According to the UN, the fashion industry is responsible for 8-10% of global emissions. That's more than aviation and shipping combined. We talk to two women making climate-friendly clothes and developing innovative textiles in a bid to reduce the waste produced by fast fashion.Regina Polanco is the founder and CEO of Pyratex, a textile company making fabrics from seaweed, banana and orange peel for some of the biggest brands in fashion. Born in Vienna, she has also lived in Morocco, Mauritania and Switzerland but she returned to Spain, the country where she grew up, to found her company in 2014.Sasha McKinlay grew up in Singapore and moved to the United States to study architecture. Now a design researcher at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she's developing so-called 'active' textiles. They're essentially textiles with embedded functionality without the need for electronic inputs. These include materials that can be either warm or cool depending on the weather, and garments that can be made in a single size and robotically tailored to fit the wearer or to be customised into new styles.Produced by Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Sasha McKinlay credit Katie Koskey. (R) Regina Polanco credit Pyratex.)

Everyone wants to feel confident in the workplace. But knowing what to do to perform at your best isn’t always easy. Datshiane Navanayagam is joined by two entrepreneurs and career coaches to explore strategies to help women thrive in their jobs. Jo Wimble Groves is an award-winning British entrepreneur, writer and motivational speaker specializing in women in the workplace. She has a blog tacking work-life balance and resilience called Guilty Mother which has a global following of 55,000 readers. Jo's expertise in leadership and productivity has earned her multiple Women in Business awards. Alexandra Roxana Popa from Romania built her successful business career with the guidance of inquisitive mentors who helped her grow by asking the right questions. After training at CTI Coaching school in London she became a career coach and focusses on empowering women in their professional journeys.Produced by Emily Naylor(Image: (L) Jo Wimble Groves credit Leana Catherine Photography. (R) Alexandra Popa credit Ioana Dodan.)

Datshiane Navanayagam talks to translators from Turkey and Argentina about giving a writer's work a new life in another language, and whether the age of digital translation is putting the craft in jeopardy.Ekin Oklap is Turkish and grew up in Italy. She's the English language translator for Nobel prize-winning Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk and was shortlisted for the 2016 International Booker Prize. She also translates books from Italian to English for novelist Francesca Manfredi and crime writer Ilaria Tuti.Erika Cosenza is an Argentinian translator, interpreter, editor and proof-reader. She translates English, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese. She now lives in Spain and helped set up a gender, diversity and inclusion network for the International Association of Professional Translators and Interpreters.Produced by Jane ThurlowThis episode was edited on 6 November 2024(Image: (L) Erika Cosenza credit Gisela Caffarena. (R) Ekin Oklap credit Alev Arasli Oklap.)

In a compelling conversation, Judy Gitau, a Kenyan lawyer committed to women's rights, and Debora Upegui-Hernandez, a Colombian analyst, tackle the urgent issue of femicide as a global crisis. They discuss alarming statistics, revealing that over 89,000 women lost their lives to femicide in 2022 alone. The guests explore the inadequacies of legal frameworks and the impact of disasters like hurricanes on increasing gender-based violence. They emphasize the need for cultural change, grassroots movements, and effective policy reforms to pave the way for lasting solutions.

Ana Lily Amirpour, an Iranian-American filmmaker known for her acclaimed film "A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night," teams up with Gigi Saul Guerrero, a Mexican director celebrated for "La Quinceañera." They delve into how women bring cultural folklore into horror, transforming traditional narratives. Discussions cover the empowering themes of femininity and resilience, as well as how personal identities shape storytelling. They also explore the significance of Mesoamerican folklore and the role of horror as social commentary, challenging conventional cinematic tropes.

Women make up a large proportion of the workforce in the global tea industry. But despite their crucial role, women in the tea sector often face lower wages and limited access to leadership positions. Datshiane Navanayagam speaks with two tea entrepreneurs to learn more about running tea businesses.Susie Walker-Munro from the UK runs Kinnettles Tea Garden in Angus, Scotland, where she grows cold-tolerant tea plants. She began experimenting with tea cuttings on her farm in 2007 and has since collaborated with other women to create an all-female tea garden collective.Tea has always been central to Esha Chhabra’s life, from her upbringing in India to her family’s move to the US, where the tradition of making loose leaf tea was preserved. She co-founded Alaya Tea in 2019, a brand focused on sustainable farming and ethical sourcing from small farmers. Produced by Emily Naylor(Image: (L) Susie Walker-Munro credit Ashley Coombes. (R) Esha Chhabra credit Alaya Tea.)

Despite their pivotal roles in advancing healthcare, women’s contributions to medicine have often been overshadowed or erased by male-dominated narratives. Datshiane Navanayagam speaks with two women dedicated to reclaiming this lost history and highlighting the vital work that women have done in the field of medicine.Yunxin Li is a Chinese academic who specializes in the gendered foundations of ancient Chinese medicine. Her research uncovers the often-overlooked contributions of female healers in premodern China. By focusing on the intersection of gender and healthcare in ancient Chinese history, Yunxin offers a fresh perspective on traditional medical systems and the influential roles women played within them.Kandace Chimbiri, a British author born to Barbadian parents, is committed to highlighting the overlooked contributions of Black women in medicine, particularly in the UK’s healthcare system. In her children's book The Story of Britain’s Black Nurses, she uncovers the largely untold story of Black women’s vital role in shaping the NHS. Through her work, Kandace aims to inspire young readers and honour the legacy of Black women in healthcare.Produced by Emily Naylor(Image: (L) Kandace Chimbiri credit Warren Linton Photography. (R) Yunxin Li courtesy of Yunxin Li.)

For decades, the world of driving instructors was largely male dominated. Up until recently not every woman even had the right to drive - that only changed in 2018 when Saudi Arabia lifted their ban on female drivers. Datshiane Navanayagam speaks to two instructors to find out what it takes to teach this skill. Aman Sanghera, a London-based driving instructor, turned to social media during the COVID-19 pandemic to keep teaching and share practical driving tips on her YouTube channel, Clearview Driving. Her videos quickly went viral, amassing nearly a billion views. Haru Hasegawa was a secondary school teacher in the Philippines but, since moving to Japan, now helps foreigners navigate the challenges of learning to drive in Tokyo at EDS Driving School. She made the career switch after her own Japanese driving instructor suggested it as a perfect fit.Produced by Emily Naylor(Image: (L) Aman Sanghera courtesy of Aman Sanghera. (R) Haru Hasegawa courtesy of Haru Hasegawa.)

Glaciers have shaped the world's landscapes and continue to affect earth's climate just as human caused climate change impacts them. Datshiane Navanayagam talks to two women dedicating their lives to the study of these giant ice structures. Jemma Wadham is a glacier biogeochemist and writer whose research has taken her to glaciers in Greenland, Antarctica, Svalbard, Chilean Patagonia, the Peruvian Andes and the Himalaya. She’s particularly interested in glacier-hosted life and the impacts of glaciers on the global carbon cycle. She’s won several awards for her academic work. Her book Ice Rivers is for a wider audience. She works at the University of Bristol and the Arctic University of Norway.Heidi Sevestre is a French scientist who's studied glaciers around the world, from the French Alps to Greenland, from the Arctic to Antarctica. She’s part of the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme and also works on a project looking at the last glaciers of Africa, found in the Rwenzori Mountains National Park, in Uganda. She is passionate about communicating the wonders of the cryosphere and the threats targeting it.Producer: Jane Thurlow(Image: Heidi Sevestre (L) , Credit Mael Sevestre. (R) Jemma Wadham. Credit T Bruckner)

Women’s magazines collectively reach millions of readers each month. Beyond their influence in fashion, these publications are pivotal in addressing critical women's issues and advocating for empowerment. Datshiane Navanayagam speaks to two magazine editors to explore their approaches to staying relevant in an ever-evolving media landscape.Grace O'Neill began her career at ELLE Australia as an intern and is now the Editor of the magazine. Her work has been featured in publications such as The Guardian, The New York Times' T Magazine and British Vogue.Iveta Dzērve is the Editor-in-Chief at SANTA, Latvia's leading lifestyle magazine. She has two decades of experience in medical, healthcare and lifestyle journalism.Produced by Emily Naylor and Elena Angelides for the BBC World Service.(Image: (L) Iveta Dzērve, credit Karlina Vitolina. (R) Grace O'Neill, credit Gabby Laurent.)