The fashion industry is one of the largest contributors to the climate and ecological crisis, responsible for between 2-8% of global carbon emissions. What’s more, on its current trajectory, it is expected to achieve the 2030 emissions reduction targets by 50% based on high-level communication commitment to the UN- Fashion Charter-renewed in 2021.
Charter mission and commitments:
Mission: To achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 in line with keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees.
Commitments:
The new commitments seek to “Align consumer and industry communication efforts to a 1.5-degree or Science Based Targets initiative compatible pathway, as set out by the Paris Agreement Goals, as well as a more just and equitable future.
Fashion’s environmental impact
Clothing production approximately doubled in the first 15 years of this century, while the number of times a garment is worn before being discarded decreased by 36%. In one life cycle assessment carried out on behalf of UNEP, the use phase was considered responsible for 24% of the sector’s greenhouse gas emissions, with a baseline year of 2016.
UNEP’s recent report on Sustainability and Circularity in the Textile Value Chain offers recommendations on how the fashion and textiles sector can shift towards more sustainable patterns of consumption and production, in line with Sustainable Development Goal-12.
Aligning communication to goals of the Paris agreement
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