- Don-Alvin Adegeest
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It could easily have been labeled the greenest week in fashion. It began
with the Eco-Age Green Carpet Awards in Milan on Monday, the global climate
protests that ensued on Tuesday and Wednesday, an announcement by Kering to
be carbon neutral following Gucci’s promise to offset its catwalk show
carbon footprint, to LVMH holding a press conference to tell the world they
prefer “acts to pacts” and are committed to finding renewable energy
sources, reduce emissions, and perhaps most tellingly, finding solutions
that won’t hamper its economic growth.
The message that dawned on the world this week is that the fashion industry
can never be reduced to have a zero environmental impact. Complicated
supply chains, the majority of which are separate entities in different
countries and continents who adhere to local laws and regulations, can
never be 100 percent impact free.
It is impossible for fashion to have a zero impact
The demonstrations we saw this week from Brussels to San Francisco to the
Pacific Islands, saw 185 countries participate to demand global action to
cut greenhouse emissions and stabilize the climate. But rarely do
protestors march outside the very companies in the supply chain funnel that
leave the largest footprint, like dye houses, or warehouses storing ten of
thousands of units of unsold stock. Of course parent companies bare the
ultimately responsibility, but brands and retailers will address problem
areas if consumers call them out and highlight the best practises they are
preaching are not so green.
The good thing is that fashion conglomerates continue to be scrutinized but
radical transparency is yet to unfold across the sector and for many it
remains business as usual with ramped up marketing efforts to align with
the global sustainability conversation. Steps towards winning back consumer
trust as they increasingly research a brand’s background information before
buying, is a step in the right direction.
But it takes a lot more for a brand to make a viable difference to climate
change than listing the factory its goods are made in and country of origin
on its sku’s, without tackling the harder question if its products are made
with fair labour practices, sustainable sourcing of fabrics and trims and
the environmental footprint it leaves.
The most powerful sustainability voice is that of the shopper’s wallet.
Where you choose to spend and not spend will have the biggest impact of all.
Photo credit: Miguel Medina / AFP
