How Apparel Companies Can Reduce Their Environmental Impact

With the environment on many consumers’ minds, what’s-new-what’s-next in fashion is no longer quite as fashionable as it used to be. The $2.4 trillion apparel industry accounts for 8% to 10% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined, and 20% of the world’s industrial wastewater drains out of the industry, according to the United Nations Alliance for Sustainable Fashion. Though “fast fashion” often takes the blame, make no mistake, low-cost trendy clothing is not the industry’s only guilty party. Fashion at all price levels drives overconsumption, experts say, and, if business continues as usual, the apparel industry’s climate impact is expected to increase 49% by 2030—almost equal to the current annual United States’ greenhouse gas emissions, according to a Quantis report on the environmental impact of the global fashion industry. Read more at Fortune.