How Are Our Clothes Made: Is Fashion Failing on Climate Promises?

The fashion industry contributes unequivocally to the climate crisis. Perhaps, if you are a regular Remake reader, you might already know that the fashion industry accounts for 2-8% of greenhouse gas emissions. Which places it, according to most sources, as the third largest polluter global industry. But that pollution and exploitation isn’t shared globally. Largely, the most affected by this pollution, and in turn climate change, are those that live in the global south.

The fashion industry has made some big promises to clean up their act and has enacted solutions due to the International Accord and The Garment Workers Protection Act. But this is not an industry that will and has not self-governed, with these initiatives only coming about because of public pressure and the organization of garment workers, activists and policy makers. Time and time again, the fashion industry has made it painfully obvious that it will not act in the best interest of the individuals that make, sell or even purchase their clothing. This neglect often goes hand in hand with its shortcomings on its climate solution promises. Because really, it is all connected and we cannot separate one from the other. We cannot talk about sustainability in the fashion industry without also talking about ethics.

In Remake’s recently released 2024 Fashion Accountability Report it states: “for broader, systemic change to actually occur, large and influential brands and retailers need to support legislation and binding agreements that hold fashion companies themselves mutually accountable for the human rights and environmental impacts along their supply chains.”

Because of this reckless abandon in the endless pursuit of profit over people and planet, the fashion industry has contributed to climate change and climate disasters on a massive scale. While there are many small fashion brands founded on sustainability and ethics, overwhelmingly, big corporations are polluting the planet through exploitation, overproduction and their continued centering and use of harmful materials and fossil fuels. In short, big brands are headed in the wrong direction when it comes to their lofty goals. That is why supporting expanded legislation directed at holding the fashion industry accountable, with bills like the FABRIC Act, is paramount.

The fashion industry is complex, so the conversation around the solutions need to be just as nuanced. So perhaps in order to understand potential solutions, let’s discuss the lifecycle of a garment to shine a light on how our clothing is made and where changes can be implemented.

Read the full article on Remake.