In COP24 held in Katowice, Poland, the global fashion industry and related stakeholders came together under the initiative of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, to frame the ‘Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action’. The primary objective of this charter is to bring the fashion industry to comply with the Paris Agreement treaty by achieving a net zero emissions target by 2050, which is essential to keep the rise in global temperatures below 1.5° Celsius. Another of its goals is  to meet 100 percent of their energy requirements through renewable sources by 2030.

Fashion industry tends to set the trend for the entire world, so it’s only efficient that they lead the world into practices resulting in carbon reduction and sustainability.

At present, the charter has grown to 101 signatories, including industry giants like PUMA, Chanel, Nike, H&M, etc. Among the primary mandates, is the mandate of disclosing progress against the interim and long-term goals of the members, through a non-profit organisation named Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). 10 of the signatories to the charter made it on the A-List of Companies of CDP last year, promising real leadership by the industry. This year’s progress report will be published on February 28 following the Bangladesh Policy Roundtable Conference on February 27 where policy solutions regarding expansion of renewable sources would be discussed.

In a two day meeting held in Bonn, Germany between February 7 and February 8, members of the charter discussed the way forward. About 45 percent of the active signatories have been compliant with the charter’s mandates. As commented upon by Simon Steill, the UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, there is much progress related to compliance with the charter’s basic reporting requirements as well as disclosure of climate related information by the members. Although, there is a long way to go for now, positive collaboration efforts among the members seem promising.