Global fashion brands continue to disappoint on the climate front with the average score of the top 250 brands standing at a dismal 18% score and as many as 32 brands rated 0%.
- The numbers come from the report What Fuels Fashion, a special edition of Fashion Revolution’s annual Fashion Transparency Index that was released Thursday.
- The report indicated that major fashion brands are evading accountability for their emissions, indicating that the climate crisis is not a priority for them.
THE KEY FINDINGS: The report remarked: "Big fashion can no longer mask its lack of decarbonisation progress with vague, insufficient targets and pilot projects that fail to benefit most of the supply chain." The indicators:
- Nearly half (47%) of major fashion brands and retailers are now disclosing emissions reduction targets verified by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi)—up 13 percentage points from last year’s 34%
- Of the nearly half (117 out of 250 brands) with decarbonisation targets, only 105 disclose their progress. Among them, 56 report emissions reductions
- Progress is overshadowed by the seven brands reporting increases in scopes 1 and 2 emissions and a concerning 42 brands reporting increases in scope 3 emissions against their baseline year, the most critical area to decarbonise.
- Nearly one quarter (24%) of the world’s largest fashion brands disclose nothing on decarbonisation. Sixty brands score 0% in the decarbonisation section.
- Just four out of 250 major brands (ASICS, H&M, Marks & Spencer, and Patagonia) disclose emissions reduction targets that meet the level of ambition called for by the United Nations.
- About 58% of brands reviewed show no clear progress on their climate targets—if they disclose them at all. This means that more than half of brands reviewed either lack an SBTi-approved target, do not disclose progress, or fail to disclose any decarbonisation efforts at all
- An overwhelming 86% of brands lack a public, time-bound and measurable coal phase-out target. Without widespread commitment to coal phase-out, it will not be possible to meet overall progress toward global climate targets—and the industry is lagging with just 14% of brands disclosing a public, time-bound and measurable target.
- The majority of the industry does not disclose a renewable energy target or renewable electricity target for their supply chains (94% and 92% of brands do not disclose this, respectively)
- A vast majority—95% of major fashion brands and retailers—are not upfront about what fuel is used in their supply chains.
- Most fashion brands (95%) do not publish a country-by-country breakdown of the energy mix in their supply chains. This is underscored by the fact that a significant majority (77%) of big fashion brands are not transparent about how they define renewable energy
- Just 52% of brands disclose their first-tier factory lists and even fewer publish their processing facilities.
- Of the 47% of major brands and retailers who disclose an SBTi-verified decarbonisation target that covers scopes 1 to 3, 13% do not disclose their supplier lists
- While 58% of brands disclose sustainable material targets, only 11% reveal their supply chain’s energy sources, meaning ‘sustainable’ clothes might still be made in factories powered by fossil fuels.
- Only 13% of brands disclosed evidence of past and current renewable energy advocacy in their supply chains and only 2% disclosed the outcomes of these advocacy efforts.
THE RATINGS: The study analysed and ranked 250 of the world’s biggest fashion brands and retailers (turnover of $400 million or more) based on their public disclosure of climate and energy-related actions
- The 128-page report covered accountability, decarbonisation, energy procurement, financing decarbonisation, and just transition and advocacy; across 70 data points.
