In order to meet the world's 1.5° target, the fashion industry must reduce its annual emissions by about half (or around 1 billion tons of CO2). The fashion supply chain is extremely fragmented and carbon-intensive, with the majority of emissions (70%) coming from the production and processing of materials. There is a lot of potential in shifting away from energy-intensive production methods and reducing overproduction, with the greatest potential GHG emissions savings in the decarbonization of material production and processing.
<aside> đź’ˇ A single item of clothing can contain parts from over 100 suppliers.
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Fashion emissions account for 4% of the global total (clocking in at 2.1 billion tonnes in 2018), with 70% of that coming from materials production and processing. In order to meet the 1.5 deg target, the fashion industry needs to cut carbon emissions by about 1 billion tonnes by 2030. As of 2020, the current rate of decarbonization will leave emissions at 50% more than they need to be.
Source: Fashion on Climate (2020)
With a goal to make the fashion industry net-zero by 2050, a Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action was launched at COP24 in 2018 and renewed at COP26 in 2021. By signing, 131 companies agree to secure 100% renewable electricity and to source all materials from a list of "priority materials" by 2030, they also agree to publicly report annual GHG emissions. Since the majority of emissions come from the supply chain and not brand operations, the charter encourages brands to work with suppliers to reduce emissions—particularly those tied to energy-intensive tier 1 (production assembly) and tier 2 (material production).
In a survey of 10,000 shoppers across six countries:
The World Economic Forum has identified fashion as one of the eight supply chains that account for more than 50% of global emissions. Fashion comes in at number three, just below food and construction. Higher and more specific demands and the desire to reduce costs, mean fashion brands outsource many aspects of garment production rather than doing everything in-house. This means one jacket can end up being made of parts from over 100 suppliers.
Source: Science Based Targets
According to the World Economic Forum, about 45% of emissions can be cut from the fashion supply chain by switching to renewable power during production. The recent Fashion on Climate report from McKinsey & Company and the Global Fashion Agenda places 61% of abatement potential in decarbonizing upstream operations.
Source: Fashion on Climate (2020)