sustainability / Climate Change

Weather extremes like the sizzling heatwaves that blanketed Europe and the US this week pose a growing threat to business. But in recently released investor reports, big fashion brands say they don’t see climate as a material risk in the near term.

Too many brands have set ambitious emissions goals while their trade associations quietly work to block the regulations needed to achieve them, argues Maxine Bédat.

Efforts to map the footwear industry’s carbon footprint have lagged behind those in fashion. A new study aims to start addressing that.

In a climate where consumers are wary of greenwashing and a backlash against “woke capitalism” takes shape, brands peddling sustainability messaging have to treat the topic with a degree of irreverence and put the product first.

Donation centres around Los Angeles have been overwhelmed by mountains of old clothes, a stark reminder of the excesses of production and consumption that have helped drive the climate crisis and the weather extremes that come with it.

Many brands have treated the climate crisis as a useful marketing tool, while viewing the impact to the bottom line as a distant threat. That approach is increasingly untenable, experts warn.

At VOICES 2024, BoF sustainability correspondent Sarah Kent sits down with a panel of experts to discuss how fashion can operate under increasingly unsustainable climate conditions.

This year offered up a jarring reality check for players seeking to improve the industry’s environmental and social impact, with brands deprioritising sustainability efforts even as the risks of inaction have become more apparent.