Challenging Fashion’s Climate Impact - Skywire London
by Liz Seyi Digital marketing managerIn the wake of the latest IPCC report, is fashion
doing enough to reduce its climate impact?
A strong statistic frequently bandied in recent
times refers to the link between fashion and its impact on our planet.
Potentially, the fashion industry accounts for as much as 10% of the world’s
carbon emissions. That’s enough to make it the second most polluting industry
globally.
Given this and the increasingly climate-conscious
nature of our society in general, it shouldn’t be any great surprise that
fashion brands’ marketing efforts in recent times are focusing on playing up
their sustainability credentials.
However, a brand presenting itself as being
gentle on the earth is often quite different from its day-to-day operational
practices living up to that ideal – and it’s clear that some serious work still
needs to be done on the latter front.
Boosting Fashion Sustainability
Elevating sustainability in the fashion world is
perhaps a stiffer challenge than previously realised. One recent development
that helped focus minds in the fashion world on the scale of the challenge
ahead was the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) ’s publication
of its latest report. That report – which runs for some 2,913 pages – paints an
uncompromising picture of the need for urgent action.
Scientists denote that if we are even to stand a
chance of limiting global warming to 1.5 ºC compared to pre-industrial levels,
we must reach peak greenhouse gas emissions by no later than 2025. And
consequently, avoid the catastrophic global effects of failing to reach that
target.
That is a perilously short time away, and the
fashion sector cannot hope to shirk its responsibilities in this regard. The
New Standard Institute aims to use data and the power of citizens to turn the
fashion industry into a force for good. Executive Director, Maxine Bédat,
quotes:
“The report made it clear in no uncertain terms
that immediate action is needed.”
Adapting Fashion Industry Players
Heading back to examining whether the fashion
industry is doing enough to reduce its climate impact to acceptable levels, the
short answer is - no. In fact, a 2020 report by McKinsey and Global Fashion
Agenda (GFA) – the latter being a forum for sustainability in fashion – found
that in the absence of any further measures, the greenhouse gas emissions of
the fashion sector are actually set to rise, to about 2.7 billion tonnes a year
by the end of this decade.
Even if the fashion industry persists in adopting
decarbonisation initiatives at the current pace, emissions would merely stay
about the same. That denotes double the levels needed in order to comply with
the Paris Agreement target of restricting warming to 1.5 ºC.
In a world where ‘fast fashion’ has most
certainly not gone away – and indeed may be as prominent as ever – it is clear
that there is still a pressing need for fashion brands across the world to
persevere, building on the progress that has already occurred.
There is still inertia and a lack of real
leadership on the issue for far too many brands, leading to terrible
consequences for our planet. Time continues to tick down on potential climate
disasters.
As Bédat says: “There is zero doubt that fashion
needs to step up. All of us are looking for leadership in this space [so that
we can] move beyond lip service to actual action.”
Brand Climate Communication
Are you communicating your own brand’s climate
efforts as well as you could? Whatever your brand in the fashion sector has
previously done as part of its obligations to help bolster sustainability and
minimise its impact on the planet, and whatever you propose to do in the
future, these steps could, and should, be central to the realisation of your
growth ambitions.
Talk today to our dedicated fashion digital
marketing agency to learn how we can support you in fulfilling your
brand objectives in the short, medium and long term. Cruise into conscious digital
marketing and help protect our precious planet.
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Created on Jul 23rd 2022 05:15. Viewed 238 times.