Despite Paying Lip Service to Sustainability, the Money’s Not where the Talk is

Transparency was the most frequently mentioned term during the panel discussions. A transparent supply chain allows regulatory bodies to hold brands accountable for their products' social and environmental impacts. Transparency hinges on traceability, the ability to track where and by whom fashion goods are produced, involving numerous upstream suppliers.

Upcoming legislation, such as the Digital Product Passport and the Green Claims Directive, underscores the importance of transparency in fashion. Producers are encouraged to disclose information about their products' entire lifecycle, aligning with the Extended Producers Responsibility initiative set to debut in the European market. Transparency offers business advantages, including growing consumer interest in behind-the-scenes activities.

However, data availability and quality are significant barriers to achieving transparency in fashion. The industry's global reach often leads to critical information gaps, affecting the environmental impact assessment of fashion goods' lifecycle and enabling illegal operations like unsafe working conditions. While blockchain technology was once favoured to address these challenges, the industry has shifted towards mapping suppliers capable of providing primary raw data from manufacturing facilities. This closer collaboration between retailers and suppliers promises rapid and impactful progress in accountability and compliance. 

Talking of technology, Ahmed Zaidi, the CEO of AI platform Hyran Technologies, said that without overhauling fashion’s manufacturing processes to be more agile and responsive to consumer demand, “using AI [as a solution] is like attaching a jet engine to a broken process. So, if anyone thought AI was going to be able to fix our broken system, think again.”

The Innovation Forum brought together a select group of the world's top sustainable solutions, linking them with fashion brands and retailers to foster significant change. Finding a fashion material with no environmental impact is impossible, but the industry and consumers start to recognise that some materials are more harmful than others. Polyester, the most widely used fibre today, is favoured for its durability, lightweight, insulation properties, and low cost. Despite these advantages over natural fibres like cotton, polyester is notorious for its environmental drawbacks, such as low biodegradability, reliance on fossil resources and microplastics emissions, which are not yet fully accounted for in environmental impact assessments. This is why innovations like polyester-like fibre from Phycolabs made 100% out of marine algae hold significant potential for disruptive change. This solution was one of many showcased at the Innovation Forum. 

Cotton, once a favourite in the industry, is now under scrutiny for its environmental impact, particularly its high water usage and the heavy application of agrochemicals. Green Whisper addresses these concerns by offering an alternative: banana stem fibres, which promise similar properties to cotton with a lower environmental footprint since the stems are a waste of banana production. For those who prefer to continue using cotton, initiatives focusing on regenerative cotton are available, empowering local producers and aiming to restore ecosystems. 

A significant focus is given on finding alternatives to leather, a staple in the luxury industry. Potential replacements include fibres from pineapple leaves, apple skin, mycelium, bacterial cellulose, cork, grape vines and cactus. However, these alternatives are currently limited to high-end brands due to their low volume of production and associated high cost. Besides, there is limited research on their end-of-life impacts and the inclusion of plastics in their formulations. 

Back to Ancestral Knowledge

The session ‘Pathways to Indigenous Partnerships’ had a profound impact on many attendees. The panel featured Francisco Souza, Senior Vice-President at the Global Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Center at Conservation International, and Dayana Molina, an indigenous fashion designer and founder of Nalimo. They highlighted the importance of including native communities and indigenous people in creating solutions, as many possess the knowledge and respect for nature that a profit-driven society lacks.

Dayana, speaking in Portuguese, emphasised the difficulties minorities face in accessing these discussion platforms. These challenges include financial barriers, as well as cultural, linguistic and bureaucratic obstacles such as visa requirements. She concluded that decisions are often made by those who won't face the most severe consequences, underscoring the need to decolonise these tables. Decision-making processes should be moved to places like the Amazon, where those directly affected can have a voice. The way forward is looking backwards, to our ancestral knowledge, to the multi-generational crafts, as they defy the way the fashion system is set now. 

One of the highlights of the event was the participation of the Next Gen Assembly, a group of the eight most prominent young personalities in fashion worldwide. The programme benefits from a successful partnership between GFA and the Centre for Sustainable Fashion at London College of Fashion, mentoring the group around a specific theme each year. This year, the Next Gen Assembly members focused on 'Economies of Wellbeing,' addressing the harmful impacts of an economic system that prioritises growth at any cost on both the environment and humanity. 

The selected members of the Next Gen Assembly are supported in developing advocacy and communication skills to foster their development as sustainability changemakers. This is achieved through a year-long collaborative programme featuring online workshops and courses, culminating in their integral role at the summit in Copenhagen. 

Dominant economic practices in fashion contribute to the exploitation and degradation of people and nature, perpetuating inequality and fuelling the climate emergency. This year's Assembly rethought how we define value in the fashion economy under the focus: ‘How Can Fashion Value Economies of Wellbeing?’

The Next Gen Assembly members, using their diverse academic and cultural backgrounds, presented their manifesto on the main stage. This document includes a three-step plan aimed at shifting our perception of economic growth. Their fresh perspective challenges the status quo, traditionally dominated by senior, white, male, and Western individuals. The manifesto is particularly timely, as discussions about Degrowth in fashion, often referred to as De-fashion, are increasingly relevant and widely debated by global NGOs like the Slow Fashion Movement and Fashion Revolution. 

Reflecting on the past 15 years, it's evident that fashion has become a significant player in climate crisis discussions due to its multifaceted impacts across various sectors and regions. But it has miles and miles to go if indeed it is serious about saving the planet.