(Sharm el-Sheikh) The fashion industry has pledged to halve its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. But at the UN climate conference in Egypt, representatives in the sector had to admit that this objective would be very difficult to achieve.
Posted at 9:55 a.m.
In 2018, around 30 brands signed the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action at COP24 in Katowice, Poland, committing to reduce their emissions by 30% by 2030 and to reach the carbon neutrality in 2050.
In November 2021, they set a new, more ambitious target of halving their emissions by the end of the decade.
More than a hundred companies have now signed up to this charter, including fashion giants like Sweden’s H&M and Spain’s Inditex, owner of Zara, or sports brands like Adidas and Nike.
The goal of net zero emissions by 2050 poses a major challenge for these companies with long supply chains, including suppliers and manufacturers scattered across the globe.
“Did we get there? Of course not. We are on the right path ? I would say maybe,” acknowledged Stefan Seidel, head of sustainability for the Puma brand, during a roundtable at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh.
The sector was responsible for 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2018, equivalent to the total emissions of the UK, France and Germany, according to consultancy firm McKinsey.
About 90% of fashion industry emissions are produced by suppliers, according to the nonprofit Global Fashion Agenda.
An “act of faith”
Converting all production chains and imposing climate standards on raw material suppliers and garment factories is a huge task.
“We have more than 800 suppliers,” points out Leyla Ertur, sustainability manager at H&M.
“Even we are not big enough to change all the supply chains, collaboration is essential,” says Marie-Claire Daveu, head of sustainable development for the Kering group, which includes luxury brands like Gucci and Yves Saint. -Laurent.
Ali Nouira, an Egyptian manufacturer, presented at COP27 the difficulties of suppliers, for example in a region like his where certification bodies do not exist.
When we manufacture, we have to have all the certifications, the carbon footprint in particular, and for a small brand from Egypt it is extremely difficult and expensive.
Ali Nouira, an Egyptian manufacturer
“We produce for other brands, in Europe and elsewhere. We are under pressure to have the certifications and also to lower our prices, so that they can continue to make a profit,” he added.
The vice-president of the textile group Tal Apparel, Delman Lee, assures that his company, which has its headquarters in Hong Kong, has been engaged for ten years in the process of decarbonization.
But the group has subsidiaries in Vietnam and Ethiopia, and the different regulations in different countries are obstacles.
Embarking on the “zero carbon” path is “an act of faith”, he said: “You commit to something without knowing how you will be able to achieve it. »
Low interest rates
Mentalities have already changed in developed countries, underlines Nicholas Mazzei, head of the sustainable development department of Zalando, one of the major online sales brands.
So, he says, “some big banks are offering a lower interest rate to those who are committed to a net-zero emissions goal.” “At the end of the day, if you do this transformation, the interest rates are so low that the costs are practically zero,” he says.
But for suppliers, the road to transition is still long.
“We need more renewable energy than big business,” says Catherine Chiu, vice president of sustainability at another Hong Kong company, Crystal International Group.
“Even if we installed solar panels on all of our 20 factories, this would only represent 17% of the consumption of the whole group,” she points out.
“The private sector is fulfilling its role. But regulators move at their own pace,” notes Delman Lee.