Why Luxury Brands Still Need a Sustainability Director
How Can Sustainability Directors Bring the Luxury Fashion Industry to Net Zero?
Happy Monday Fashion Talk readers!
Let’s kick off the week with an insightful piece by our student guest writer Trapetas, aka “Kat.”
In this article, Trapetas delves into the urgent necessity for sustainability within the fashion industry, a topic of ongoing significance and debate within the sector. She delves into the environmental challenges faced by the fashion industry and the crucial role of sustainability officers in driving positive change.
The data presented in this article underscores the critical importance of sustainability directors in guiding the fashion industry towards achieving net-zero emissions. Their role is essential in safeguarding our environment and preserving the beauty of our world for future generations.
Happy reading,
Amarissa
Editor-in-Chief, Fashion Talk
Corporate Responsibility, Ethics, and Accountability Amidst the Climate Crisis
The fashion industry accounts for ten percent of global carbon emissions annually; prospectively industry emissions account for more carbon emissions than all international flights and maritime shipping combined.
Consumer engagement with fast fashion has surged over the years. At the turn of the century, 50 billion garments were produced, and just twenty years later, the figures have doubled according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. The United Nations warns that if this trend continues, the industry's greenhouse gas emissions will increase by more than half by the year 2030. Despite these alarming projections, fashion remains the world's third-largest manufacturing sector.
LVMH, Europe’s wealthiest corporation, holds the title of the world leader in luxury, boasting fourteen fashion and leather goods houses. In 2023, the company reported an impressive annual revenue of 93.4 billion. Remarkably, the French company was the first to surpass the 500 billion barriers, solidifying its position as one of the world’s most valuable companies.
Kering Group is second to LVMH, with a whopping 19.5 billion in annual revenue. Additionally, parent companies like Tapestry, Inc, which recently acquired Capri Holdings, collectively generated a revenue of 12 billion dollars.
So, the question is what is such a wealthy industry doing to combat climate change?
Luxury fashion houses seem to be more sustainable than their fast fashion counterparts. However, when considering the emissions generated during Milan, Paris, London, and New York Fashion Weeks, the travel of buyers and brands alone results in 241,000 tons of carbon emissions annually.
This is enough energy to light up Times Square for fifty-eight years.
There are incentives like the United Nations Alliance for Sustainable Fashion, Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action, Labor Behind the Label, and the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS); however, NGOs are often limited by their annual budget, unlike the billion-dollar fashion industry.
So, what are the alternatives?
Here is the case for why every luxury fashion house needs a sustainability director to achieve net zero emissions by 2050
The Paris Agreement underscores the urgency of curbing greenhouse emissions to 1.5 degrees celsius to prevent irreversible damage to ozone layers, natural habitats, and humanity as it is known. Leading scientists advocate for achieving net zero emissions by 2050 across various industries and governments. Notably, the fashion industry is a critical battleground in the global effort to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emission (GHG).
As of 2023, global emissions remain “eye-watering high” as emphasized by the Carbon Disclosure Project. The data reveals that just the members of the project, comprising one hundred and one fashion companies such as Burberry, Chanel, H&M Group, and Nike, among others, collectively produce annual emissions surpassing those of the entire economies of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom combined.
Here is what it’ll mean if the fashion industry achieves the net zero target:
The effect of the industry is most substantial in terms of water consumption, energy emissions, waste creation, and chemical usage. Simply speaking, it takes 3,781 liters of water to make one pair of jeans, equating to 33.4 kilograms of carbon. This industry alone can significantly drop GHG emissions near its needed target. To do so, the industry will need to invest over a trillion dollars in climate solutions to reach net zero by 2050.
While the industry boasts significant revenue, financing innovations in technological, circular business models, alternative materials, renewable energy utilization, energy efficiency, improved labor conditions, and fair wages requires collaborative efforts across industries, and governmental support.
This is why brands need to appoint a sustainability director who can facilitate such initiatives and drive meaningful change towards more environmentally and socially responsible practices.
The need for various types of financing on a large scale necessitates an innovative expansion of the job market. The climate crisis presents significant implications for the industry.
What are corporate responses? Many companies are rushing to recruit chief sustainability officers. This demand highlights the need for specialized expertise in navigating environmental and social issues within the industry. Industry insiders say that the job description for such roles is being “written in real-time” to meet the evolving demands of sustainability initiatives.
Why aren’t previous roles sufficient? Is there a real need for Sustainability Directors?
The answer is complex. There have been major advancements in sustainable practices at many seasoned luxury houses, but most brands do not have the institutional capacity to meet the net zero horizon yet. As the adage goes, “you cannot teach an old dog new tricks.” There is a need to reinvent the wheel.
In 2022, world leaders convened for the 26th United Nations Conference, highlighting that the entire world is deviating from scientists' stringent 1.5 Celsius goals. 151 countries even submitted new climate plans, setting the world on a trajectory for a 2.5 Celsius warming by the end of the century, World Resource Institute reports.
Experts say sustainability officers bring a wealth of expertise and passion to implement sustainable efforts within companies. Recognizing their vital role, Sustainability Magazine has ranked the top ten sustainability officers in the fashion industry. Among these dynamic professionals is Adidas’ Katja Schreiber, who was able to elevate the company’s environmental, social, and governance values to 79 out of 100, the highest of any company globally.
The career page of the renowned Business of Fashion publication currently lists 437 open positions related to sustainability. These include roles such as Director of Material Strategy & Innovation, Sustainability at Coach, Senior Manager of Supply Chain Environmental Responsibility at Tapestry, and Environmental Reporting Coordinator at Moncler. This substantial number of job openings underscores the growing demand for professionals with expertise in sustainability within the fashion industry.
These professionals play pivotal roles in shaping the fashion industry towards sustainability. They are actively involved in initiatives such as establishing a circular fashion economy, publishing brands’ annual climate reports, and advocating for an ethical wage economy, among other responsibilities.
Recent legislative actions, such as the New York Fashion Act and the European Union Anti-Fast Fashion Recommendation, underscore the importance of having policy-savvy environmentalists within brands. These individuals are instrumental in navigating and implementing regulations that promote sustainable practices and address environmental concerns within the fashion industry.
In essence, sustainability officers are needed for everything from their expertise and innovation to their sense of urgency in striving to achieve net zero emissions.
Get to know Trapetas “Kat” McGill here.
For updates, follow Fashion Talk on Instagram.