Fashion possesses one of the most powerful marketing engines on earth. Brands, designers, imagemakers and the media have a major influence on the identities, values and actions of billions of people across all segments of society. This in turn impacts consumption patterns, which is a central factor in reducing the climate impact of the sector.
UNEP is examining the role of sustainable fashion communication as a highly visible engine for lifestyle change and consumer education, and a core component of achieving systemic change in the sector. It is in direct consultation with organisations from across the global fashion and textile value chain to do so. The aim is to shift the fashion narrative from one of extraction, exploitation and disposable consumption, towards regeneration, equity and care by increasing consumer awareness, industry accountability and policy breakthroughs.
The first milestone in this work was a communication commitment added to the upgraded UNFCCC Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action during COP26. What will follow is a guideline on how to align consumer-facing communication across the global fashion industry to sustainability targets, with examples of best practices for implementation and measurement.
This ties into UNEP's broader work on providing strategic leadership and encouraging sector-wide collaboration to accelerate a just transition towards a sustainable and circular textile value chain.
