Focus on the sustainable development of clothing and textile industry in 2023

In recent years, fashion has realized the need to reduce the impact on the environment, from reducing greenhouse gas emissions (which is an urgent task because the industry is responsible for 4% to 10% of all global emissions) to solving problems such as deforestation and micro-plastic pollution. Discussions on the sustainability of clothing and textile fashion have increased, but progress is still slow.

In fact, a recent study by Stand.Earth found that although all of the 10 major brands it focuses on have signed the United Nations Climate Action Fashion Industry Charter, onlyone brand is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030, and is consistent with the 1.5C limit of the Paris Agreement.

Therefore, the brand needs a greater sense of responsibility, which may be the focus of next year. At the same time, on the 10th anniversary of the collapse of Rana Plaza, a garment factory building in Dhaka, Bangladesh, which killed 1134 people, people will again pay attention to the need to provide greater protection for garment workers.

Next, please look at six ways to achieve sustainable development in the clothing and textile industry in 2023.

Retailers accept leases

In recent years, with the growth of second-hand demand, we have seen many large retailers integrate resale into their websites. This trend is expected to continue as the company explores more circular business models.

Scale of recovery technology expanded

For a long time, recycling has been a difficult point in the fashion industry, because at present, less than 1% of clothing has been turned into new clothes again. Many suppliershave been trying to change this situation and have passed the GRS certification to improve the market competitiveness of enterprises in terms of "green" and "environmental protection". In 2023, we will see the brand's investment in regenerated cellulose fiber begin to enter the consumer market.

Turn to recycled materials

In addition to reusing existing textiles, more and more brands are also seeking to use more recycled fiber - the production method of this material is beneficial to the ecosystem and improves biodiversity. Ashley Gill, chief strategic officer of the Textile Exchange, said: "In 2022, we saw people's increasing interest in renewable agriculture. We now need to expand these solutions to make them become the new normal." At present, the relevant standards of TE certification, such as OCS organic content standard, RCS recyclingdeclaration standard, have made more contact and cooperation on the supply chain, and made greater commitment to biodiversity.

Green cleaning action

In the past year, we have seen a stronger stance on green washing. The Netherlands Consumer Markets Authority has severely cracked down on common terms such as "ecological design" and "conscious". The Sustainable Clothing Alliance responded in a statement that it was working with regulators to better understand how to use credible Higg sustainability index data.

Strengthen the protection of clothing workers

The industry has been pushing to strengthen the protection of clothing workers - as evidenced by the California Clothing Workers Protection Act, which took effect in early 2022. Since then, the EU has published its proposed human rights due diligence legislation,which will require enterprises to address human rights issues in their supply chain.

In addition, human rights inspection is also the most common and the most frequent among all inspection factories. The Social&Labor Convergence Project (SLCP) has also become the main source of reliable social and labor data in the clothing and footwear supply chain.

Solve supply chain problems

Although fashion is the main cause of global greenhouse gas emissions, climate changeitself has also had an impact on the industry's supply chain - from extreme drought in Texas to devastating floods in Pakistan. Gill said: "The industry needs companies to change the way they cooperate with the supply chain to create a production system that is balanced with nature, not only protecting the ecosystem, but also having positive benefits for (local) communities and individuals."