New analysis by Stand.earth on the state of several major fashion brands’ net zero commitments says that many of the companies lacked the tools necessary to achieve their goals throughout the supply chain.
The companies in the analysis included American Eagle, UNIQLO, Gap, H&M, Zara, Kering, Levi’s, lululemon, Nike and VF Corporation.
Stand, a US-based environmental organisation, says it evaluated the brands and compared their current commitments against the HLEG guidance in three key areas: climate ambition, phasing out fossil fuels-transitioning to renewable energy, and transparency and accountability.
The analysis says that the brands’ net zero ambitions are not stretching into brands’ value chains, where the vast majority of their GHG emissions are buried.
It continues that while brands are embracing renewable energy in their operations, there’s a large implementation gap when it comes to supply chain fossil fuel phase-out.
If companies want to prove they’re not just greenwashing they need to follow the net zero guidelines set out by the HLEG.
Stand also found that brands are failing to provide supply chain transparency essential for accountability to their targets. The analysis is in addition to a report Stand released earlier this month on the increase of carbon emissions from various major fashion brands over the past year.
Corporate Campaigns Director at Stand.earth, Gary Cook, said: “If companies want to prove they’re not just greenwashing they need to follow the net zero guidelines set out by the HLEG and be the carbon reduction leaders they pretend to be.
“We’re seeing a lot of greenwashing from the fashion industry because they know consumers want sustainable and ethical products, but they need to show how they are moving off fossil fuels, and prove they’re not just all talk.”
