The apparel industry accounts for 10 per cent of global carbon emissions, with more than US$150 billion garments produced every year, thus, the climate change is an equal concern for clothing companies and CEOs of seven apparel giants including H&M, Gap and Adidas. They are worried because the global warming will drive up their costs. They are calling on several governments to agree on a strong climate change deal. These seven companies are among the world’s top users of cotton and the executives said they were concerned that global warming could drive up their costs by harming cotton production.
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The joint declaration signed by heads of Levi Strauss, VF Corp, Eileen Fisher and Burton Snowboards, says, “We have come together to acknowledge that the climate change is harming the world where we operate. Climate change mitigation and technological innovation are vital to the health and well-being of those who make and use our products, as well as to the future supply of materials needed to make those products.” However, the declaration included no new commitments or plans by the companies that will help them reach those aims.
The CEOs hoped that the Paris deal would ensure net zero greenhouse gas emissions well before the end of the century and include assurance that national climate commitments are strengthened every five years, starting in 2020. As fashion industry is being criticized for helping fuel a wasteful throwaway culture, few companies have been trying to improve their environmental credentials by launching products made from recycled materials.
