New report to give fashion brands a roadmap to ditch fossil fuels in the supply chain
16 August 2020: As the fashion industry begins the long road to recovery from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new report that will be released August 20 by international environmental organization Stand.earth aims to provide brands with an extensive guide to tackle the climate pollution in their supply chains.
The report, titled “Fashion forward: A roadmap to fossil-free fashion” outlines the steps the industry must take to get a handle on its rapidly growing carbon footprint, through a combination of renewable energy, better materials, and greener shipping.
International environmental organization Stand.earth, which previously released its Filthy Fashion Climate Scorecard in October 2019 ranking the sustainability commitments of 45 top fashion companies
The organization will release its latest report, titled “Fashion forward: A roadmap to fossil-free fashion,” which aims to provide brands with an extensive guide to tackle the climate pollution in their supply chains by outlining the steps the industry must take, through a combination of renewable energy, better materials, and greener shipping.
The report will outline 5 steps fashion brands must take to get a handle on their rapidly growing climate footprints, including: setting ambitious climate commitments with full transparency in the tracking of emissions; centering renewable energy in supply chain decisions with specific commitments to phase out coal; advocating for renewable energy policies in countries where supply chains are located; sourcing lower carbon and longer lasting materials; and reducing the climate impacts of how clothing is shipped around the world.
The report will also address several “wrong turns” the fashion industry should avoid, encouraging brands to avoid the following: pursuing greenwashing initiatives like renewable energy credits and carbon offsets; supporting false “clean” energy transitions from coal to fracked gas or coal to biomass; increasing the amount of materials sourced from fossil fuels like fracked gas (polyester) and coal; and relying on false “clean” shipping proposals such as scrubbers & LNG.
The fashion industry is one of the largest contributors to global warming. The industry’s greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) are estimated to be between 5-10% of global GHGs – exceeding both the aviation and shipping sectors with projections of 30% growth in emissions by 2030.
Toward the end of 2019, climate change finally emerged as a top-level issue for the industry, with global brands making a range of commitments to tackle their rapidly rising climate footprint. But despite high-profile commitments, most brands have not yet taken significant steps to begin reducing their carbon footprint, or to begin eliminating their reliance on fossil fuels in supply chains, particularly coal. With scientists warning that global emissions must be cut in half by 2030, along with a rapid phase out of coal, it is increasingly critical that 2020 become the year that major apparel brands turn broad commitments into action.
https://www.stand.earth/publications.
