• Linkdin

Fashion firms urge govts for partnership on climate action

18 Dec '19
3 min read
Pic: UNFCC
Pic: UNFCC

A group of 86 fashion firms at the recent UN Climate Change Conference COP25 in Madrid issued a call to political leaders of countries with major fashion production and consumer markets to partner with them to deliver effective and ambitious climate action. This was part of an event celebrating one year of the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action.

The communique calls for a partnership with political leaders to create enabling policy environments that will bring the industry in line with the goal of limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5°C.

“The climate crisis is one of the most important issues to tackle. As a global fashion retailer, we have a big role to play and collaboration is key,” said chief executive officer of H&M Group Karl-Johan Persson.

“All actors need to take responsibility to drive the change towards cutting emissions and staying within planetary boundaries. Companies need to commit to this change and governments need to facilitate the process with the right laws, regulations and implementation thereof,” he said.

The communique also identifies some concrete solutions related to renewable energy and calls for clear planning context for investment plans, availability of scaled-up grid-connected renewable energy sources, phasing-out of high-emitting fossil fuel-based sources of energy and incentives for transition to renewables.

It is supported by all fashion charter companies and championed by chief executive officers of Aldo Group, Burberry, Esprit Group, H&M Group, Nike Inc., Puma SE, PVH Corp. and nine CEOs from brands, suppliers and retailers.

At the event held at the conference, some of the biggest brands in fashion took to the stage to reaffirm their commitment to achieving at least 30 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions across the whole value chain by 2030, to scale renewable energy and climate programmes in key textile production countries, to set an ambitious sector decarbonisation pathway, and to work in partnership with policymakers, according to a press release from the conference organisers.

Charter members recognize that current solutions and business models are not sufficient to deliver on the urgent need for climate action and have initiated an action-oriented roadmap to create mechanisms that will scale technical transformation within value chains, identify financial tools to fund that transformation, and enhance collaboration with policymakers.

The Fashion Industry Charter brings together not only fashion brands, but manufacturers and retailers, logistic and investment companies, non-governmental organisations and media companies, and seeks to expand concrete engagement with all actors across the supply chain to transform to a sustainable industry.

At the recent British Fashion Awards, the British Fashion Council and the United Nations Office for Partnerships recognized the unprecedented mobilization of the fashion industry by the Charter and bestowed the British Fashion Award for Positive Change on the signatories of the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)

Leave your Comments

Esteemed Clients

TÜYAP IHTISAS FUARLARI A.S.
Tradewind International Servicing
Thermore (Far East) Ltd.
The LYCRA Company Singapore  Pte. Ltd
Thai Trade Center
Thai Acrylic Fibre Company Limited
TEXVALLEY MARKET LIMITED
TESTEX AG, Swiss Textile Testing Institute
Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation Limited (TSllC Ltd)
Taiwan Textile Federation (TTF)
SUZHOU TUE HI-TECH NONWOVEN MACHINERY CO.,LTD
Stahl Holdings B.V.,
Advanced Search