s, the influence of YouTube, and the risk of restricting access to certain online platforms.
He also talks about Donald Trump’s second presidency and how technology is changing the nature of political debate.
GET IN TOUCH
* WhatsApp: 0330 123 9480
* Email: [email protected]
Episodes of Radical with Amol Rajan are released every Thursday and you can also watch them on BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m002f1d0/radical-with-amol-rajan
Amol Rajan is a presenter of the Today programme on BBC Radio 4. He is also the host of University Challenge on BBC One. Before that, Amol was media editor at the BBC and editor at The Independent.
Radical with Amol Rajan is a Today Podcast. It was made by Lewis Vickers with Anna Budd. Digital production was by Gabriel Purcell-Davis. Technical production was by Dafydd Evans. The editor is Sam Bonham. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths.

Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt is at the forefront of the campaign to ban social media for under-16s and end what he calls “phone-based childhoods”.
His book, The Anxious Generation, sparked a global reckoning that has led countries like Australia and Spain to introduce laws restricting access to social media platforms.
He spoke to Amol ahead of a meeting with UK health secretary Wes Streeting about why he thinks we’re at a tipping point, whether technology is making us “stupider” and how parents can reduce their child’s smartphone use by organising local “play-bourhoods”.
A Meta spokesperson said: “We agree with Jonathan Haidt that keeping teens safe online is critical. That’s why we've made meaningful changes - like Teen Accounts - to limit who can contact teens, what they see, and their time on our apps. However, two recent independent, large-scale studies in the UK and Australia, including one from Oxford, show the complexity of teen mental health and that many factors beyond social media influence it. Any serious conversation should reflect all the evidence and social media's positive role for teens: friendship, skill-building and finding community."
Snapchat and TikTok were approached for comment.
TIMECODES
(00:03:45) Are we reaching a global turning point in how children interact with technology?
(00:05:58) Understanding why governments have been slow to respond
(00:10:23) How Meta has reacted to Jonathan Haidt’s research
(00:12:35) Exploring the claim that we are becoming ‘stupider’
(00:15:58) Phone-free schools
(00:19:13) The rise and impact of the loneliness epidemic
(00:24:38) Jonathan presents his evidence on the ‘correlation vs. causation’ debate
(00:34:09) How Jonathan addresses criticism of his work
(00:35:17) What the science shows about social media, smartphones and developing brains
(00:37:44) Why children benefit from facing adversity
(00:40:18) Jonathan Haidt’s message to children
(00:42:47) Jonathan Haidt’s message to parents
(00:49:48) Examining the argument that kids will always find ways around social media restrictions
(00:53:08) Meta’s response
GET IN TOUCH

* WhatsApp: 0330 123 9480
* Email: [email protected]

Episodes of Radical with Amol Rajan are released every Thursday and you can also watch them on BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m002f1d0/radical-with-amol-rajan

Amol Rajan is a presenter of the Today programme on BBC Radio 4. He is also the host of University Challenge on BBC One. Before that, Amol was media editor at the BBC and editor at The Independent.
Radical with Amol Rajan is a Today Podcast. It was made by Lewis Vickers with Anna Budd. Digital production was by Gabriel Purcell-Davis. Technical production was by Dafydd Evans. The editor is Sam Bonham. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths.

Panos A. Panay, president of the Grammy Awards and Recording Academy, answers your questions about how governments can better support musicians and whether an AI-free music platform could exist in the future.
He also explores whether royalties paid to artists’ estates could be redirected to help fund the next generation of musicians.
GET IN TOUCH
* WhatsApp: 0330 123 9480
* Email: [email protected]
Episodes of Radical with Amol Rajan are released every Thursday and you can also watch them on BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m002f1d0/radical-with-amol-rajan
Amol Rajan is a presenter of the Today programme on BBC Radio 4. He is also the host of University Challenge on BBC One. Before that, Amol was media editor at the BBC and editor at The Independent.
Radical with Amol Rajan is a Today Podcast. It was made by Lewis Vickers with Anna Budd. Digital production was by Gabriel Purcell-Davis. Technical production was by Dave O’Neill. The editor is Sam Bonham. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths.