FOSSIL FUEL FASHION

Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius stated “It’s very important to keep the textiles sector in the public eye […] We must make fast fashion, past fashion. we very much want a competitive, resilient and innovative textile sector, but we want to deliver that with a different model.” He concluded, “I hope we will all be brave enough and responsible enough in our behaviour, and realise that overproduction and overconsumption impacts us all.”

Laurence Tubiana, CEO of the European Climate Foundation (ECF) and France’s Climate Change Ambassador and Special Representative for COP21, asserted, “We need to be vigilant that emissions don’t move elsewhere because the fossil fuel industry sees fashion as a growth sector. The fashion industry has a key role of cutting another flow of demand from this sector, as we try to do on the transport sector, on heating and cooling. This will be a key debate in Dubai [at COP28]”

Livia Firth says: “I am so grateful to the EU for taking a leadership role in tackling the two biggest issues we face today, phasing out of fossil fuels and Just Transition, through the lens of an industry which has such a huge impact. With the biggest climate conference, COP28, just three days away, it is so important that fashion is on the frontline of change. I hope this event today will be a useful reminder of what is at stake in Dubai in the next two weeks”.

During the engaging panel discussion, Matteo Ward, Co-Founder of Wrad Living, provided insights into the fashion supply chain based on his travels to Bangladesh, Ghana, Indonesia, and Chile for the SKY TV series "JUNK," which addresses fashion's substantial environmental footprint, while Simon Giuliani (CMO and Head of Sustainability and Strategy, Candiani Denim) presented a vision for a fully circular and regenerative fashion system with Coreva Candiani denim.

“The true quality of a product is directly proportional to the impact of that product on the environmental at the end of its life. That’s why it’s fundamental to have legislation that incentivises brands to adopt solutions that create high quality and can reduce impact. Less is more when less is better.”

SIMON GIULIANI

Natalie Swan from the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre reminded the audience that fashion revolves around people and stressed the importance of a fair and equitable transition in all actions. She noted that workers in the supply chain are more than aware of the impact of climate change right now, whether that’s in the factories already closing from record flooding, heat stress experiences by garment workers, or concerns about deforestation for energy demands.

The profound responsibility to legislate the industry in a just and fair manner was eloquently highlighted by Yayra Agbofah (Founder, The Revival, Ghana), who passionately shed light on the devastating impact of fast fashion on communities in the Global South. He highlighted that legislation is needed now, and that any delay means more plastic fashion being exported to the Global South, who face the impacts of fast fashion day in day out.

Key elements of the Textiles Strategy, such as the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, are due to conclude this year, while other policy will continue to be deliberated into 2024. 2024 will also be a major election year in the European Union, and the event highlighted the crucial role sustainability in the textiles industry must play in the election of next year’s policymakers.