71 - The fashion industry’s sustainability scorecard

Wins and woes in 2024

The catwalk to climate sustainability ♻️

Firstly.

No one knows exactly how much clothing we produce each year.

Some say 80 billion, some other 100, some 140.

Every one of these numbers is still astonishingly high, as we are 8 billion on this planet, and we might have clothing for the next 6 generations produced in just one year.

So, fashion.

The industry is finding itself at a crossroads between progress and persistent challenges in its never-ending quest for sustainability.

With this massive carbon footprint and resource-heavy supply chains, the sector has been under mounting pressure to clean up its act. But did the industry deliver on its promises in 2024?

The year has been a mix of triumphs and setbacks.

Let’s have a look at some wrap-up data.

A bar chart showing the actual and projected greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for the apparel sector from 2019 to 2030. The green bars represent actual emissions (2019-2022), while the light green bars indicate projected emissions (2023-2030). A target line demonstrates a 45% reduction goal by 2030, compared to the 2019 baseline. Emissions are expected to increase to 1.243 gigatonnes by 2030 if no action is taken, while the target reduction would bring emissions down to 0.489 gigatonnes. Data source: Apparel Impact Institute, as featured by Vogue Business.

Projected Greenhouse Gas Emissions for the Apparel Sector (2019-2030)

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