How The Fashion Industry Is Responding To Climate Change

The clothing industry is responsible for 8% of carbon emissions. Credit: Shutterstock

This story is part of Degrees Of Change, a series that explores the problem of climate change and how we as a planet are adapting to it. Tell us how you or your community are responding to climate change here.

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Recently it seems like the whole world’s been talking about climate change. 

All week you’ve been hearing from us and our partners in the media report on climate change as part of the journalism initiative Covering Climate Now. And on Friday, students around the world are skipping school to voice their support for taking action against climate change as part of the Global Youth Climate Strike.

It seems like right now, climate change is trending.

And if there’s one industry out there that knows something about trends, it’s the fashion industry. Long known for churning out cheap garments and burning through resources, some fashion labels like fast fashion giant H&M are now embracing sustainable fashion trends. But can this industry—which is responsible for 8% of global carbon emissions—really shed its wasteful business model in favor of one with a lower carbon footprint? Marc Bain, a fashion reporter at Quartz, Maxine Bédat from the New Standard Institute, and Linda Greer, global policy fellow with the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs talk with Ira about the industry’s effort to reduce its climate impact.

Richard from Madison: I try and buy at least half of my clothing secondhand from places like St. Vincent de Paul or Goodwill… Lara from Venice: When I buy clothing I try to make sure that it’s of a natural fiber, that it’s made locally, sometimes even fair trade or organic… David from North Carolina: One thing that I’m looking for is a few good pieces that I can wear over and over instead of hundreds of pieces in my closet… Tamara from Colorado: I consider the environmental impact of my personal clothing extremely conscientiously when I’m picking out clothes. I choose to visit thrift stores. My professional clothes, they’re work pants, they’re heavy-duty pants—I can’t factor in the environmental thoughts for that one, unfortunately.

Designed by Andrea Corona

Designed by Andrea Corona

Designed by Andrea Corona

Luxury makeover: Kering to go 'carbon neutral' by offsetting 2018 emissions

Credit: Sardaka

On Tuesday, Kering announced that the luxury group, which includes brands such as Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Saint Laurent and Balenciaga, will become carbon neutral across its operations and supply chain by offsetting its greenhouse gas emissions from 2018. The announcement follows Gucci’s own carbon neutrality pledge earlier this month and comes a day after Swedish activist Greta Thunberg’s emotional speech at the UN Climate Action Summit in New York.

"We are going a step ahead in the implementation of our sustainability strategy," says Marie-Claire Daveu, Kering’s chief sustainability officer. Kering’s sustainability initiatives to date have included work to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, as well as a push for the use of reusable energy, says Daveu. “Where we won't be able to have zero impact it's important to offset.”

Fashion companies are increasingly pledging to offset their carbon footprint as it shows a commitment to sustainability, but the benefits of these initiatives are not guaranteed. “There is nothing logical or innovative around carbon offsetting unless it comes with a very serious commitment to prevent and reduce the company's carbon footprint,” says Orsola de Castro, founder and creative director of Fashion Revolution.

Kering, which also led the formation of the Fashion Pact to combat climate change at the 45th G7 Summit in August, has pledged to reduce all of its operations and supply chain greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent by 2025. The ambitious goal sets the industry in the right direction, but de Castro points out that without an external policing body, there is no guarantee of accountability.

Gucci Spring/Summer 2020.

Since 2011, Kering has measured the group’s greenhouse gas emissions through environmental profit and loss accounting (EP&L) to implement changes in its supply chain and promote efficiency initiatives across the board. These efforts have focused on offsetting two of the three types of emissions as defined by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, by operating on direct emissions from owned or controlled sources and emissions from the generation of purchased energy.

With its latest pledge, the group will offset all remaining emissions in the protocol, meaning upstream and downstream emissions in the value chain. For 2018, these remaining emissions will account for approximately 2.4 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. The group’s offsetting practices rely on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) projects, which include a partnership with the Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network (WFEN) to promote the conservation of biodiversity in farming practices, and collaborating with the Savory Institute’s Frontier Founder initiative to encourage regenerative grazing practices. The company’s 2018 offset will equal around 2 million hectares of forests around the world.

Kering’s announcement pushes it ahead of other luxury conglomerates in its commitment to full carbon neutrality, but other groups have their own initiatives in place. Richemont has been purchasing carbon offsets since 2008, while LVMH introduced a carbon fund across its brands in 2015 to calculate and offset greenhouse gas emissions generated by its businesses. “Such an approach reaffirms how Kering is one of the companies leading the way in sustainability, and I hope other brands and retailers will follow,” writes Eva Kruse, CEO and president of the Global Fashion Agenda, via email.

But an overreliance on offsetting can be seen as sidestepping a larger issue.

“With this level of urgency [we need] a commitment policy on reduction, not just of carbon and fumes, but also of production,” says de Castro. “We need to disinvest from growth to invest in social and environmental supply chain prosperity and compliance.”
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Gucci’s First Live-streamed Show on Weibo Draws 16 Million Viewers

Gucci in November will open a new concept store in Beijing and launch its makeup line in China.

Giovanni Giannoni/WWD

 

GUCCI’S CHINA VIEWS: Some 16 million viewers connected on Weibo to see Gucci’s spring 2020 show, marking the first time the Italian brand had live-streamed its show on the Chinese platform. According to Weibo, views until now, including playback, totaled 22 million and 179,000 viewers posted a live comment. Likes totaled 421,000.

Held in Milan on Sept. 22, the show for the first time was certified carbon neutral, organized according to the ISO 20121 international standard that defines the sustainability of an event by measuring its environmental, social and economic aspects.

Gucci has a number of projects lined up in China. Following the opening on Sept. 16 of a store at the sprawling Plaza 66 shopping mall in Shanghai, the company will open a new special concept store at Shin Kong Place in Beijing on Nov. 6. That month, Gucci will also launch its new makeup line in China. As reported, Gucci sold more than 1 million lipsticks in the first month since the Alessandro Michele-designed line dropped in May. The lipstick line was launched exclusively on gucci.com on May 4, followed by a roll out in New York and in selective doors worldwide, backed by a major digital push.

Gucci has been upping the ante on its social media platforms. According to Tribe Dynamics, the data firm best known for tracking earned media value, in August, Gucci ranked first out of the top 10 fashion brands, recording more than $26.7 million in earned media value. This was a 2 percent increase over the previous month. Chanel was listed as second in the ranking, reporting more than $23.5 million in earned media value, a 7 percent decrease. Dior ranked third, totaling $21.8 million, down 7 percent, followed by Louis Vuitton, totaling $18 million euros, a 17 percent decrease. Saint Laurent, on the other hand, was up 4 percent, totaling $11.3 million.
Gucci also scaled another list. With its 36.9 million followers on Instagram, it is the number-one fashion brand on that platform, overtaking Chanel, which has a following of 36.8 million. oa here 

 

Off-White debuts bizarre $1,700 handbag wtih huge HOLES making it impossible to carry anything

First came the micro purse trend, which was able to fit only one's lipstick or a single AirPod inside the tiny bag.

But now Virgil Abloh's Off-White brand is turning the fashion world on its head with the release of its intentionally 'unfunctional' handbag. 

The Meteor is Off-White's latest top handle bag, but the design comes with large holes punched directly through the leather to make the purse unable to carry any item without it falling out. 

Alert the fashion presses: Off-White, Virgil's brand, unveiled its newest handbag ahead of its fashion show in Paris, France, on Thursday

New concept: The bag entitled The Meteor ($1,665) is a top handle bag with holes punched through the leather, making it so the purse can't carry any items

When announcing the launch of the handbag, the brand confessed in a press release that it was 'unfunctional' for the consumer, Vogue reports. 

 

Unfunctional: Off-White released the bag to challenge 'the concept of a bag itself, one of the most common objects in our everyday lives'

The purpose of the bag, instead, is to challenge 'the concept of a bag itself, one of the most common objects in our everyday lives.'  

Functional or not, Off-White is retailing the fashion accessory for $1,665 for anyone who is looking to carry a bag with no items inside. 

Off-White also sells a similar bag to the new Meteor bag that is without the holes. 

Its Jitney bag offers a similar design with the arrows crossing on the flap of the handbag. But the item provides a more affordable, and realistic, option for customers, as it is priced at just over $1,000 with no holes. 

Designer Virgil is known for being Kanye West's fashion protegee. 

He went on to launch the Off-White brand in 2012, which debuted its upcoming Spring 2020 collection featuring the unfunctional bag in Paris, France, on Thursday. 

Handbags have become one fashion accessory used by designers as of late to spark conversations within industry. 

Earlier this year, French fashion label Jacquemus debuted a micro bag during Paris Fashion Week that only had room for one small item.  

Showcase: Models at the brand's Paris Fashion Week show were seen carrying the bags with their arms going right through the holes

Who needs storage? The bags look more like a glorified bracelet than a purse 

The brand, which is already well known for its micro handbags costing between $345 and $795, sent models down the runway with the minuscule accessories hanging from a single finger.

Most people thought the micro bag was the most unfunctional option out there. That is until Off-White released its Meteor bag. 

Virgil picked four women creatives within the fashion industry — Ana Gimeno Brugada, Carla Sozzani, Patricia Urquiola, and Karla Otto — to model the new bag for the brand's campaign images as opposed to hiring models in their 20s.

'Each muse styles the Meteor in her own way, extending [her] own superior style to this new classic,' Virgil told Vogue about the decision. 

When speaking about the bag, he added:  'Under the guise of "womenswear," the Meteor bag brings to [life] the notion of a strong spirit, [something that is] able to withstand natural disasters and take on a life of its own.'  

People can get their hands on the unfunctional Meteor bag beginning on September 29 in select retailers.   

Old trend: This 'unfunctional' bag comes after the trend of carrying a micro purse around

Worth it? Earlier this year, French fashion label Jacquemus debuted a tiny bag during Paris Fashion Week that only had room for one small item

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London Fashion Week Will Be Completely Fur Free

Avery Matera

September 7, 2018 1:38 PM

Venturelli

Following the news on Thursday that Burberry will be going fur-free, The British Fashion Council has announced that London Fashion Week will be following the same model. Aside from Burberry, design houses such as Victoria Beckham, Erdem, Stella McCartney, and Christopher Kane of the London-based set have already pledged their alignment with a cruelty-free design process but others will now be forced to follow suite if they choose to participate in the official events.

In an interview with The Business of Fashion, Burberry CEO Marco Gobbetti shared, “I don’t think it is compatible with modern luxury and with the environment in which we live, and Riccardo has a very strong view as well on this,” adding, “It’s part of what Burberry is today.” The Guardian further reported that this change comes as a result of what the British Fashion Council is calling their Positive Change Initiative, which Caroline Rush, the BFC’s CEO, noted shows the industry is “seeing a cultural change based on ideals and choices made within brands.” She added, “The fur dialogue is ongoing and the stance of brands such as Burberry, Stella McCartney, Gucci, Yoox Net-A-Porter, Versace and Vivienne Westwood, among others, to look at alternative options to fur will encourage more brands to consider what options are available to them.”

While London is the first major Fashion Week city that has made such an announcement, it indicates a larger trend in the industry as a whole as the world becomes more eco-conscious and educated on sustainability. Michael Kors in New York and Gucci in Milan have both made recent announcements to the same effect, so it might not be long before all cities make similar pledges to London.

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