The majority of brands and retailers take no action against climate change or water pollution, with only a select few – including H&M, Nike, Adidas and Mammut – concerned about the environment, a new report suggests.
According to research by WWF Switzerland and based on data from Oekom Research AG, many companies do not use sustainable raw materials, consume too much water, and pollute water heavily throughout their value-added chain.
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‘Changing fashion: The clothing and textile industry at the brink of radical transformation’ is an environmental rating and innovation report which analysed 12 textile brands for their ecological commitment.
Key findings include more than half of the companies surveyed have carried out “practically no action” to address climate change, operating in a sector that contributes significantly to global emissions of greenhouse gases with 1.7bn tonnes of CO2 per year.
In addition, the results of the WWF ranking show that only a few companies use scientific instruments and implement measures for an efficient management of the environment.
While none of the respondents could be rated as ‘visionary’, the highest category in the report, Swedish fast fashion retailer H&M ranked as ‘ambitious’, while sporting giants Nike and Adidas joined outdoor apparel manufacturer Mammut in the ‘upper middle class’ ranking.
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By GlobalDataApparel giant VF Corporation, owner of brands such as The North Face and Timberland, German fashion brand Hugo Boss, and European brands Odlo and Calida came in as ‘lower middle class’, while Triumph, Chicory, PKZ and Tally Weijl were in the ‘late/opaque’ category. The latter only apply very limited environmental measures or give no information, the report noted.
“Doing ‘business as usual’ will not be an option for the industry nor for the planet in the long run,” says WWF Switzerland. “To stay financially successful, companies will find it necessary to reduce their environmental impact and to respect the ecological boundaries of our planet. WWF’s vision is that the clothing and textile industry contributes to a world in which humans live in harmony with nature. There is a long way to go to make this vision come true, but WWF believes it to be possible, if the industry takes bold action and leadership for transformation.”
The organisation identifies three areas for leadership:
Environmental efficiencies: The clothing and textile industry improves its most material environmental performance (e.g. water use and pollution, climate protection, chemicals).
Innovation and transformation: The industry reinvents its business models, with the aim of decoupling the industry’s expected growth from resource use and negative environmental impacts.
Sustainable consumption: Consumers find creative solutions to reduce their consumption of clothes, share or swap clothes, and buy mindfully, without compromising their desire for style and self-expression.
Between the years 2000 and 2014, world consumption of clothing doubled. Worldwide, WWF Switzerland says consumers today buy five kilos of clothing per year per person, while this figure is more than three times higher in Europe and the US, at about 16 kilos. And stabilisation is not in sight, with clothing consumption expected to continue on its upward trajectory and, with it, negative influences on the environment.
The report calls upon companies to make improvements in strategies to operate within the planet’s ecological boundaries including: climate change; water management and stewardship; raw materials; joint environmental management in the supply chain; chemicals management; investment, stakeholder engagement and responsibility for public policy; and new business models to decouple consumption from resource use.
Click here to access the full report.
