The President of France Emmanuel Macron introduced his new Fashion Pact at the G7 summit this August. The signatories pledge to be more transparent in how their clothing is made and to be held accountable for it.
The pact has science-based targets in three areas; global warming, restoring biodiversity and preserving oceans.
The G7 is an international intergovernmental organisation of the seven largest advanced economies in the world, they include Canada, Japan, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States and Italy. The G7 leaders hold a summit each year where they address challenges affecting the growth of the world economy – a perfect time for Macron to bring forward his Fashion Pact.
The pact aims to reduce global warming by achieving zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 so they can keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius. For replenishing biodiversity, the brands are focusing on restoring natural ecosystems and protecting species. Lastly, for the preservation of oceans, they will aim to reduce their use of single-use plastics.
According to Vogue, 150 brands have joined the pact. There are many types of brands that have signed on, such as activewear brands like Adidas and Puma, affordable brands like Gap Inc and H&M Group as well as high-end brands and designers like Chanel, Hermes, Prada, Stella McCartney, Giorgio Armani and Karl Lagerfeld.
Another thing the pact promotes is circularity, a concept promoted by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation that encourages using recycled textiles and aims at eliminating waste and the continual use of resources. It tries to move away from the linear model of production where we just “take, make, dispose of”.
The Fashion Pact also aims to get at least 20% of the fashion industry involved in the pact.
Why is a pact like this needed? The fashion industry is one of the worst industries in the world when it comes to pollution. It is responsible for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
It contributes to all different forms of environmental pollution, including water, air and soil. Their environmental impact is so high because of their use of synthetic fibres and the agriculture pollution of fashion crops.
Until recently, most people were unaware as to how much plastic is actually in our clothing but unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to avoid. Just check the labels of any of your clothing and you’re bound to see things like polyethene, polyester, nylon, acrylic and polyamide which all indicate that there is plastic in your items.
These plastic fibres are small and can get washed into the sea whenever we use a washing machine. Then they pass through our water treatment plants and go straight to pollute our oceans.
It’s high time the big names in the fashion industry acknowledge the effect they are having on the environment and that is exactly what this G7 Fashion Pact is doing.