Anticipation grows ahead of the 28th United Nations
Climate Change Conference (COP28) in the United Arab Emirates and the apparel
sector is desperate to try and shake off its reputation as being one of the
most polluting industries.
The fashion
apparel industry has for long borne the burden of being one of the major
contributors to pollution and inadvertently climate change; its impact stemming
from pre-and post textile waste generation, chemical usage, water usage, energy
consumption and carbon emissions among others.
However, efforts are underway
within the industry to adopt more sustainable practices, including the use of
eco-friendly materials, circular fashion initiatives, and improved supply chain
transparency.
Fashion companies and brands
have been collating efforts to align their ESG targets in line with the Science
Based Targets initiative (SBTi), in a bid to reduce the industry’s carbon
footprint and lower emissions at scale because they realise it is no longer an
option.
The co-signees asked all
leaders attending COP28 to lay the groundwork to transition towards a “full
phase-out” of unabated fossil fuels and halve emissions within a decade.
The group has urged for
additional actions, including a pledge to achieve fully decarbonised power
systems by 2035 in advanced economies and by 2040 in other nations. They
emphasised the importance of establishing transparent pricing mechanisms
through redirecting fossil fuel subsidies toward energy efficiency.
Additionally, the group called
for assistance to countries in the global south to help them diversify their
energy systems.
An important point to bear in
mind is the scale of the industry and the challenges associated with changing
consumer behaviour as well as industry practices, which means that addressing
environmental concerns will require continuous efforts and collaboration across
the sector.
