Fashion companies reach historic sustainability agreement before G7 summit

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This afternoon at the Elysee Palace, French President Emmanuel Macron and Kering President and CEO François-Henri Pinault unveiled a new plan to reduce the environmental impact of the global fashion sector .

Signed by 32 companies, including some of the biggest names in luxury, sportswear, fast fashion and retail, the G7 Fashion Pact marks the first serious, large-scale attempt by a coalition Private sector companies aim to reduce global warming, replenish the planet's biodiversity and limit the dumping of plastics into the world's oceans.

According to climate change, the current growth rate of textile and clothing production will increase by more than 60% by 2030.

The signatories of the fashion pact have set themselves the goal of involving at least 20% of the global fashion industry in their effort, measured in volume of production. "There is only 11 years left to end irreversible climate change," says the G7 Fashion Pact, which identifies three key areas in which the sector can reduce emissions and waste.

The non-binding agreement will be presented this weekend to the leaders of the Group of Seven countries (United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom) meeting in Biarritz (France) for their annual summit devoted to global issues. and coordinated action in areas such as the environment and international trade. The G7 countries account for nearly half of the world's gross domestic product and about one-third of its purchasing power.

Much of the G7's Fashion Pact is focused on scientific objectives: emission reduction targets corresponding to the level of decarbonization required to keep the global temperature rise below 2 ° C, compared to pre-industrial temperatures. More than 231 fashion companies have already adopted their own scientific goals, but under the G7 Fashion Pact, signatories commit to commit to increasing transparency and accountability in their channels. 39; supply.

The goals outlined include the move to 100% renewable energy throughout their operations, "with the ambition to encourage the implementation of renewable energy in all high impact manufacturing processes." throughout the supply chain by 2030 "; move towards regenerative and "wildlife-friendly" approaches to agriculture, mining and forestry; and "eliminating the use of single-use plastics (in business-to-business packaging and between business packaging)" by 2030. "In addition, the pact contains language to promote circularity, a concept promoted by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation which promotes the use of recycled textiles.

The fashion industry widely represented

Although Kering – Gucci's parent company, Saint Laurent, among other high fashion brands – was asked by Macron in May to recruit signatory companies, the brands on board go beyond luxury clothing to include brands of sportswear like Adidas, Puma and Nike. and fast fashion such as H & M Group, Gap Inc. and Inditex, Zara's parent company. Department stores such as Nordstrom, Selfridges and Galeries Lafayette are also represented.

"We know that a single company can not solve the environmental challenges facing our planet alone and we believe in the power of collaboration to generate real change," said Marco Gobbetti, CEO of Burberry, in a statement. .

"The goals of the Fashion Pact align strongly with our own work in this area over the past decade, and we look forward to working with other signatories to help transform our industry, support our communities and protect the environment, "said Gobbetti.

Previously, Burberry had signed two scientific goals, consistent with maintaining the global temperature rise to 1.5 ° Celsius, which aim to reduce carbon emissions in its retail stores, offices and chain of custody. # 39; s supply. Currently, Burberry uses 68% of its cotton under the Better Cotton Initiative, whose goal is to promote sustainable cotton growing practices worldwide.

Some of the signatory companies also take advantage of the opportunity to launch their own internal sustainability projects. Nordstrom, for example, is creating a sustainable style category on its website, which will feature 2,000 items from 90 brands, including Patagonia, Reformation, Toms and Veja.

In the United States, the word "sustainable" has no definite definition in the latest Federal Trade Commission guidelines (2012, so it's up to private labels to define the word for themselves.) Nordstrom uses the category sustainability to highlight brands that use "sustainable materials", produce products in factories "that meet higher social or environmental standards" or "give back".

The "essential role" of fashion

"Private companies, working alongside nation states, have a vital role to play in protecting the planet," reads Kering's G7 Fashion Pact release.

But if fashion companies and global retailers have reached an agreement to significantly reduce their environmental footprint, such harmony should not prevail at the G7 summit.

For the first time since the creation of the G7 summit in 1975, there will be no joint agreement signed by leaders of participating nations at the end of the summit. French President Emmanuel Macron said it would be "useless" to publish the G7's usual statement, citing "a very deep democratic crisis" over President Donald Trump's refusal to abide by the international agreement on the climate of Paris to fight against global warming. Last year, Trump refused to sign the release.

"I know the points of disagreement with the US If we draft an agreement on the Paris Convention [climate] agreement, President Trump will not agree. It's useless, "he said.

Macron also announced plans to open the summit with a discussion on the fires ravaging the Amazon rainforest, with the support of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

At the same time, here is a list of brands, designers, manufacturers, distributors and fashion retailers, founding signatories of the G7 Fashion Pact: Adidas, Best Seller, Burberry, Capri Holdings Limited, Carrefour, Chanel, Ermenegildo Zegna, Everyone and Everyone, Fashion3, Fung Group, Galerias Lafayette, Gap Inc., Giorgio Armani, H & M Group, Hermes, Inditex, Karl Lagerfeld, Kering, La Redoute, Matchesfashion.com, Moncler, Nike, Nordstrom, Prada Group, Puma, PVH Corp., Ralph Lauren, Ruyi Salvatore Ferragamo, Selfridges Group, Stella McCartney and Tapestry.

The fashion industry widely represented

The "essential role" of fashion

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