Sustainability has become fashion’s favorite buzzword. Stitched into hangtags, splashed across campaigns, and woven into the language of luxury. Every luxury brand is rushing to align itself with a green future. Beneath these polished eco campaigns and fantastically low rising sustainable percentage, a deep question ponders: Can industries built on mass production and endless consumption truly be sustainable, or are we just being sold a performance?
The textile industry is the second-biggest consumer of water and is responsible for 10% of global CO2 emissions, according to the World Bank. It’s still a faraway dream to get a green label on the industry itself.
Even if we set aside the conversation of ethical labor for a moment, can the sustainability of the planet beyond the concept sustain itself? At the pace the fashion industry is growing, it’s missing almost every green checkpoint that truly matters.
Sure, the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) and the European Union periodically meet to release new global climate change strategies and actionable targets for the textile industry to abide by.
Here are some of the promising targets the textile industry aspires to commit to and achieve.
- The Paris Agreement was adopted at the UNFCCC meeting in 2015 by almost all countries that attended it. Signatories to the Charter commit to 30 per cent greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions by 2030 (from a 2015 baseline) and net-zero emissions by 2050.
- The European Union will implement a new regulation requiring Digital Product Passports by 2030 for textiles.
- Many brands, including Burberry, Puma, Ralph Lauren & Nike, align with SBTi (Science Based Targets Initiative) pathways. It helps brands conform to 1.5°C climate goals by setting and validating emission reduction targets.
- The brands are aligning themselves with the GHG (Greenhouse Gas) protocol.
- Copenhagen Fashion Week’s minimum sustainability standards for brands ask for at least 50% of collections to be composed of certified, recycled, or upcycled materials. And London Fashion Week is about to adopt the same.
On paper, the targets sound inspiring, but in reality, they clash with the very business model the industry thrives on. Overproduction contradicts long-term sustainability. While luxury brands boast about their carbon-neutral goals and high street fashion slapping ‘eco’ on their labels, are we witnessing any real changes?
Yes, conscious improvements are being made, but it’s turtle slow. It is encouraging to see brands become conscious, as is the customer, of becoming eco-friendly and environmentally responsible.
It’s heartening to see the shifts that are happening in the luxury fashion sector, although gradually.
- H&M offers garment recycling programs.
- Stella McCartney pioneers’ cruelty-free design, using plant-based and recycled materials, and adheres to circular fashion.
- Zara’s Join Life initiative promises to be more responsible from design to production.
- Vivienne Westwood practices its slogan ‘buy less, choose well, make it last’.
- Gucci launched initiatives like Gucci Equilibrium and Gucci Off the Grid, which focus on sustainable materials and circular design.
The fast fashion culture is difficult to slow down. Yet, every garment recycled, every cruelty-free design, every eco-conscious collection signals a shift, however gentle. It’s not perfect, but it’s a movement in the right direction. And as long as brands keep being pushed by consumers, activists, and the planet itself, the industry will have no choice but to walk the sustainable road. Slowly, perhaps, but steadily.
