The global fashion industry has pledged to bolster its sustainability ambitions by calling on companies to halve their emissions by 2030.

The industry previously had a goal of cutting emissions by 30% by 2030, but through the Fashion Charter it is now urging groups to set science-based goals.

The sector is responsible for 10 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions – more than shipping and aviation combined – and the pressure to find sustainable solutions is increasing.

The Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action brings brands, manufacturers, suppliers, policy makers and consumers together to work towards net zero.

At a Cop26 climate summit event on Monday, he unveiled new targets that more quickly introduce sustainability measures in response to the climate crisis.

“We realised [the charter we launched at Cop24] is not enough and we need to make it stronger, more concrete and call on companies to halve their emissions by 2030, ”said Niclas Svenningsen, Director of Global Climate Action at UN Climate Change.

“The science is clear, we have to do it. We have no choice.”

Jérôme Le Bleis, director of procurement at Burberry, said the industry must work together.

“We need to set bold goals backed by science,” he said.

“The focus on raw materials is extremely important and collaboration is essential to achieve this. At Burberry, we’ve set ourselves a bold ambition to become climate positive by 2040. It’s not just about setting goals, but about concrete actions. “

Other commitments of the updated Charter include the supply of 100% electricity from renewable sources by 2030, the supply of environmentally friendly raw materials and the phasing out of coal from the chain. supply by 2030.

“This is an important milestone for the Fashion Charter as it increases the level of ambition in efforts to bring the industry up to 1.5 ° C,” said Stefan Seidel of Puma, who is also co-chair of the Fashion Industry Charter Steering Committee.

“This is a signal that we need to work closely with our peers, our supply chain, policy makers and consumers to get us on the path to net zero.”

Dr Delman Lee, vice president of Tel Apparel, called for a sustainability index to assess companies.

More than 130 companies and 41 supporting organizations have signed the Fashion Charter, including H&M Group, Adidas, Chanel and Nike.

The renewed Charter also calls for creating incentive mechanisms for supplier engagement in decarbonisation, as well as measures to involve policy makers and financial institutions.

“At a time when the climate crisis is accelerating to unprecedented levels, we need the real economy to lead climate action,” said Mr Svenningsen.

“The strengthened commitments of the Fashion Charter signatories are an excellent example of such leadership.

Last week, fashion designer Stella McCartney presented Britain’s Prince Charles with her eco-fashion show, The Future of Fashion, at Cop26.

She discussed with him about vegan leather items and not making kangaroo soccer shoes.

The industry has been a pioneer when it comes to alternatives, most notably Dr Carmen Hijosa who had the original idea of ​​using leftover pineapple leaves as an alternative to leather and created Pinatex.

More than 3,000 brands in around 80 countries use his Pinatex creation, including big names such as Hugo Boss and H&M.

Fashion label Elvis & Kresse is leading the way in using old London fire hoses, which were previously landfilled, to create designer bags and belts.

The company also signed a five-year deal with Burberry to use 120 tonnes of its leather scraps to create luxury items.

Primark recently made a commitment to make all of its clothing more sustainable by 2030 and to manufacture “recyclable by design” clothing by 2027.

The clothing industry contributes £ 32bn ($ 43.41bn) to the UK economy every year and every year around one million tonnes of clothing is thrown away.

British researchers are developing a way to make textiles from household waste, such as leftover food and paper towels.

This year, the luxury French fashion brand Saint Laurent announced that it will stop using fur from next year.

Research in the Netherlands found that greenhouse gas emissions from producing a kilogram of mink fur were at least five times higher than those of the best performing textile, wool. Much of this was due to the production of animal feed, the emissions of their feces, and the treatment of their skins.

Updated: November 8, 2021, 7:07 PM