Leading global fashion giants are hindering the sector’s transition to authentic renewable energy sources, despite the urgent need for sustainable practices amidst the escalating climate crisis.
- Fast Retailing (owner of Uniqlo), Gap, H&M, Inditex (owner of Zara), Nike and Puma have been found to be relying on harmful biomass boilers as a supposed “green” alternative to coal and other fossil fuels.
- Contrary to claims of being “sustainable” and “green,” the report emphasises the inherent risks and harms associated with biomass utilisation, which undermines climate stability while also causing a devastating impact on the health of supply chain workers and their communities.
- The revelations have been made by environmental advocacy group Stand.earth in a report titled Biomass Burning: The Fashion Industry’s False Phase-Out.
Doing it in Asia: Although burning biomass has been proven problematic from various angles as mentioned above, Asia is still in the midst of a biomass boom.
- Fashion giants are increasingly leaning towards biomass as the preferred way to move away from coal, particularly in Asian manufacturing hubs like Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The reliance on biomass: Biomass, defined as non-fossilised and biodegradable organic material originating from plants, animals and microorganisms, is being positioned by the fashion industry as an alternative to fossil fuels.
- It is also used as the preferred means of accounting for reductions in carbon emissions within supply chains. Derived from sources such as wood pellets, crop residues, rice husks, straw, bagasse, and palm shells, biomass is incinerated to produce thermal energy, pivotal for various fabric-enhancing procedures.
- As many brands look to phase out coal, the adoption of biomass-fueled boilers is viewed by the fashion industry as a quick and low-cost transformation plan.
The problem of biomass boilers: There is evidence to suggest that the escalating reliance on biomass in the fashion sector not only threatens climate, ecosystems and human health, but also poses significant risks to the broader push toward genuine renewable energy, especially in Asia.
- Contrary to popular statements by companies that biomass is “low carbon”, burning biomass can increase GHG emissions within international fashion brands’ supply chains. Biomass has been demonstrated to generate higher carbon emissions than conventional fossil fuels, particularly when accounting for the CO2 emitted during cultivation, transportation, and processing phases, as well as the depletion of carbon stocks resulting from forest harvesting.
- A surge in on-site biomass boilers is leading to increased deforestation, ecosystem degradation, biodiversity loss, and land resources competition. Taking wood pellets – a major source of biomass—as an example, this material has been proven to endanger forest biodiversity. It is not easy for destroyed forest ecosystems to restore their function, and it is impossible for them to recover to a qualitatively equivalent ecosystem.
- Studies have shown that biomass burning in boilers can negatively impact the health of workers and the environment of local communities. Crop residue burning in India has been found to emit various pollutants that pose a serious threat to human health and the environment, which exposes vulnerable groups to higher risks.
