Sustainability appears to be falling down the list of priorities with the EU Omnibus proposal being unveiled last week and earlier the US pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement, but fashion brands would do well to stay on the green course.

Being head of business in a fashion firm is proving more testing by the day. There are the pressures of meeting ethical and sustainability compliance (which often differ on a country by country basis) while trying to drive sales and remain profitable in a world where costs continue to increase sharply.

What makes it worse is that policy is constantly changing and fashion firms are scrambling to keep up with the latest requirements.

The EU’s new Omnibus proposal – effectively a watering down of the Corporate Sustainability and Due Diligence Directive – has left many companies in limbo after spending time and money reshaping their organisations to fit the requirements. Worker rights organisations are also increasingly concerned about what the dilution of this latest draft will mean when it comes to protecting people in the fashion supply chain.

Then there’s Trump.

When it comes to sustainability, it’s safe to say returning US President Donald Trump is not in the camp of the converted.

Ahead of his return to The White House, he vowed to quit the Paris Climate Agreement altogether.

At the time, Nicole Rycroft, founder and executive director at Canopy, said Trump’s stance was disappointing, particularly considering how many companies had invested heavily in greenifying their operations, but she urged them to continue on this path, regardless of the latest policy shift, adding that sustainability – both social and environmental – is now a consumer expectation and companies not moving in this direction risk losing business.

“Many US brands have already set ambitious climate and circularity targets that align with global frameworks like the Paris Accord, and they recognise the risks —both reputational and operational — of stepping back. Fashion industry leaders understand that resilient supply chains and a thriving future for their business are intrinsically tied to a thriving planet, and they’re committed to moving the needle, regardless of political shifts,” she said.

So the message coming from the global fashion camp is quite simple: keep calm and carry on. If you can improve your supply chain operations to make them more environmentally friendly and ethically sound, you will be in a better position when the policy (inevitably) shifts again.

By Just Style