The new year is coming, and we are excited to see what the fashion industry’s actions will be towards the 2022 sustainable goals.
Sustainable Goals in Fashion Industry
In the last couple of years, the world started to look closely at the importance of sustainable manners to prevent environmental issues. And a very discussed topic in 2021 was how to make fashion more sustainable. Now we want to know: What is the future of fashion and what can be done in the next year?
Unfortunately, the fashion industry is one of the least sustainable industries. The expenditure of primary resources – water, land, wood, and many others – in production and the waste of these materials, as well as the inadequate disposal of products, is a global concern. The pieces end up in landfills and the consequences are getting worse every day.
Furthermore, as stated by the Worldbank, the fashion industry is responsible for 10 % of annual global carbon emissions. That means more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined. At this pace, the fashion industry’s greenhouse gas emissions will surge more than 50 % by 2030.
The United Nations holds a global climate change conference known as the ‘Conference of the Parties’. This year, the COP-26 happened from 1th to 12 November, in Glasgow, Scotland. The conference was attended by the countries that signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), a treaty that came into force in 1994. As a key goal, COP-26 stands for securing global net-zero emissions by 2050.
2022 sustainable goals for fashion
Carbon emissions
We need to make progress towards net-zero carbon emissions. That is what one of the COP-26 goals says. The fashion industry is responsible for approximately 2.1 billion tonnes of CO2-e emissions per year. Also, more than 70 percent of these emissions come from production processes. It includes washing and drying, textiles production, and the remainder from retail. Because of that, as one of the 2022 sustainable goals, the world needs to cut CO2-e emissions in half before 2030.
Protecting communities and natural habitats
With all the industrial processes, the fashion industry is responsible for changing communities’ habitats and biodiversity loss. The COP-26 says that temperatures can warm by 1.5 degrees Celsius over the next decade. This can affect communities to live in a place successive to heat, drought, flood, or water stress. And as far as we know, poor countries will suffer the most. Because of that, COP-26 stands for the importance to limit the increase in global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
Collaboration
The COP-26 highlights the collaboration between fashion companies. The reason is that it can actually progress the sustainability in the industry. Brands can create a new choice of materials and adopt recycling to align the sustainable goals for fashion. One option is to invest, in a collaborative way, in alternative materials and regenerative farming. Brands leaders need to create a sustainable strategy to change the whole industry scope. And with that, connect with other brands to make the goal closer to being achieved.
Hey, check this out: How Luxury Brands are Fighting for a Better Future
Communication and the new generations
We can also mention that digital influencing is getting bigger every day. We see many creators using their platforms to stand for sustainability narrative. Another goal for the “2022 sustainable goals for fashion” list is to strengthen even more these platforms, to keep the connection between the fashion industry and Gen Z more stable. It is important to say that the new generations are the ones responsible for the future of the planet. Because of that, the fashion industry needs transparent communication, and young voices to be heard.
Check out our panel Fashion Is Marrying Style With Purpose, from our 5th Worldwide Talks.