In an endeavor to assist the fashion industry in mitigating its carbon footprint, the UN Climate Change’s Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action has unveiled two fresh analyses. These reports aim to provide comprehensive insights into the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions stemming from the extraction, production, and processing of raw materials – a particularly carbon-intensive segment of the fashion value chain for certain companies.
Lindita Xhaferi-Salihu, the Sector Engagement Lead at UN Climate Change, noted, “These reports stand as invaluable resources for any company or organization seeking a deeper comprehension of the prevailing impact data landscape within the fashion and apparel industry. We extend our gratitude to the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action’s signatories for their contributions and support in bringing forth these crucial reports.”
These newly introduced reports build upon the foundation laid by the Charter’s 2021 publication titled “Identifying Low Carbon Sources of Cotton and Polyester.” This expansion encompasses two more critical raw material categories within the global fashion and apparel sector: animal fibers and man-made cellulosics.
Claire Bergkamp, Chief Executive Officer at Textile Exchange, emphasized, “The overarching objective has been to empower the fashion, textile, and apparel sector to navigate the complexities of diminishing greenhouse gas emissions originating from the extraction, production, and processing of raw materials. These reports emerge as pivotal and welcomed resources that should be deemed essential reading for any company or organization aiming to comprehend and enhance the existing landscape of impact data within the industry.”
Positioned as impartial and centralized founts of information, these reports encapsulate the current state of greenhouse gas impact data across each raw material category on a global scale. Moreover, they present an intricate assessment of prevailing data gaps and challenges.
An additional benefit of these reports is their potential to guide signatories of the Fashion Charter towards strategies for reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. This aligns with their commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
Textile Exchange took the lead in crafting these gap analysis reports, acting as stewards of the Charter’s Raw Material Working Group. They drew substantial insights from Charter signatories such as Lenzing, Canopy, VF Corporation, Reformation, Primark, Schneider Group, Fabrikology, New Enzymes, Sateri, and other prominent members.
A Glimpse into the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action
Introduced with the backing of UN Climate Change in 2018, the Fashion Charter has been instrumental in outlining a pathway for the industry to attain net-zero emissions by 2050. This objective is in harmony with global endeavors to restrict temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
