Fashionably late? Or a fashion disaster waiting to happen? – Fashion Industry & carbon emissions Pt1

What is the first thing that comes into mind when one thinks of the fashion industry? Larger than life fashion shows, colourful fabrics, unique designs, eye-catching cuts, a plethora of accessories and so much more. But now another addition has been made to that list – Carbon emissions. According to a report published by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the fashion industry is responsible for about 10% of total global emissions. This staggering figure has been met with a resounding call for reducing carbon emissions to zero. But is that a viable option? Let’s take a look.

There are three major steps that have been identified as stepping stones for the fashion industry towards reaching its goal of net-zero carbon emissions. They’re as follows:

• Carbon Neutrality
• Carbon Positive
• Carbon Negative

Carbon Neutrality

When creating a garment, it would require a certain amount of electricity for operating the machines, water for washing, materials for making the actual garment, and other resources. All of this, in turn, creates a certain amount of fashion industry carbon emission. So how do we go about it?

• One way to counter this is to purchase a certain amount of carbon offsets to counter the emission created.
• A number of companies now offer set packages and services for the sole purpose of offsetting carbon emissions.
• How is it done? Well, they plant trees, create greenhouse gas capture projects, power renewable energy sources plants, etc. All of this contributes towards lowering carbon emissions by industry.

Carbon Positivity

The next step to tackle the fashion industry's carbon emissions is by using carbon positive methods. But what is it and how is it done?

• When we combine sustainable resources such as solar panels for electricity, natural wax for polishing, recycling water for reuse, etc. along with using carbon offsets from going carbon neutral, it allows us to go carbon positive.
• This not only helps promote low emissions but also doesn’t put a strain on the resources available.

Some examples:

• Brands like Allbirds have started printing carbon counts on the labels of their shoes, thereby creating awareness amongst their customers.
• Nonprofits such as Climate Neutral Brand Emissions Estimator (BEE) have also encouraged the move by companies to go carbon positive.

Carbon Negative-

The third step in the way of reducing carbon emissions by industry is going carbon negative. Well, this is a bit complicated. Let’s break it down.

• In line with carbon neutrality and carbon positivity, going carbon negative means offsetting more than the emission generated.
• These offsets can be further done by reducing the use of carbon generating resources, creating carbon offsets such as planting trees, or a combination of both but ultimately, the amount of offset generated should be more than the carbon emissions created.
• This creates a negative value for the amount of emission created, hence going carbon negative.
• For example, India based fashion brand No Nasties is known for its carbon negative footprint, done through creating sustainable and renewable garments along with funding projects that encourage lowering carbon emissions.

Paris Agreement

Keeping in mind the carbon emissions by industry, the Paris Climate Change Agreement was drawn up. A legally binding treaty with 196 states as signatories, it was first introduced at the COP21 Paris in 2015 and came into effect in 2016. The Paris Agreement works in a 5-year cycle, with the associated countries being required to make changes that promote sustainable living standards.

So how does this affect the fashion industry?

Well, changes made in the overall rules and regulations of a country will have a ripple effect on the industry, forcing companies to adopt alternatives to be able to operate and deliver in certain regions. This includes switching to sustainable alternatives, using technology to reduce waste, and contributing towards climate welfare schemes to become carbon neutral.

COP 26

The latest addition to the Conference of the Parties, the COP26 conference helped world leaders in reviewing their goals and commitments set at the previous COP summit while reviewing the Fashion Industry Charter for further improvements. The Fashion Industry Charter was first launched at COP24 Poland in 2018 and was renewed at the latest COP26 UK in 2021. Here are some highlights:

• The Fashion Industry Charter was introduced under the Climate Action umbrella of the UN.
• Emphasis on points introduced during the Paris Agreement and further improves by suggesting systematic changes in the existing fashion industry structure with priority on the need to adopt sustainable low carbon solutions.
• Additionally outlining the fact that majoritarian manufacturing of products and materials contributes to the fashion industry's carbon emissions.
• Call for action from the major players in the fashion industry to be able to deliver on Sustainable Development Goals that have been previously set on the climate agenda.
• The ultimate goal set in the previous Paris Agreement, achieving a net-zero GHG Emission rate so as to put a hold on rapidly increasing global temperatures to 1.5°C above levels, was once again recognized and emphasised as the main goal of the Fashion Industry Charter.

The end result?

• The revised charter admits to current industry standards not being enough for the goals to be met.
• An emphasis on deeper industry changes was put with big businesses at the forefront for adopting sustainable fashion practices.
• While several brands have already started adopting and changing to low-carbon or carbon-neutral practices, it still hasn’t managed to reduce the total amount of emission by the fashion industry to the expected level.
• Further calls made for increase in efficiency and innovation when practising economic competitiveness.
• A number of sustainability and carbon emission trackers are now available to track the carbon footprint of a fashion brand.

Industrial Impact

The fashion industry has often been singled out for the use of unsustainable materials and other manufacturing practices. Here are some of the examples:

• Fast fashion has been a source of concern for activists for a while, with large amounts of clothing often being disposed of in landfills and oceans, with certain fabrics leading to the production of methane gas.
• Microfiber has been identified as a leading cause of oceanic pollution. All the way from manufacturing to washing, synthetic based clothes are known to shed tiny plastic fibres. These fibres, also called Microfibers, are non-biodegradable and break down when entering the ocean, thus further polluting it.
• The washing process of certain jeans often required a high amount of water, leading to immense wastage and further polluting water sources when the residual water is not disposed of properly.
• Dyeing process of clothing is another major water pollutant with large amounts of dye often used during the process. A majority of this does not bind with the fabric and ends up lost in the waste which is then disposed of into major water bodies.
• Use of animal skin in the creation of clothing has always been a topic of debate. While many brands have now started opting for more sustainable alternatives, the problem still persists in the industry.
• Even without directly creating fabrics, the fashion industry still contributes towards pollution due to the usage of extravagant advertising techniques, most of which require resources that lead to environmental pollution.

To conclude part 1, while the move towards sustainability is not an easy one, it is definitely the need of the hour. The number of companies signing up for climate change initiatives has almost doubled in the past few years, reflecting the acceptance of change within the industry. Policy changes can be a reason. Another one can be the advancement in technology and access to things that would not have been available before. More than that, it could simply be creating a garment that, in a sense, does not have a carbon footprint. Reusing of garments, materials, etc. can be another way of reducing emissions. But with the steady rise in fast fashion and recent changes in consumer trends, it is becoming even more essential for the adoption of climate change initiatives by the brands. While the goal for the fashion industry is to reach zero carbon emissions by 2070, it can only be achieved if we start working together, and do it now before it’s too late.