Fashion Industry ‘Needs to Scale-Up Sustainability’

The fashion industry has become more sustainable over the last few years, as most people recognise the importance of tackling climate change. 

However, major players in the sector need to do more to scale-up sustainable solutions to protect the environment, Yahoo! finance revealed. 

Hannah Jones, chief executive officer of Earthshot Prize, which was set up by the Prince of Wales to provide support to green initiatives, spoke at the Global Fashion Summit earlier this week. 

She told other attendees in Copenhagen that while there has been an “amazing” shift in the industry since 2016, “some things haven't changed fast enough”. 

“We have seven years left to reduce global emissions by over 40 per cent and to protect 30 per cent of nature and oceans,” she stated, adding fashion houses need to accelerate their scaling-up solutions to make sustainable products more available to the public. 

Ms Jones noted the fashion industry has the data, solutions, policy and prototypes to build successful, sustainable businesses, so it is time to “take bold action”. 

Ways to improve sustainability in the fashion sector include moving towards a circular model, ending throw-away fashion; using next-generation materials such as mushroom leather; and introducing digital product passports.

These would allow consumers to find out the environmental impact of the clothes they buy. 

The circular model is based on reusing or recycling old clothes, such as wholesale vintage aprons, to prevent fabrics ending up on landfill.