Fashion has come a long way. From not being taken earnestly in COP15 to being at the front and centre of conversations at COP26 — the role of the fashion industry in combating the climate crisis is no longer a moot point. The governments and the fashion industry realise this. As the second-largest pollution inducer globally, fashion has an enormous obligation to act responsibly. Amidst all the conversations surrounding fashion at COP26 (Conference of Parties), one thing is for sure — the world is demanding a sustainable future, and the fashion industry has to be at the forefront of driving change.
COP26 and the Role of Fashion
COP26 — the climate change conference by the United Nations, is held usually every year to discuss climate change and mitigation measures. This year, at the COP26 conference in Glasgow, policymakers addressed the elephant in the room – that most apparel companies lack transparency or a chain of traceability. Anson Bailey, head of consumer and retail at KPMG China, discussed the imperative for the industry to change. In KPMG’s latest report on sustainability in the retail sector, he said, “Walking the talk on sustainability issues is something that apparel companies can no longer afford to ignore.” The UN’s Fashion Charter (initiated in 2018) also took the centre stage with more than 130 global brands, representing the who’s who of the fashion industry, committing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, using environmentally sustainable raw materials and shifting to renewable sources of energy. With consumers becoming conscious of their choices and keen on actively participating in climate conversations, the role of communications in influencing consumption choices was also in the spotlight. From brands and their supply chains to consumers’ lifestyles, the magnitude of the climate crisis calls upon everyone to contribute and play an active role.
Before you proceed, check out: 10 things you probably didn’t know about fast fashion to understand how fashion contributes to climate change.
We are at the tipping point of the climate crisis. The demand for fast fashion and new trends leads to an endless cycle of production, wastage, growing landfills, and high carbon emissions. Several fashion houses have pledged to become carbon positive (an act of being more eco-friendly by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, by going beyond net zero), and yet the Global Fashion Agenda states that despite the current practices, the fashion industry will still emit 2.7 billion tonnes a year by 2030. So, while much is being said and done, there is a long way to go yet!
Source: Stella McCartney
“Due to the lack of mandates, brands have been getting away with murder and we are in the critical state we are in. The issue lies with the fact that we have no way of measuring our harm as a collective. If we were to have a uniform way, then brands would be forced to disclose their current practices and make informed changes to their supply chain.”
— Stella McCartney, during a conversation with The Guardian at COP26
Driving the conversation and making a bold statement, Stella McCartney initiated ‘Future of Fashion: An innovation conversation with Stella McCartney’ at COP26. It included a thought-provoking art installation to show her efforts in using biodegradable and nature-friendly fabric such as regenerative cotton, mycelium un-leather grown from mushrooms, and regenerated nylon fully produced from ocean plastics and post-consumer waste.
What Does This Mean for the Future?
The science is clear — the policymakers at COP26 have enunciated the importance of sustainable fashion. The fashion industry has to halve its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 or draft a transparent roadmap to reduce emissions.
The science is clear — the policymakers at COP26 have enunciated the importance of sustainable fashion. The fashion industry has to halve its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 or draft a transparent roadmap to reduce emissions. Over 50 fashion and textile companies have requested the governments for incentives when environmentally-safe materials are used. The likes of Chloe, Stella McCartney, Superdry, and Patagonia have petitioned for this policy change, which will encourage several other fashion houses to switch to eco-friendly materials.
Source: Common Objective
Some of the key takeaways for fashion at COP26 include:
- Emphasis on the whole product lifecycle: It is no longer enough to consider the production of garments — it’s imperative to factor in the entire product lifecycle. While considering sustainable and biodegradable raw materials is one end of the spectrum, the fashion industry has to also contemplate how it can be a part of circular or regenerative models. The focus will be on biodegradable fabric like hemp, bamboo, organic cotton, and also on reviving post-consumption waste to reduce landfill pollution.
- Less is more: It’s going to be a single-word agenda: degrowth, as NY Times reports. Brands will now produce less, which means we will buy less and wear more. In today’s Instagram-fuelled culture, we’re all tempted to shop frequently to keep up with the new trends and discard an item after one usage or two. While consumers must become conscious of the impact of their choices, the onus is also on brands to produce less. The aforementioned report from the New York Times states that Ralph Lauren has been practicing degrowth for a while now, and they will soon produce fewer garments as opposed to five years ago.
- Being more liable for the workforce: The fashion industry has been exploiting the workforce for decades now. In most cases, fashion brands outsource their production to countries like Bangladesh, Vietnam, China, India and don’t bother about the operational conditions. From unhygienic, hazardous and unsafe working conditions to extremely low wages and punishing working hours, there’s much that needs to change. COP26 emphasized the need for the industry to be more accountable for their workforce and run ethical businesses.
- The importance of reuse: There was significant conversation around reusing garments. Rather than focussing on recycling garments sent to the landfills, the circular economy concentrates on reusing the existing garments well enough to not send them to landfills. The Fashion Charter at COP26 has articulated the value of recycling in a closed-loop system, by adopting deforestation-free and conversion-free products. As per Fibre2Fashion, about 18.6 million tonnes of garments ended up in landfills; it is incumbent upon the fashion industry to find solutions for creatively reusing garments.
The Way Forward
With prominent stakeholders of the fashion industry getting involved in COP26, we hope that Big Fashion is poised to take a transformational leap as brands recognise that they are not crafting just clothing — they’re also crafting the future. Perhaps at COP27, we will get to witness the impact of the initiatives the fashion industry is spearheading. Because, as António Guterres, UN Secretary-General, said at the opening of the World Leaders Summit during COP26 — either we stop it or it stops us. It’s time to say: enough.
