Sustainability in the Fashion Industry: how fashion brands can react to the climate crisis

As London Fashion Week comes to an end, we are unpacking the fashion industry and its poor reputation when it comes to its carbon impact. In this episode, we are joined by Alicia Thew, Climate Analysis Manager, and in-house expert on all things sustainable fashion. Alicia has worked with multiple organisations in the fashion industry, helping them to decarbonise their supply chains and product practices.

Highlights:

• Alicia discusses just how big an impact the fashion industry is having on our planet, with the fashion industry being responsible for 10% of global emissions.
• Alicia talks about companies that have acted already to reduce their carbon footprint, such as Levi Strauss and H&M, who have estimated that around 20% of their total carbon footprints actually down to the consumer use and the disposal of clothing.
• She discusses tackling the mindset of consumers when it comes to our relationships with clothing, and normalising the reuse, repurposing, and refurbishing fashion garments.
• A company’s own operations are usually where they have the most control over what can be measured and changed to reduce environmental impact.
• Alicia talks about the importance of getting suppliers and distributors involved in the sustainability journey as they are a huge part of a fashion organisation’s scope 3 emissions.
• Decarbonisation of the supply chain is the only real way to tackle the carbon footprint of the industry, with carbon offsetting acting as a quick fix that is not scientifically proven.
• Alicia talks about Science-based Targets and the benefits of setting them within the fashion industry.

Resources:

Fashion Declares: Fashion Declares | Home (fashion-declares.org)

Energy Saving Trust: Energy Saving Trust

McKinsey: fashion-on-climate-full-report.pdf (mckinsey.com)

Smart Freight Centre: Smart Freight Centre

Science Based Targets initiative: Ambitious corporate climate action - Science Based Targets

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