Fashion Industry Target Consultation
The Fashion Industry Target Consultation is a multi-stakeholder project led by Global Fashion Agenda and the United Nations Environment Programme to annually measure industry-wide progress against key milestones that the industry must strive to meet to achieve a net-positive fashion industry.
About the Consultation:
Formally launched at COP27 in November 2022, the Fashion Industry Target Consultation is a multi-stakeholder project led by Global Fashion Agenda (GFA) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The first year of the consultation was to identify and converge existing industry aligned ambitions and milestones, according to the five priorities of the Fashion CEO Agenda: Respectful & Secure Work Environments, Better Wage Systems, Resource Stewardship, Smart Material Choices and Circular Systems. This year, the consultation seeks to gather insights on key milestones that the industry must strive to meet to achieve a net positive industry.
Led by;
Between 19 February 2024 and 31 May 2024, GFA and UNEP invites stakeholders and partners from across the global value chain including brands, retailers, NGOs, manufacturers, land stewards, indigenous communities, data providers, innovators, intergovernmental organisations, policy makers, academia, certification bodies and more to share their insights on the ambitions and milestones that the industry must strive to meet, and importantly to gauge what tools and support are needed by these actors to take action.
The ambitions included in the consultation help to provide clarity and drive accountability for a range of consistent, measurable, monitored and complete goals, so that the industry is able to understand the current state of progress, the areas that must be focused on to accelerate impact, and the timeframe to do so.
What’s Next?
Last year, over 900 stakeholders from 90 countries participated. The identified ambitions that came forward from the first consultation were included in the Fashion CEO Agenda 2023. The consultation also provided a baseline for industry progress which was presented in the GFA Monitor 2023. This year marks the second year of the consultation, focused on 27 action areas with new questions to address developments on chemical usage and circularity. This more streamlined approach aims for more complete submissions.
Going forward, the goal is to annually measure industry-wide progress against these ambitions, and to use the consultation to identify and act upon the needed tools and support for accelerating action. Results will moreover be presented in the upcoming GFA Monitor, acting as a gauge of the industry. The next GFA Monitor is expected Q4 2024. Sign up for GFA’s newsletter below and UNEP’s newsletter here to stay informed.
Fashion CEO Agenda 2023
Developed for executives of fashion brands, retailers, and producers, the Fashion CEO Agenda is a succinct checklist to support in establishing and implementing leadership strategies for achieving a net positive fashion sector.
The GFA Monitor 2023
The GFA Monitor is an extensive guide for fashion companies on how to reach a net positive industry through the consolidation of existing knowledge, clear actions to take, credible tools, solutions, data insights, policy developments and proven best
Contact us
If you have any questions regarding the consultation, please do not hesitate to contact us. Moreover, we welcome further cooperation with other industry organisations, brands, retailers, investors, solution providers, academia and more. We invite you to share thoughts with us.
FAQ
What is the Fashion Industry Target Consultation?
The aim of the Fashion Industry Target Consultation is to gather key stakeholder insights on important milestones that the industry must strive to meet to achieve a net positive industry and importantly to gauge what tools and support are needed by these actors to take action.
Who is involved?
The Fashion Industry Target Consultation was a multi-stakeholder project led by Global Fashion Agenda (GFA) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Global Fashion Agenda
Global Fashion Agenda (GFA) is a non-profit organisation that fosters industry collaboration on sustainability in fashion to accelerate impact. With the vision of a net positive fashion industry, it drives action by mobilising, inspiring, influencing and educating all stakeholders.
The organisation has been leading the movement since 2009 and presents the renowned international forum on sustainability in fashion, Global Fashion Summit, in core industry regions around the world. GFA influences policy through its advocacy efforts including the Global Textiles Policy Forum, publishes thought leadership including The GFA Monitor, Fashion CEO Agenda and Fashion on Climate, implements impact programmes including the Circular Fashion Partnership and the Global Circular Fashion Forum, presents educational guidance through the GFA Academy, and connects companies with solutions through the Innovation Forum.
United Nations Environment Programme
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is a global authority that sets the environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment. Since its inception in 1972, UNEP has employed several cross-sectoral subprogrammes, specifically its work within textiles takes form through the provision of strategic leadership and encouraging sector-wide collaboration to accelerate a just transition towards a sustainable and circular textile value chain, while supporting sound management of chemicals.
UNEP’s report Sustainability and Circularity in the Textile Value Chain: Global Stocktaking identified the environmental and socio-economic hotspots, and mapped initiatives working to address those. UNEP has since published the Sustainability and Circularity in the Textile Value Chain: A global roadmap which defines a common agenda of transformation for all value chain actors.
Who is the audience for the target consultation?
The consultation invites stakeholders and partners from across the global value chain including brands, retailers, NGOs, producers, manufacturers, land stewards, indigenous communities, data providers, innovators, intergovernmental organisations, policy makers, academia, certification bodies, financing institutions, and more to participate in the Fashion Industry Target Consultation. The consultation seeks to include voices of all stakeholders across the value chain, from all regions ensuring that trade-offs were avoided or mitigated, and that the ambitions will be holistic, inclusive, and effective.
What is the duration of the consultation?
The consultation is open now until 31 May 2024. Results will be presented in the upcoming GFA Monitor, acting as a gauge of the industry. The next GFA Monitor is expected Q4 2024.
How do the ambitions relate to existing goals and commitments?
In developing the draft ambitions for consultation we built upon existing frameworks and targets, and consulted with the organisations behind those. Where targets existed, those are mentioned, where no targets existed yet we proposed new ones. It is our imperative to converge what is already established in the industry and create a holistic and aligned route of travel encompassing both social and environmental sustainability. The initial development of the ambitions released for consultation was done in conversation with leading subject expert initiatives, as well as in reference to existing frameworks including the Science Based Targets Network, The Fashion Pact, the Common Framework for Responsible Purchasing Practices.
How is the framework structured?
The Fashion Industry Target Consultation follows Global Fashion Agenda’s Fashion CEO Agenda framework which outlines five priorities that businesses should focus on in order to secure prosperity for people and communities while working within environmental boundaries. These priorities include:
- Respectful and Secure Work Environments
- Better Wage Systems
- Resource Stewardship
- Smart Material Choices
- Circular Systems
The GFA Monitor acts as an accompanying tool to support actors within fashion’s value chain with implementing action within the outlined priority areas, presenting proven solutions, tools, best practices, case studies and expert insights.
The Fashion Industry Target Consultation also aligns with UNEP’s Sustainability and Circularity in the Textile Value Chain: A global roadmap which sets out the priorities and actions all key stakeholders can take towards this transformation.
The five priority areas, and set of targets underneath them, should be viewed as a complete and complementary set – they are interconnected and designed to reinforce each other. The intention is for the textile industry to meet all targets, providing a holistic route of travel.
How will the industry be kept accountable to the framework?
These ambitions are intended to drive industry-wide progress across a holistic priority framework. The aim is to catalyse a transition from planning to taking action by providing a common destination and point of reference for different stakeholder groups to facilitate industry-wide change.
Going forward, how will industry progress be measured against the framework?
The ambitions are intended to be at industry level and align the industry around a joint vision. They recognise and build on existing work in certain impact areas and individual company targets. Going forward, industry-wide progress against evidence-based ambitions will be measured and monitored. Annually industry-wide progress achieved against the identified ambitions will be presented through the GFA Monitor, which will act as an annual gauge of the fashion industry.
What is a net-positive fashion industry?
A net-positive industry is one that gives back more to the natural world, people and societies and the economy than it takes out. The ambitions defined by the consultation will not be directly accountable for a net-positive industry, but help to define the pathway towards it by encouraging ambitious sustainability strategies that reduce harm, but also deliver positive outcomes for the environment and societies.
