Global Fashion Agenda and McKinsey & Company present research and a fact base to complement the priorities outlined in the CEO Agenda; which intends to guide and mobilise industry players in taking bold action on sustainability. This COVID-19 edition of the CEO Agenda presents six opportunities for fashion executives to rethink and rebuild a sustainable more resilient fashion industry.
Introduction
Our mission at Global Fashion Agenda is to mobilise and guide the fashion industry to take bold and urgent action on sustainability. The past year challenged global structures, especially regarding necessary rapid environmental progress and the lack of secure social protection schemes: COVID-19 hit the industry unprecedently, demanding real-time actions and long-term sight. Industry players had to shift focus on job recreation and the fair distribution of risks and profits along the value chain. In addition, long-standing systemic racism and the Black Lives Matter movement called for racial equity and dignity for marginalised and black communities.If we fail to take coordinated action on the greenhouse gas emissions causing climate change, we can expect to see increasingly common crises such as heatwaves or rising sea levels damage complex ecosystems that are vital to our future.
These systemic issues are apparent in the reality of climate change, exemplifying an intersectional environ-mental crisis that is set to produce socioeconomic impacts over the coming years, foremost affecting marginalised communities and people of colour. Fashion leaders are urged to focus their efforts on diversity, equity and inclusivity along the value chain to positively contribute to a just society and communities globally.When picturing a post-pandemic fashion industry, it is not built from scratch but inspired by existing tools and technologies that will move from ideation to reality and from pilots to wide-scale adoption.
Some shifts such as production to demand, increased product lifetime values, a less season-dependent design and product flow, textile-to-textile recycling or resale will be accelerated, while long-known best practices such as collaborative partnerships between all stakeholders in the value chain may become building blocks of business operations. Placing value-driven practices at the core of business will enhance capabilities for change management, allowing headway in the transformation of potential financial, social and environmental risks into untapped business opportunities and points of engagement with suppliers, customers and the investment community.Fashion’s leaders have to seize the opportunity to re-evaluate the lexicon of fashion. By rethinking and rebuilding, we maybe able to devise a new approach to fashion that is progressive, purposeful and people-centred, one that restores andrecovers from perturbation, creates meaningful, new jobs and ultimately increases resilience to mitigate the impact of crises in the future.Together, we must work towards a thriving industry that creates prosperity for all people and communities by working within planetary boundaries, reversing its impact on climate change and protecting biodiversity. With theFashionCEO Agenda, we call on fashion brands and retailers as well as industry players to pave the way to a just and resilient future
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The Fashion Industry Target Consultation will aim to identify and converge existing industry-aligned targets, 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. Moreover, the Consultation will seek to formulate new targets where they are not currently covered – such as criteria for purchasing practices and circular design – to establish a route towards a net-positive (1) fashion industry.
The new Consultation will be a multi-stakeholder project led by GFA – a non-profit organisation that fosters industry collaboration on sustainability in fashion to accelerate impact – and UNEP, who will be drawing on the expertise of the broader network of the United Nations throughout the process. Together, GFA and UNEP are inviting stakeholders and partners from across the global value chain including brands, retailers, NGOs, manufacturers, data providers, innovators, intergovernmental organisations, policy makers, and more to share their insights on the performance indicators 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 fashion and textiles industry is responsible for some 300 million jobs globally, which support vital livelihoods, but also creates significant social and labour risks for workers. Meanwhile, if the fashion industry continues its current trajectory, it will fall short of the decarbonisation targets required to conform with the UNFCCC’s 1.5-degree pathway by 50% (2). The fashion value chain also has a significant impact on ecosystems through land use, resource use and through pollution. Progress demands a holistic route in order to respect planetary sustainability, provide dignified work and protect the human rights of these many millions of people and their communities.
UNEP’s upcoming report, Sustainability and Circularity in the Textile Value Chain: A global roadmap and Global Fashion Agenda’s recent GFA Monitor report set out the priorities and actions all key stakeholders can take towards transformation. However, this transformation will require stakeholders to work together towards common targets that will reduce fashion’s impact and create positive social and environmental contributions.
Through the consultation, the organisations intend to provide clarity and drive accountability by concluding 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.
The consultation will consist of an online survey for target feedback which will be available in multiple languages and regional workshops hosted by UNEP in Latin America and the Caribbean, West Asia, Asia Pacific, and Africa.
Find out more about the Consultation and how to participate here.
Feedback is welcome from now until February 2023, after which feedback analysis will be shared and the aligned targets will be unveiled in the 2023 publication of GFA’s Fashion CEO Agenda at Global Fashion Summit: Copenhagen Edition in June 2023. An assessment of the industry’s progress towards these targets will be disclosed in future editions of The GFA Monitor from 2023 onwards.
Notes to Editors:
(1) 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 targets to be 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
(2) Global Fashion Agenda, McKinsey & Company. (2020) Fashion on Climate.
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About Global Fashion Agenda
Global Fashion Agenda 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 is behind the renowned international forum on sustainability in fashion, Global Fashion Summit, the Innovation Forum, thought leadership publications including The GFA Monitor, Fashion CEO Agenda and Fashion on Climate and impact programmes including the Circular Fashion Partnership and the Global Circular Fashion Forum.
In partnership with its Strategic Partners, ASOS, BESTSELLER, Global Fashion Group, H&M Group, Kering, Nike, PVH Corp., Ralph Lauren Corporation and Target, and our Strategic Knowledge Partner, McKinsey & Company, Global Fashion Agenda spearheads the fashion industry’s journey towards a more sustainable future. Through its work, Global Fashion Agenda reaches thousands of stakeholders including brands, innovators, NGOs, policy makers, manufacturers, investors and more.
About the United Nations Environment Programme
The United Nations Environment Programme is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. 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. Its upcoming roadmap report defines a common agenda of transformation for all value chain actors. UNEP’s textile work builds on multi-stakeholder consultation and collaboration across all regions for a holistic and inclusive approach. This includes involvement in the UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion, an initiative of United Nations agencies and allied organisations designed to contribute holistically to the Sustainable Development Goals through coordinated action in the fashion sector.
For more information and to arrange interviews, please contact:
UNEP News Desk (Nairobi)
Tel: +254 717 080 753
www.unep.org
Dear GFA Community,
As we usher in 2023, I want to take a moment to extend my warmest wishes for the new year and to thank you for your unwavering support throughout 2022. It is thanks to your dedication and commitment to our cause that we have continued to build a thriving and global GFA community.
2022 marked a pivotal year for GFA; we hosted our Summit outside of Copenhagen for the first time in its 13-year history, announced landmark alliances and partnerships, launched new impact programmes and published collaborative reports.
Amidst GFA’s breakthrough announcements and developments, 2022 was undeniably also shadowed by extreme weather events, uncertain economic landscapes, geopolitical strife, and both environmental and social challenges. These adversities exemplified the need for GFA to keep working towards its mission of a net-positive fashion industry, that gives back more to the natural world, people and societies and the economy than it takes out. Every industry is navigating the repercussions of such turbulent times, but it is imperative that we remain strong-minded and united in our ambitions for a better future.
As we look ahead to 2023, I want to emphasise that the changes you now make, individually or collectively, can have impact well beyond the fashion industry. Let’s lead by example and inspire other industries by demonstrating the many opportunities that can be created when we steer our impact strategies with a net-positive mindset and collaborate with actors across the value cycle.
I wish you all a wonderful festive period full of gratitude and hope. We very much look forward to continuing to inspire, educate and mobilise the industry in 2023 to generate even greater impact.
Best wishes,
Federica Marchionni, CEO
Read our latest article exploring what happened in the fashion industry in 2022 here.
Our Highlights From 2022
Copenhagen Edition
Hosted in the grand setting of the Royal Opera House, Copenhagen, on 7-8 June, the event convened over 900 leaders to drive urgent action.
Attendees heard from over 100 speakers including HRH The Crown Princess of Denmark and representatives from Kering, Bottega Veneta, GANNI, UNFCCC, Vestiaire Collective and many more.
Multiple companies chose to announce their latest sustainability measures at the landmark event including Ralph Lauren Corporation, Apparel Impact Institute, Fashion Revolution, Mulberry and more.
Ticketholders had the opportunity to meet with 24 in-person and 51 digital Innovation Forum exhibitors. Over 450 business meetings between fashion companies and sustainable solution providers were facilitated.
Read more here and relive the content in our on-demand library here.
Singapore Edition
Building on the learnings from Copenhagen, on 3 November, Global Fashion Summit assembled over 300 stakeholders representing manufacturers, garment workers, retailers, brands, suppliers, NGOs, policy, and innovators in Singapore and online to spur industry impact.
Attendees heard from over 50 speakers including representatives from PUMA, Zalando, StandUp Lanka, Singapore Fashion Council and many more.
The Summit’s first international edition facilitated even more conversations with manufacturer and supply chain voices to discuss crucial challenges and opportunities around working collaboratively with brands on equal terms.
Ticketholders had the opportunity to meet with 7 in-person Innovation Forum exhibitors.
Read more here and relive the content in our on-demand library here.
The Fashion Industry Target Consultation
Formally announced at COP27, GFA and its new partner; the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), launched the Fashion Industry Target Consultation (FITC)- seeking public input on cohesive and measurable fashion industry impact targets according to the five priorities of the Fashion CEO Agenda.
The consultation’s official survey is now open until February 2023 for feedback. A series of five online regional workshops co-hosted by GFA and UNEP will also run between January and February 2023 in Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, Latin America & the Caribbean, and West Asia for regional participation.
We invite you to take part in the consultation. Find out more and how to participate here.
The GFA Monitor
This year saw the unveiling of The GFA Monitor – a new resource designed to guide fashion leaders towards a net positive fashion industry by 2050. It presents consolidated guidance according to the five core sustainability priorities of the Fashion CEO Agenda.
Building alliances through shared industry knowledge, over 30 partners and organisations were consulted to form a cohesive resource that presents expert insights on the status of the industry, available solutions, clear actions, case studies, and proven best practices. Higg also partnered with GFA to present aggregated performance data across the five sustainability priority areas.
Download The GFA Monitor here.
The Global Circular Fashion Forum
GFA launched the Global Circular Fashion Forum (GCFF), a global initiative, supported by GIZ, to spur local action in textile manufacturing countries to accelerate and scale recycling of post-industrial textile waste. The GCFF will bring together circularity programmes from different organisers to exchange knowledge, pool efforts and share best practices across regions and moreover produce a blueprint to replicate upstream circularity initiatives. It will launch in Viet Nam and Cambodia in 2023 through 2024.
Find out more about the GCFF here.
The Circular Fashion Partnership
The GCFF builds on the Circular Fashion Partnership (CFP) in Bangladesh which facilitates circular commercial collaborations between textile and garment manufacturers, recyclers and fashion brands. Bestseller, Benetton, Teddy Group, H&M Group, Usha Yarns, C&A, Inditex, Kmart, Peak Performance, Cyclo, OVS and Primark are supporting partners that are actively engaged in the Circular Fashion Partnership.
This year, technology partner, Reverse Resources, tracked 6,910,155 kg of textile waste segregated and collected from manufacturers to recycling solutions and onboarded 81 manufacturers to its platform in Bangladesh.
GFA worked to establish funding from UNIDO Switch to Circular Economy Value Chains to continue activities in Bangladesh through 2025.
Find out more about the CFP here.
COP27
GFA worked to place fashion firmly on the COP27 agenda during the conference in Sharm El Sheikh.
To mark the launch of the FITC, GFA and UNEP facilitated two events at COP27 speaking to the importance of holistic, inclusive industry targets to establish an industry-aligned route of travel towards net-positive for both people and planet.
GFA also hosted an event discussing the alliances to decarbonise the fashion value chain. This event built on GFA’s research into cross-sectoral collective action opportunities to finance the increase of renewable energy in manufacturing countries.
Continuing GFA’s partnership with UN Climate Change Secretariat (UNFCCC), Federica Marchionni also contributed to UNFCCC’s Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action event.
Read more about GFA’s activities at COP27 here.
Policy
Following the launch of the EU Textiles Strategy, our CEO, Federica Marchionni and our Public Affairs Director, Maria Luisa Martinez Diez, took part in two high-level roundtables hosted by the European Commissioner in charge of the Environment Virginijus Sinkevičius. Both the Global Fashion Summits in Copenhagen and Singapore have given increased attention to policy and the forthcoming EU Textiles Strategy – with a total of four dynamic policy segments.
Additionally, GFA joined the European Fashion Alliance in June of 2022 as well as the EU Pact for skills. When it comes to the Policy Hub-Circularity for Apparel and Footwear, we lead two EPR roundtables as well as a transparency media masterclass. This was also done alongside a daily follow up, analysis and advocacy actions around seven policy work streams.
New Alliances & Partnerships
In March, GFA forged a new alliance with UN Climate Change secretariat (UNFCCC) to accelerate the fashion industry’s climate action, which was activated around the organisations’ prestigious forums including GFA’s Global Fashion Summit and the UNFCCC’s annual Fashion Charter meeting and Conference of Parties (COP). Read more about the alliance here.
At Global Fashion Summit: Singapore Edition, Global Fashion Agenda (GFA) announced a new partnership with BBC Storyworks Commercial Productions to launch a new branded film series on social and environmental sustainability in the fashion industry, which will be released to a wide audience on a dedicated BBC.com microsite in 2023. Members of the GFA network are invited to share their stories for potential inclusion in this commercial series. Read more about the project here.
Building further alliances, GFA partnered with Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) to host the SAC Annual Meeting and Global Fashion Summit back-to-back in Singapore in order to complement each organizations strengths, build greater synergy and ensure a more compelling experience for attendees to accelerate greater impact. Read more about the alliance here.
This year, GFA was also delighted to be an official Nominator for the 2022 Earthshot Prize, the most prestigious and ambitious global environment prize in history, designed to incentivise change and aid in the repair of our planet over the next ten years. Explore the winners here.
Furthermore, GFA welcomed three new Associate Partners: Neiman Marcus Group, PUMA, and Vestiaire Collective; a new Data Partner: Higg; five new impact partners: Fair Labor Association, the Social & Labor Convergence Program, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Apparel Impact Institute, and Textile Exchange, and a Summit Media Partner: FT Live.
Explore all of our partners here.
Throughout the year, Global Fashion Agenda has paid close attention to industry developments, noteworthy days and core themes.
To learn more about these explore our latest news page here.
