Climate Change news and archive

New UN reports show how fashion industry can lighten its carbon footprint

The UN Climate Change’s Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action has released two reports designed to assist the fashion sector in comprehending strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions across the entire spectrum of raw material activities. Lindita Xhaferi-Salihu, Sector Engagement Lead at UN Climate Change, praises these reports as...

Fashion Featured

The world is falling short to achieve the UN's Sustainable Development Goals by 2030

The UN Secretary General has released a report updating progress made towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) indicator framework since 2015, as the world reaches the halfway point towards 2030. Unfortunately, the report paints a bleak picture, with only about 12 percent of the roughly 140 targets with data on track, close to half...

Fashion Featured

Fashion's growth is surpassing sustainability efforts, says report

Growth in the fashion industry is hampering sustainability targets as environmental impact from brands, retailers and manufacturers remains high. Current reductions in carbon footprints, water usage and embracing circular businesses is far slower than the rate of growth. The UK Government has announced policies and proposals to decarbonise all...

BusinessFeatured

Richest consumers need to reduce fashion consumption to fight climate change

Consumers from countries including the UK, US, Germany, and Japan need to reduce their carbon footprint from fashion consumption to align the fashion industry with the 1.5°C temperature target of the Paris Agreement. Following COP27, the Hot or Cool Institute and the Rapid Transition Alliance have released the ‘Unfit, Unfair, Unfashionable:...

Event

Fashion’s role at COP27: A unanimous call for holistic targets, investment and collective action

Global Fashion Agenda (GFA) – the non-profit organisation that fosters industry collaboration on sustainability in fashion to accelerate impact - worked to place fashion on the COP27 agenda during the first week of the conference in Sharm El Sheikh. GFA presented three insightful events that brought together a range of industry experts to...

Business

Harrods targeted in Just Stop Oil protest

The Just Stop Oil coalition has targeted London’s Knightsbridge today, stopping traffic and spray painting on the outside of Harrods. The actions come as part of the group’s attempts to get the government’s attention and demand halts on all new oil and gas licences and consents. Supporters of the group, which has increasingly made its way into...

Business

Australian brand Country Road announces 1.5 million dollar climate fund

Australian brand Country Road, a subsidiary of Woolworths Holdings Limited, has announced the launch of Australia’s first fashion industry climate fund, thus recognising that fashion directly contributes to the climate crisis. It is planning to invest 1.5 million US dollars in grant funding to projects driving climate solutions in the Australian...

Fashion Featured

California to ban toxic 'forever chemicals' used by apparel companies

Why do clothing garments and textiles need to be made using known toxic chemicals? That question has now been answered by California’s governor, who passed a bill to phase out PFAS, (per and polyfluoroalkyl substances) better known as ‘forever chemicals, that coat many clothing and textile items and are hazardous to the environment. The full ban...

Business

UK government outlines new framework to boost industrial emissions standards

The UK government has announced the establishment of a new regulatory framework aimed at boosting industrial emissions standards and reducing air pollution. The ‘Best Available Techniques’ programme will require manufacturing facilities in the UK’s largest sectors, including textiles and chemicals, to work together with regulators on identifying...

Business

H&M teams up with WWF to launch AI app tackling deforestation

The H&M Group has revealed a new application made together with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) that aims to support garment and textile factories in reducing their contribution to deforestation. The Wood Artificial Intelligence Application, also called the WoodAI App, utilises artificial intelligence (AI) to help identify wood species and provide...

Business

France plans fashion revolution with climate-impact labels

Is it better for the environment if you buy a brand-new cotton T-shirt or a recycled one? Well, it depends. Recycling has obvious benefits, but the process shortens cotton fibres and so usually has to be mixed with some oil-based material to keep it from falling apart. Such trade-offs make it tricky to figure out the real sustainability rating...

BusinessFeatured

Retailers not on track to meet sustainability targets

A new report states that the retail industry must “work harder and faster” to make a meaningful impact to deliver on climate change commitments. Research from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in partnership with the World Retail Congress, found that less than 20 percent of major retailers are on track to hit the Paris Agreement climate targets. The...