Many in the fashion industry are aware of this, but the situation is likely to continue to get worse before it gets better. “The global economic downturn is forcing supply chains to cut costs and shorten lead times, which risks reversing some of the progress that responsible companies have made on human rights,” says Marius Storchai, head of product and sustainability at Continental Clothing, an end-to-end fashion wholesale manufacturer with a focus on responsible production.
Adapting to Climate Change
The intersection of social inequality and climate change exacerbates the problem, says Amanda Johnston, curator and education consultant at The Sustainable Angle, which runs the materials innovation trade show Future Fabrics Expo. Fashion supply chains are already more vulnerable to extreme weather, with effects from farms to garment factories. Tamsin Lejeune, founder and CEO of sustainability tech platform Common Objective, says the costs of these adaptations should be shared between suppliers and brands, and prices should align with the cost of progress. Otherwise, beleaguered suppliers will focus on simply checking boxes rather than implementing meaningful change.
The question of who will bear the costs of change is not simple. “Fashion is not the only driver of the climate crisis, but many of the 54 countries currently facing a debt crisis are clothing-producing countries, such as Pakistan and Sri Lanka,” Simpliciano says. She points to recent research from Debt Justice that shows countries in the Global South are currently spending five times more on debt repayments than they are responding to the impacts of the climate crisis. “Fashion needs to invest more money and resources into strong decarbonization strategies, while also addressing heat and flood risks. Fashion has to pay a price – and it has to pay a price as it is the wealthiest power player in this equation.”
Facilitating cultural change
To address inequality, fashion’s values need to be reassessed. As highlighted in the UN’s Sustainable Fashion Communication Playbook, released in June, fashion has the power to create and disrupt broader cultural narratives, especially around overproduction and overconsumption. Now, Johnston says, the industry needs to use that power to rethink supply chains. “One of the biggest opportunities to effect change is to use the power of fashion as a communication tool and creative force to inspire positive action.”
That change also involves a shift from competition to collaboration. Some brands, such as San Francisco-based brand Allbirds, have started to open-source their innovations, but Håkansson says more barriers need to be broken down. “Right now, a lot of brands are working on change internally, which is great and necessary, but the industry needs to move faster, and that means collaborating and open-sourcing our innovations. Instead of trying to figure out who’s going to win the race, we need to decide to get in together.”
“Without action, fashion becomes irrelevant.”
Simpliciano adds that collaboration often starts with suppliers. “Build stronger relationships with your supply chain partners and respect them with responsible purchasing practices and wage rates that enable minimum wage,” she says. “You have to draw on the expertise of the people who make your clothes. No supply chain due diligence is meaningful if it ignores their voices.”
