The non-profit organization Global Fashion Agenda (GFA) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) have announced the launch of a joint Fashion Industry Target Consultation. The aim of the project is to set binding and measurable goals for the fashion industry with the help of the public, the two organizations announced at the COP27 conference on Tuesday. GFA will lead the project, while UNEP will draw on the expertise of the United Nations network.
The “Fashion Industry Target Consultation” will identify and merge existing industry targets. Goals are set against the five priorities of the Fashion CEO Agenda, referred to as “Tools for Industry Leaders” on the GFA website. These include a respectful and safe working environment, better wage systems, resource stewardship, intelligent material selection and circular economy. Other aspects, such as the criteria for purchasing practices and the cycle design, which have not previously been considered, are also to be reformulated. The aim is to ensure that there is a net positive effect and that the fashion industry gives back more to nature, people, society and the economy than it takes from it. According to the statement, the goals set by the “Fashion Industry Target Consultation” will not be directly responsible for this positive change, but rather show the industry how to get there.
Net positive effect with the “Fashion Industry Target Consultation”
The consultation consists of a multilingual online survey and workshops led by UNEP. These are held in Latin America, the Caribbean, Western Asia, the Asia-Pacific regions and Africa. Partners including brands, suppliers, retailers, policy makers and many other industry players are invited to share their experiences and insights. This is intended to determine which milestones the industry must achieve and to what extent support is required to implement the corresponding measures.
“We are excited to partner with UNEP and capture the industry-wide goals that will propel the fashion industry forward, united in their quest for a net positive impact for the industry,” said Federica Marchionni, Managing Director of Global Fashion Agenda.
Common objective to combat climate change
In addition to the presentation of the joint consultation, the Global Fashion Agenda warns of social and labor law risks for the approximately 300 million workers in the fashion and textile industry, as well as the significant influence of the industry on ecosystems. In addition, there are the results of the “Fashion on Climate” report by GFA in cooperation with the management consultancy McKinsey & Company. These show that fashion, on its current course, will miss the decarbonization targets required to comply with the 1.5 degree rule of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) by 50 percent.
A forthcoming report from the United Nations Environment Program and the most recent Health for All Monitor report will set out the priorities and actions that can be taken for change, the release said. To do this, however, it is important that those involved work towards common goals to reduce the impact of fashion and make positive social and environmental contributions.
“Tackling climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss requires a collaborative and holistic approach,” said Sheila Aggarwal-Khan, director of the Economy and Industry Division of the United Nations Environment Programme. “UNEP welcomes this unique opportunity to work alongside the GFA to consult the textile sector on issues including circular economy, chemicals in products, gender, worker protection and business models to ensure all voices are heard and fed into the goals.”