Amazon, Stella McCartney and Canopy co-found coalition to scale sustainable fashion

The Climate Pledge, alongside US-based e-commerce giant Amazon, UK-based luxury label Stella McCartney, and Canadian environmental non-profit organization Canopy, has co-founded The Climate Pledge Fashion Coalition. The group receives convening support from Switzerland-based international organization the World Economic Forum (WEF).

The coalition supports more than 60 Climate Pledge signatories, including fashion brands, innovators, manufacturers, and retailers, in their work to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. By combining collective demand with new financing models and tools like the Fashion Coalition Lever Library, the coalition aims to help sustainable materials and processes scale across the global industry, reducing environmental effects across fashion supply chains.

Speaking on the launch, Amazon chief sustainability officer Kara Hurst said: “Fashion has no shortage of ambition on sustainability. People are already looking for more sustainable options when they shop, and now the industry needs to deliver at scale. Through The Climate Pledge, we're bringing together more than 60 fashion and retail brands, manufacturers, and innovators to help make that happen.”

Accelerated scaling through cross-sector collaboration

At present, materials and processes capable of significantly reducing the environmental footprint of the sector are too expensive, scarce, or fragmented to compete with conventional alternatives at scale. Rather than focusing solely on end-of-life solutions, the initiative targets innovation earlier in the product lifecycle. It supports the development, commercialization, and adoption of materials and processes with lower environmental footprints, including organic, recycled, and next-generation fibers made from waste feedstocks, alongside manufacturing technologies that reduce water usage, chemical inputs, and carbon emissions.

Co-founded by Amazon and UK-based environmental organisation Global Optimism in 2019, The Climate Pledge has expanded to include more than 700 signatories across more than 60 industries. Fashion supply chains cut across many of those industries, creating a cross-sector network intended to bring a proven model of collaboration to the fashion sector.

The coalition aims to give members practical tools and structured pathways to scale lower-carbon supply chains across three primary operational pillars:

De-risking financing to encourage investment

Working alongside WEF, the coalition is developing blended financing mechanisms that combine development finance institution de-risking with private capital to unlock investment at scale. When material innovators secure committed volume over long periods, they can price closer to mainstream levels, enabling sustainable materials to move from pilot stage to commercial scale faster.

Connecting members with commercial solutions

The Fashion Coalition Lever Library, developed in consultation with more than 30 brands and suppliers, assists companies in identifying high-impact interventions for specific supply chains. The resource covers more than 100 proven and emerging solutions, fiber-by-fiber guidance, and an innovator directory. Additionally, through Next Gen Now, a Canopy-led initiative, the group connects signatories with vetted next-generation fibers and technologies ready for commercial adoption.

Informing policy decisions

By demonstrating that production-stage innovation operates effectively at scale, the group aims to provide policymakers with real-world evidence to inform future environmental regulations.

Fashion-focused signatories participating in the initiative include US-based brands Anna Sui, Another Tomorrow, Brooks Running, DL1961, E.L.V Denim, Faherty, and Mother Denim; Australian label Christopher Esber; Swiss material innovator Bananatex; French resale platform Vestiaire Collective; and UK-based luxury department store group Selfridges. Additional signatories include Biofluff, Circ, Ciucani, Collina Strada, Pure.Tech, and unspun.

Stella McCartney, founder and creative director of Stella McCartney, noted: “For over two decades, I've worked alongside innovators proving that fashion can be made differently. The solutions already exist. What's been missing is the industry-wide commitment to help them scale. The Climate Pledge Fashion Coalition is about turning innovation into infrastructure, creating real demand for the next generation of materials and giving the pioneers a pathway from breakthrough to industry standard.”