COP27: Fashion's last chance to fight climate change? Action over words.

The 27th UN Climate Conference (COP27) started on Sunday in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh (November 7 - 18). This year's summit comes at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions and mounting criticism over so-called 'greenwashing' of national and corporate climate pledges.

The list of criticisms ranges from COP27's collaboration with Coca Cola, one of the world's biggest plastic polluters, to human rights violations by host country Egypt, to alleged false promises made by national leaders after the Paris Climate Agreement. As in most years, leaders too have faced charges of hypocrisy through the use of private jets to attend the summit.

The conference began with (more) urgent appeals and warnings from scientists about the consequences of global warming. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a stark call to action at the opening: "The clock is ticking, we are in a fight of our lives, and we are losing....humanity has a choice: cooperate or perish. It is either a climate solidarity pact or a collective suicide pact.”

The urgency of the challenge should not come as a surprise by now. Severe floods in Pakistan, drought in Somalia, escalation of heatwaves, destructive storms in the Philippines, droughts and wildfires in Europe have all provided harbingers of a future without climate action. And 2022 is not over yet.

Like last year the fashion industry is officially on the agenda at COP27 -being as it is both a major contributor to and victim of (the destructive effects of) global warming.  The garment and textile industry is one of the most polluting industries globally, with long and complex supply chains and energy-intensive production models that colelctively outstrip the carbon footprint of the aviation and shipping industries combined.  Yet despite this, the industry has not yet taken substantive collective steps to reform its business and production models.

The UN Fashion Charter for Climate Action, which aims to forge industry commitment to reduce emissions, will hold an event on Nov. 11. Last year, the focus was on updating the scope of the targets; this year, the focus is expected to be on implementation.  

Mitigating climate impact on the sector is also a key challenge. According to a new report of risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft apparel manufacturing heavyweights such as India, Ethiopia and Pakistan are among the most vulnerable in the world to climate change. The devastating floods in Pakistan killed more than 1,600 people and damaged 35% of the cotton crop, prompting closure of hundreds of smaller textile mills.

Developing countries, where most global apparel production takes place, have received only a tiny fraction of the financial support they need. Calls are now growing for compensation from wealthier countries in the form of a dedicated fund to cover the costs of severe damage and loss. On Sunday, delegates agreed to put damage and loss financing on the summit agenda for the first time.

In a recent article by Rachel Deeley, sustainability reporter at Business of Fashion, she writes, “Rather than another year of talk, COP watchers are looking for governments and companies to put cold hard cash behind their commitments. Tackling climate change is going to come with a hefty price tag.  The fashion industry itself needs billions of dollars of investment every year to keep up with climate commitments.”

Whether it's calling on companies to meet pledges with capital, or to finally push through stricter international laws that mandate transparency and environmental due diligence (so that brands have no choice but to take action in their supply chain), one thing is certain. There is no more time to waste. As Laila Petrie, chief executive of climate consultancy 2050, points out: “We’re in the phase now where implementation is the only route to success. It doesn’t matter what else we do, we have to implement.”