PULI (The Four Languages)
The Four Languages (PULI Framework) is a knowledge framework developed by Hana Towobola that organises sustainable fashion into four complementary languages. Together they provide a structured way to understand, evaluate and communicate sustainability without confusing scientific evidence, policy requirements, societal objectives and industry practice.
P= Planetary Boundaries (science)
U= United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (global goals)
L= Law (policy and regulation)
I= Industry of Fashion
For much of the twentieth century, sustainability challenges were discussed largely within separate academic disciplines. Environmental scientists focused on ecological limits, economists examined development, legislators created environmental law, while industries developed their own technical vocabulary. Fashion inherited this fragmented approach, meaning sustainability entered the industry through multiple pathways rather than a single shared language.
A major milestone came in 2009, when Johan Rockström and an international team of scientists introduced the Planetary Boundaries framework. Rather than describing environmental problems individually, the framework identified nine interconnected Earth system processes that define a safe operating space for humanity. It fundamentally shifted sustainability from isolated environmental issues to systems science.
In 2015, the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Agreed by all 193 United Nations Member States, the SDGs became the closest thing to a universal sustainability agenda, integrating environmental protection with economic development and social justice.
During the late 2010s and early 2020s, governments increasingly translated sustainability objectives into legislation. The European Union introduced measures including the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), Digital Product Passports, Green Claims legislation and mandatory due diligence requirements. Sustainability was no longer voluntary; it increasingly became legal compliance.
Meanwhile, fashion itself developed an increasingly complex vocabulary around fibres, materials, chemistry, manufacturing, traceability, life cycle assessment, regenerative agriculture, circularity, emissions accounting and responsible sourcing. Designers, manufacturers, marketers, scientists, consultants and regulators frequently used identical words to describe entirely different concepts.
Over time, this created widespread confusion. The word “sustainable” became an umbrella term covering science, policy, economics, ethics, marketing, product design and manufacturing simultaneously.
Following more than three years of lexicographic research into sustainable fashion terminology, Hana Towobola developed the PULI Framework to explain this fragmentation. Rather than introducing another sustainability framework, PULI functions as a knowledge classification system that identifies the four distinct languages operating within sustainable fashion today.
Sustainability has become one of the most frequently used—and misunderstood—words within the fashion industry. Consumers, brands, journalists, activists, educators and policymakers often assume they are discussing the same issue when they may actually be approaching sustainability from entirely different perspectives.
For example, an environmental scientist may discuss biodiversity loss through planetary boundaries, while a fashion designer focuses on material innovation. A compliance officer may concentrate on reporting obligations under CSRD, whereas a marketer discusses consumer engagement with sustainability messaging. Each participant is addressing sustainability, but through a different professional language.
This fragmentation has contributed to confusion, stakeholder disagreement and accusations of greenwashing, even where participants are acting in good faith.
The PULI Framework reframes these disagreements as problems of language rather than intention. Instead of asking who is correct, it first asks which language is being spoken.
This perspective encourages interdisciplinary collaboration by recognising that science, global development, law and industry each solve different parts of the same systems challenge.
How to Filter Out the Sustainability Noise Using PULI
Step 1 — Identify the Primary Language
Ask: What is this talking about in the real world?
If it is discussing Earth’s systems, biodiversity, climate science or ecological thresholds, it belongs primarily to Planetary Boundaries.
If it discusses poverty, education, equality, economic development or global priorities, it belongs primarily to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
If it discusses legislation, compliance, reporting obligations or legal requirements, it belongs primarily to Law.
If it discusses fibres, fabrics, dyeing, manufacturing, design, traceability or business operations, it belongs primarily to the Industry of Fashion.
Step 2 — Identify the Secondary Languages
Next ask: Why does this matter?
Most sustainability topics connect to more than one language.
For example:
- Organic cotton begins as Industry, but also connects to Science, SDGs and Law.
- Digital Product Passports begin as Law, but influence Industry and support scientific measurement.
- Planetary Boundaries begin as Science but influence policy development and business strategy.
Recognising these secondary connections produces a much more complete understanding.
Step 3 — Evaluate the Evidence
Once the language is identified, evaluate it using the standards appropriate for that language.
Science should be supported by peer-reviewed evidence.
SDGs should connect to internationally agreed sustainability objectives.
Law should reference current legislation or regulatory guidance.
Industry should demonstrate credible technical implementation.
Step 4 — Ignore the Noise
Many sustainability frameworks, marketing claims and trend reports simply reorganise ideas that already belong within one of the four languages.
If a new framework cannot clearly explain:
- which language it belongs to,
- which problem it solves,
- and how it adds value beyond existing knowledge,
it is often contributing more complexity than clarity.
PULI therefore functions as a filter, allowing practitioners to distinguish foundational sustainability knowledge from unnecessary framework proliferation.
- The PULI Framework was developed through more than three years of lexicographic research
- The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals were unanimously adopted by all 193 UN Member States in 2015
- Planetary Boundaries and the SDGs answer different questions.
ADVERT BOX
For much of the twentieth century, sustainability challenges were discussed largely within separate academic disciplines. Environmental scientists focused on ecological limits, economists examined development, legislators created environmental law, while industries developed their own technical vocabulary. Fashion inherited this fragmented approach, meaning sustainability entered the industry through multiple pathways rather than a single shared language.
A major milestone came in 2009, when Johan Rockström and an international team of scientists introduced the Planetary Boundaries framework. Rather than describing environmental problems individually, the framework identified nine interconnected Earth system processes that define a safe operating space for humanity. It fundamentally shifted sustainability from isolated environmental issues to systems science.
In 2015, the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Agreed by all 193 United Nations Member States, the SDGs became the closest thing to a universal sustainability agenda, integrating environmental protection with economic development and social justice.
During the late 2010s and early 2020s, governments increasingly translated sustainability objectives into legislation. The European Union introduced measures including the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), Digital Product Passports, Green Claims legislation and mandatory due diligence requirements. Sustainability was no longer voluntary; it increasingly became legal compliance.
Meanwhile, fashion itself developed an increasingly complex vocabulary around fibres, materials, chemistry, manufacturing, traceability, life cycle assessment, regenerative agriculture, circularity, emissions accounting and responsible sourcing. Designers, manufacturers, marketers, scientists, consultants and regulators frequently used identical words to describe entirely different concepts.
Over time, this created widespread confusion. The word “sustainable” became an umbrella term covering science, policy, economics, ethics, marketing, product design and manufacturing simultaneously.
Following more than three years of lexicographic research into sustainable fashion terminology, Hana Towobola developed the PULI Framework to explain this fragmentation. Rather than introducing another sustainability framework, PULI functions as a knowledge classification system that identifies the four distinct languages operating within sustainable fashion today.
Sustainability has become one of the most frequently used—and misunderstood—words within the fashion industry. Consumers, brands, journalists, activists, educators and policymakers often assume they are discussing the same issue when they may actually be approaching sustainability from entirely different perspectives.
For example, an environmental scientist may discuss biodiversity loss through planetary boundaries, while a fashion designer focuses on material innovation. A compliance officer may concentrate on reporting obligations under CSRD, whereas a marketer discusses consumer engagement with sustainability messaging. Each participant is addressing sustainability, but through a different professional language.
This fragmentation has contributed to confusion, stakeholder disagreement and accusations of greenwashing, even where participants are acting in good faith.
The PULI Framework reframes these disagreements as problems of language rather than intention. Instead of asking who is correct, it first asks which language is being spoken.
This perspective encourages interdisciplinary collaboration by recognising that science, global development, law and industry each solve different parts of the same systems challenge.
How to Filter Out the Sustainability Noise Using PULI
Step 1 — Identify the Primary Language
Ask: What is this talking about in the real world?
If it is discussing Earth’s systems, biodiversity, climate science or ecological thresholds, it belongs primarily to Planetary Boundaries.
If it discusses poverty, education, equality, economic development or global priorities, it belongs primarily to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
If it discusses legislation, compliance, reporting obligations or legal requirements, it belongs primarily to Law.
If it discusses fibres, fabrics, dyeing, manufacturing, design, traceability or business operations, it belongs primarily to the Industry of Fashion.
Step 2 — Identify the Secondary Languages
Next ask: Why does this matter?
Most sustainability topics connect to more than one language.
For example:
- Organic cotton begins as Industry, but also connects to Science, SDGs and Law.
- Digital Product Passports begin as Law, but influence Industry and support scientific measurement.
- Planetary Boundaries begin as Science but influence policy development and business strategy.
Recognising these secondary connections produces a much more complete understanding.
Step 3 — Evaluate the Evidence
Once the language is identified, evaluate it using the standards appropriate for that language.
Science should be supported by peer-reviewed evidence.
SDGs should connect to internationally agreed sustainability objectives.
Law should reference current legislation or regulatory guidance.
Industry should demonstrate credible technical implementation.
Step 4 — Ignore the Noise
Many sustainability frameworks, marketing claims and trend reports simply reorganise ideas that already belong within one of the four languages.
If a new framework cannot clearly explain:
- which language it belongs to,
- which problem it solves,
- and how it adds value beyond existing knowledge,
it is often contributing more complexity than clarity.
PULI therefore functions as a filter, allowing practitioners to distinguish foundational sustainability knowledge from unnecessary framework proliferation.
- The PULI Framework was developed through more than three years of lexicographic research
- The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals were unanimously adopted by all 193 UN Member States in 2015
- Planetary Boundaries and the SDGs answer different questions.
Sustainability is not one conversation. It is four different conversations happening at the same time. The PULI Framework helps identify which language someone is speaking so ideas are understood in the correct context instead of being confused with one another.
2009–2014: Science becomes systems thinking
The introduction of Planetary Boundaries shifted environmental sustainability from isolated issues such as climate change or pollution towards understanding the Earth as an interconnected system with measurable ecological limits.
2015–2019: Global sustainability goals become mainstream
Following adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals, businesses increasingly aligned sustainability strategies with the SDGs. Fashion brands began referencing the Goals within corporate sustainability reports and ESG strategies.
2020–2024: Regulation accelerates
Governments increasingly translated sustainability ambitions into legislation. Reporting, due diligence, traceability and product transparency moved from voluntary commitments towards mandatory legal requirements.
2024–Present: Vocabulary fragmentation increases
Rapid growth in sustainability reports, certifications, frameworks, AI tools, standards and new terminology has expanded industry knowledge but also increased confusion. Professionals increasingly struggle to distinguish scientific evidence, policy requirements, marketing language and technical terminology.
Emerging Trend
Rather than creating additional sustainability frameworks, there is growing recognition that practitioners need better systems for organising existing knowledge. Knowledge architecture and terminology management are becoming increasingly important as sustainability matures.
THE BASIC IDEA
Sustainable fashion becomes easier to understand when science, global goals, law and industry knowledge are recognised as four complementary languages rather than one conversation.
WHY THIS TERM EXISTS
The PULI Framework exists because sustainable fashion increasingly suffers from framework proliferation, inconsistent terminology and disciplinary fragmentation. It provides a structured way to organise knowledge before evaluating sustainability claims or making business decisions.
SUSTAINABILITY STACK
Primary
Labour, Power & Governance
The framework primarily improves governance by helping organisations communicate consistently, interpret sustainability information accurately and make informed decisions across disciplines.
Secondary
Production & Supply Logic
The framework connects scientific evidence, policy and industry practice, enabling sustainability knowledge to be translated into operational decision-making throughout fashion businesses.
| Statistic | Measure | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | PLANETARY BOUNDARIES | Earth has nine planetary boundaries defining a safe operating space for humanity (Rockström et al., 2009; Richardson et al., 2023). |
| 7 OF 9 | BOUNDARIES EXCEEDED | Seven planetary boundaries were assessed as exceeded in the 2023 scientific update (Richardson et al., 2023). |
| 17 | SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS | The United Nations established seventeen Sustainable Development Goals in 2015 (United Nations, 2015). |
| 193 | UN MEMBER STATES | All 193 United Nations Member States adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015 (United Nations, 2015). |
THE HONEST TENSION
The greatest challenge facing sustainable fashion today is not a lack of solutions but a lack of shared language. Science, policy, business, education and communication often use the same sustainability vocabulary to describe different problems. This creates confusion, duplicated effort and endless debates in which participants are frequently correct within their own discipline but misunderstood by everyone else.
WHAT IT DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY SOLVE
The PULI Framework does not solve climate change, improve labour conditions or reduce pollution by itself. It is a knowledge framework. Its purpose is to improve understanding so decisions, collaboration and sustainability strategies are based on the correct language before action is taken.
WHERE THIS SHOWS UP IN A FASHION BUSINESS
Product Creation: Design teams use the Industry language to understand fibres, materials, construction, durability and circular design while increasingly considering the scientific limits described by Planetary Boundaries.
Design: Designers use PULI to distinguish creative decisions from scientific evidence and legal requirements, helping avoid confusing desirable design with measurable sustainability performance.
Marketing & Communications: Marketing teams often communicate sustainability using Industry language while needing to understand where scientific evidence ends and promotional claims begin to reduce greenwashing risk.
Sales: Sales teams benefit from understanding which sustainability language customers are asking about, whether environmental impact, legislation, ethical sourcing or product innovation.
Supply Chain: Supply chain professionals regularly operate across all four languages simultaneously, balancing scientific measurement, regulatory compliance, supplier capability and commercial realities.
Finance: Investors increasingly assess sustainability through regulatory disclosure, climate risk, governance and measurable performance indicators. PULI helps distinguish financial reporting requirements from broader sustainability ambitions.
Operations & Reporting: Reporting teams integrate scientific metrics, regulatory obligations, SDG alignment and operational performance into sustainability disclosures.
Recruitment & People: Training programmes increasingly require employees from different departments to understand sustainability beyond their own professional discipline.
WHO THIS MATTERS TO
- Designers: Understanding where design decisions fit within broader sustainability systems.
- Sustainability Managers: Connecting scientific evidence, regulation and business strategy.
- Manufacturers: Interpreting changing customer expectations alongside legal compliance requirements.
- Suppliers: Understanding why brands increasingly request environmental and social performance data.
- Executives: Making strategic decisions across science, regulation, commercial performance and reputation.
- Regulators: Communicating legal requirements using consistent terminology.
- Consumers: Interpreting sustainability claims more critically.
- NGOs: Understanding where advocacy connects with science, law and commercial implementation.
- Journalists: Reporting sustainability accurately without conflating different disciplines.
- Educators: Teaching sustainability as an interconnected knowledge system rather than isolated topics.
- Researchers: Providing a common language for interdisciplinary collaboration.
HOW THIS TERM IS COMMONLY USED TODAY
The PULI Framework is primarily used as an educational and knowledge-management framework. It helps learners, professionals and organisations understand why sustainability conversations often become confusing and provides a structured method for organising sustainability information before evaluating it. Rather than replacing existing sustainability frameworks, PULI classifies them according to the language they primarily represent.
COMMON MISUNDERSTANDINGS
- The framework replaces the SDGs.
- The framework replaces Planetary Boundaries.
- PULI is another sustainability certification.
- It ranks one language above another.
- Sustainability should only be viewed through science.
- Industry vocabulary is less important than regulation.
- Every sustainability discussion belongs to only one language.
WHAT MAKES THIS HARD
Each language has developed independently over decades, with its own terminology, priorities, evidence standards and professional communities. Few practitioners receive formal education across science, international development, regulation and fashion simultaneously.
QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT
Which language is this sustainability claim primarily speaking?
Is this statement scientific evidence or a policy objective?
Is the discussion about legal compliance or industry practice?
Does this initiative address planetary limits or business operations?
What evidence supports the claim?
Which sustainability problem is actually being solved?
Who is the intended audience?
Could two people disagree simply because they are speaking different languages?
WHERE THIS WORKS TODAY
The framework is particularly valuable in:
- Higher education sustainability programmes.
- Fashion design education.
- Corporate sustainability training.
- ESG reporting teams.
- Product development.
- Sustainability consulting.
- Journalism.
- Cross-functional business meetings.
- Policy interpretation.
- Professional development programmes.
WHAT SUCCESS WOULD LOOK LIKE
Success would be evident when sustainability conversations become more precise. Professionals would spend less time debating definitions and more time solving problems. Organisations would distinguish scientific evidence from policy requirements, regulatory obligations from commercial practice, and marketing language from measurable sustainability performance.
Books
- Raworth, K. (2017). Doughnut economics: Seven ways to think like a 21st-century economist. Chelsea Green Publishing.
- Rockström, J., & Klum, M. (2015). Big world, small planet: Abundance within planetary boundaries. Yale University Press.
- Towobola, H. (2026). Sustainable Fashion Vocabulary: The 1000-Term Encyclopaedia. Onward Paper Press. ISBN: 9781067639501.
References
- Richardson, K., Steffen, W., Rockström, J., Cornell, S. E., Fetzer, I., Bennett, E. M., Biggs, R., Carpenter, S. R., de Vries, W., de Wit, C. A., Folke, C., Gerten, D., Heinke, J., Mace, G. M., Persson, L., Ramanathan, V., Reyers, B., & Sörlin, S. (2023). Earth beyond six of nine planetary boundaries. Science Advances, 9(37), eadh2458. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adh2458
- Rockström, J., Steffen, W., Noone, K., Persson, Å., Chapin III, F. S., Lambin, E., Lenton, T. M., Scheffer, M., Folke, C., Schellnhuber, H. J., Nykvist, B., de Wit, C., Hughes, T., van der Leeuw, S., Rodhe, H., Sörlin, S., Snyder, P., Costanza, R., Svedin, U., … Foley, J. (2009). A safe operating space for humanity. Nature, 461(7263), 472–475. https://doi.org/10.1038/461472a
- Steffen, W., Richardson, K., Rockström, J., Cornell, S. E., Fetzer, I., Bennett, E. M., Biggs, R., Carpenter, S. R., de Vries, W., de Wit, C. A., Folke, C., Gerten, D., Heinke, J., Mace, G. M., Persson, L. M., Ramanathan, V., Reyers, B., & Sörlin, S. (2015). Planetary boundaries: Guiding human development on a changing planet. Science, 347(6223). https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1259855
- United Nations. (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. United Nations. https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda
- United Nations. (n.d.). Sustainable Development Goals. https://sdgs.un.org/goals
- United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. (2015). Paris Agreement. United Nations. https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/the-paris-agreement
- European Commission. (2024). Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). https://finance.ec.europa.eu/capital-markets-union-and-financial-markets/company-reporting-and-auditing/company-reporting/corporate-sustainability-reporting_en
- European Commission. (2024). Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR). https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/circular-economy/ecodesign-sustainable-products-regulation_en
- European Commission. (2024). Digital Product Passport. https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/circular-economy/digital-product-passports_en
- European Environment Agency. (2023). The European environment — State and outlook 2023. European Environment Agency.
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2023). Climate change 2023: Synthesis report. IPCC.
- Towobola, H. (2026). Sustainable Fashion Vocabulary: The 1000-Term Encyclopaedia. Onward Paper Press. ISBN: 9781067639501.
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