The window to prevent catastrophic climate change is rapidly closing, with significant implications for the fashion industry and the planet. A study by Collective Fashion Justice highlights the fashion industry's alarming lack of action, with research revealing that only 3.39% of British Fashion Council brands have established any emissions reduction targets, with an even smaller 2.4% aligned with the Paris Agreement.
These findings underscore the necessity for the fashion industry to adopt science-based emissions reduction targets and for the British Fashion Council to play a more proactive role in supporting these initiatives.
One of the primary areas of concern is raw material production, which accounts for 38% of the fashion industry’s climate impact. This includes the significant environmental toll of animal-derived materials, particularly those from ruminants like cattle, which contribute substantially to methane emissions. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has emphasized the need to reduce methane emissions by one-third to avoid severe climate tipping points. In line with these recommendations, Collective Fashion Justice advocates for a reduction in the use of animal-derived materials and a shift towards bio-based, plant, and recycled alternatives. Such a transition is critical to aligning the fashion industry with global climate goals.
The fashion industry’s reliance on fossil fuels, particularly in manufacturing processes, presents another significant challenge. Transitioning to renewable energy sources and ensuring transparency in supply chains are crucial steps towards decarbonization.
According to Vishal Patel, VP of Product at Ivalua, "Fashion brands could be dealing with as many as 50,000 suppliers across hundreds of different regions. This makes it extremely difficult to accurately track their suppliers’ green practices and near impossible to track beyond tier 1 and 2 suppliers. In particular, many struggle to gain visibility into Scope 3 emissions, which on average are responsible for around 75% of an organisation’s total emissions."
Patel further emphasizes: "To help keep track of emissions and hit ESG targets, fashion brands need to take a smarter approach to procurement to carefully select suppliers, effectively assess their environmental impact, and identify opportunities to work with suppliers to meet sustainability requirements. To do this, brands need granular visibility into their supply chains to ensure they can measure the environmental impact of their suppliers and sub-tier suppliers. Closely monitoring supplier risk and performance and tying these to actual business decisions is key. By investing in tools that facilitate strategic collaboration with suppliers, fashion houses can verify actual product emissions, define improvement plans to reduce emissions, and accurately track and report progress.”
Beyond material and energy considerations, the industry must also confront the issue of overproduction. Experts suggest that to remain within planetary boundaries, the industry may need to reduce its size fourfold. This concept of “degrowth” highlights the need for a more sustainable approach to production and consumption, aligning fashion with ecological limits.
