The British fashion industry is under scrutiny for its insufficient response to the climate crisis.
- The Collective Fashion Justice report highlights that only 3.4% of British Fashion Council brands have climate targets.
- This figure starkly contrasts with 44% of British companies that have structured climate plans.
- Emma Hakansson criticises the industry for lack of meaningful climate investment and policy support.
- Five brands are acknowledged for science-based emission targets, but more action is needed across the sector.
The British fashion industry has recently come under criticism for failing to adequately address the climate crisis. According to a report by the campaign group Collective Fashion Justice (CFJ), only 3.4% of the brands associated with the British Fashion Council—responsible for organising events like the September London Fashion Week—have set emissions reduction targets. This figure is notably low, especially when compared to 44% of British businesses that have plans to mitigate their climate impact.
Emma Hakansson, the founding director of CFJ, expressed dissatisfaction with the fashion industry’s progress. She labelled the findings as ‘an embarrassment’ for an industry that prides itself on creativity and innovation. Hakansson emphasised that without science-based reduction targets, the fashion sector will continue to damage the environment and pose severe risks to global ecosystems. The group points out that the fashion and textiles sector contributes to 12% of global emissions, releasing 2.1 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases annually, which equates to the combined emissions of the UK, Germany, and France.
The report has also focused on the economic importance of the fashion industry, with the British Fashion Council highlighting its value at £26 billion, supporting 800,000 jobs. As one of the leading global fashion events approaches, CFJ urges the British Fashion Council to demand more robust climate actions from its members and to aid them in formulating effective strategies to reach climate targets.
Despite the overall criticism, five British fashion brands—Burberry, Mulberry, Kyle Ho, Rixo, and Margaret Howell—have been commended for establishing science-based targets for emissions reductions. However, the CFJ contends that broader, more comprehensive engagement from the industry is required.
The report also notes that 38% of fashion industry emissions are associated with the production of raw materials, particularly those from animal sources such as leather and wool, as well as from fossil fuel-derived materials like polyester. The CFJ references the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which advises a one-third reduction in methane emissions to avert climate disaster, calling for a significant decrease in the use of animal-derived materials in clothing production.
The British fashion sector must enhance its commitment to reducing emissions to prevent environmental damage.
