The IPCC’s Mitigation of Climate Change report explained, and what it means for the fashion industry

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – an intergovernmental body of the United Nations – has just released the third and final part of their sixth assessment report, exploring sources of global emissions, solutions available to remedy the climate crisis, and our timeline to do so, before it’s too late.

“Now or never”

Professor Jim Skea, a co-chair of the working group behind the report, has said: “it’s now or never, if we want to limit global warming to 1.5C. Without immediate and deep emissions reductions across all sectors, it will be impossible.”

This IPCC report has drawn on the work of thousands of scientists, and taken seven years to produce. But we don’t have another seven years to wait around before we’re warned again – greenhouse gas emissions must not rise further past the year 2025, in order for us to avoid catastrophe.

UN Secretary Antonio Guterres has said "the jury has reached a verdict and it is damning... we are on a fast track to climate disaster".

So what do we do?

Here are the key targets from the latest IPCC report:

• Coal must be completely phased out, should Earth stay within a 1.5C global temperature rise. To ensure this, all planned new fossil fuel infrastructure must be cancelled, as these would result in the world’s temperature rise exceeding 1.5C.

• Methane emissions must be reduced by a third. The report recognises that addressing animal agriculture is critical to this.

• Planting new trees and preserving soil is important, but alone cannot compensate for the emissions from further fossil fuel extraction and release.

• We need six times more funding to support the shift to a low-carbon world than we have now.

• All sectors of the global economy must change dramatically and rapidly.

The IPCC report says that government, businesses and individuals must act for our planet

This report makes clear that action must be taken at every level, should we avoid climate catastrophe. Focussing in on the fashion industry, how can government, businesses and citizen consumers support the shift to a low-emissions sector?

Government

Global governments must use their significant power to protect our future on this planet. The problem here, as pointed out by António Guterres, on those claiming to be on track for 1.5C, is that “some government and business leaders are saying one thing – but doing another. Simply put, they are lying. And the results will be catastrophic.”

There are plenty of actions global governments must take, many of which implicate the fashion industry.

• Governments must end their funding of all fossil fuel projects, in line with IPCC findings.
  This would demand a shift from the fashion industry which relies heavily on fossil fuels for the production of virgin synthetic materials.

• In order to reduce methane by one third, and to allow for more land which can sequester carbon, governments should support a just transition away from animal agriculture.
  This shift must consider not only food but also fashion production, which currently makes use of the fur, skin, wool and feathers of animals including foxes, mink, cattle, sheep, goats, ducks and other animals. IPCC reporting recognises that a shift away from animal production would result in far reduced emissions and land occupation.

• Subsidies currently propping up fossil fuels and ruminant animal production should be redirected to supporting a shift to a low-carbon economy.
  When it comes to the fashion industry, these funds should be put towards bio-material innovation and the creation of a more circular fashion system which encourages repairing and recycling rather than discarding products. More broadly, funding should be given to renewable energy system setup, and to Indigenous communities who can better care for land no longer occupied by inefficient production systems.

• Governments need to legislate the protection of our climate and planet, influencing businesses and their capacity to harm the environment.
  We’ve recently seen an increase in proposed legislation aiming to address the fashion industry’s environmental and social impact – for example, New Standard Institute’s ‘The Fashion Act’. This and other important legislation – such as the banning of fur, exotic skins, leather and other harmful material production systems – are critical and should be supported and passed by governments.

Businesses in the fashion industry

• Even if governments are acting too slowly in the phase out of fossil fuels, fashion brands and businesses must act on this issue themselves.
  This means investing in the development of bio-materials, and setting clear commitments and targets to phase out the use of virgin synthetics.
  
  

• Businesses in the fashion industry must track their emissions more effectively, and track methane, not only carbon. This information should be used to inform climate-friendly decisions.
  The largest fashion industry dataset – the Higg Material Sustainability Index – shows all commonly used animal-derived materials to have the most significant and harmful climate impact during production – even more than synthetics. Brands must set clear commitments and targets to progress beyond fur, animal skins and wool.
  
  

• The IPCC report notes the concept of ‘choice architecture’ as important, helping consumers to make more sustainable choices.
  Fashion brands must take action to ensure that what they sell and market as fashionable is sustainable, and that their marketing decisions positively influence the actions of their customers. The report notes the need for businesses like fashion brands to address ‘status consumption’ – where people purchase products for the sake of social prestige. Unsustainable but historically considered ‘luxurious’ products like fur, exotic skins and calf skin leather, as well as other fashion made from exploited wild animals must be marked clearly by the industry as undesirable. Similarly, the idea that people must buy new clothes regularly for the sake of social status must be addressed and changed by the industry.
  
  

• The report also notes the importance of repairable, long-lasting products and the need for such products to be presented as desirable to consumers.
  Brands must ditch the endless fast fashion cycle which prioritises new trends over well made, long lasting clothing. The fashion industry must stop producing ‘micro-trends’, slow down its pace of production, and work to make their own brands more circular by offering repairs. This will stop so many clothes from heading to landfill, in turn breaking down and releasing methane emissions.
  
  

• All sectors of the global economy must change dramatically and rapidly.
  There’s no time for the fashion industry to wait before making these changes.

Citizen consumers of fashion

While government and industry must act, we cannot ignore our collective responsibility as citizens to contribute to a more sustainable future in fashion. Here’s how we can do this, in line with IPCC reporting:

• Avoid virgin synthetic materials derived from fossil fuels.
  
  

• Avoid methane-emitting, land inefficient animal-derived materials like leather, sheep and alpaca wool, and cashmere.
  
  

• Opt out of the idea that you must buy new clothes all of the time, and instead, wear, care for and repair the clothes you have.
  
  

• Unfollow pages that encourage over-consumption or that glorify unsustainable fashion. Unsubscribe from brand newsletters that pressure you to buy new clothing you don’t need.
  
  

• Before you buy something, ask if you really need it, if you love it, how sustainable it is, and if it’s going to last you years to come.

A note on equality and social justice in sustainability

Before wrapping up, it’s important to make clear that the IPCC report recognises that social justice and addressing colonialism is critical to true sustainability:

“Unless we have social justice, there are not going to be more accelerated greenhouse gas reductions. These issues are tied together.” – Professor Catherine Mitchell, report drafting author

When it comes to the fashion industry, we will not see a truly sustainable system of production unless we aim for a total ethics fashion system. The exploitation of garment workers – who are largely women of colour – allows for the mass production of clothing. If brands paid living wages to everyone in their supply chains, they would be forced through finance to produce less. Similarly, unless we end the exploitation of non-humans in fashion, we will continue to risk biodiversity and climate through these harmful systems. Without progress away from these exploitative materials, we will also continue to damage Indigenous land that could otherwise be given back.

Now is not the time for despondency, but for action.

The existential threat of the climate crisis is confronting and can feel debilitating. But our only chance of curbing climate catastrophe is by acting now, and by acting together.

Make a commitment today as an individual, as a fashion industry member, or as a policy maker to do your part to create a fashion industry which is genuinely sustainable.