The Climate Pledge, Amazon, the British luxury brand Stella McCartney and the Canadian environmental organisation Canopy are said to have co-founded The Climate Pledge Fashion Coalition, according to FashionUnited UK. The group would reportedly benefit from the convening support of the World Economic Forum (WEF).
This coalition would draw on more than 60 signatories of the Climate Pledge, including fashion brands, innovators, manufacturers and retailers. The Climate Pledge, co-founded by Amazon and the organisation Global Optimism in 2019, would now count more than 700 signatories across more than 60 sectors, with a shared goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2040.
Materials still too costly or fragmented
According to the brief shared by FashionUnited UK, the materials and processes capable of significantly reducing the sector's environmental footprint remain today too costly, scarce or fragmented to compete with conventional alternatives at scale. L'initiative would therefore aim to support the development, commercialisation and adoption of materials and processes with a reduced footprint, including organic, recycled or next-generation fibres derived from waste, as well as manufacturing technologies that limit the use of water, chemicals and carbon emissions.
Among the tools put forward is the « Fashion Coalition Lever Library », developed in consultation with more than 30 brands and suppliers. This resource would reportedly cover more than 100 proven or emerging solutions, fibre-by-fibre recommendations and a directory of innovators. The « Next Gen Now » programme, led by Canopy, would also connect signatories with next-generation fibres and technologies deemed ready for commercial adoption.
Financing and fashion players
In collaboration with the WEF, the coalition would reportedly develop blended-finance mechanisms combining risk reduction led by development finance institutions with private capital, in order to unlock investment at scale.
Among the signatories on the fashion side would reportedly be the American brands Anna Sui, Another Tomorrow, Brooks Running, DL1961, E.L.V Denim, Faherty and Mother Denim, the Australian brand Christopher Esber, the Swiss materials innovator Bananatex, the French resale platform Vestiaire Collective and the British luxury department store Selfridges. D'autres signatories cited include Biofluff, Circ, Ciucani, Collina Strada, Pure.Tech and unspun.
Kara Hurst, Amazon's chief sustainability officer, reportedly said: « La mode ne manque pas d'ambition en matière de durabilité. Les gens recherchent déjà des options plus durables lorsqu'ils font leurs achats, et l'industrie doit désormais tenir cette promesse à grande échelle. À travers The Climate Pledge, nous réunissons plus de 60 marques de mode et de distribution, fabricants et innovateurs pour y parvenir. »
Stella McCartney, founder and creative director of her eponymous brand, reportedly said for her part: « Depuis plus de vingt ans, j'ai travaillé aux côtés d'innovateurs qui prouvent que la mode peut être fabriquée différemment. Les solutions existent déjà. Ce qui manquait, c'était un engagement à l'échelle de l'industrie pour les faire passer à grande échelle. The Climate Pledge Fashion Coalition consiste à transformer l'innovation en infrastructure, à créer une demande réelle pour la prochaine génération de matériaux, et à offrir aux pionniers un chemin de la percée technologique vers la norme industrielle. »
By demonstrating that innovation at the production stage works effectively at scale, the group would reportedly aim to provide regulators with concrete evidence to guide future environmental regulations for the sector.
