Photo Credit: Annie Spratt
Global Fashion Agenda (GFA), the non-profit organization that fosters collaboration on sustainability in fashion to drive impact, has released its report ‘The GFA Monitor’ to accelerate alignment with the 1.5 degree path and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations.
GFA fosters collaboration on sustainability in fashion to accelerate impact. It consulted more than 30 partners and organizations to form a cohesive resource featuring expert information on the state of the industry, available solutions, clear actions to take, and proven best practices.
The GFA Monitor presents guidance according to the five sustainability priorities of the Trendy CEO Agenda: safe and respectful work environments, better pay systems, circular systems, resource stewardship and smart material choices. Building partnerships through shared industry knowledge, each priority includes insights from experts from GFA’s Impact Partners, including the Fair Labor Association (FLA), Social & Labor Convergence Program (SLCP), Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Apparel Impact Institute, and Textile Exchange.
Through action on these priorities, GFA believes the industry will move toward achieving a living wage and fair compensation for all, a significant reduction in conventional virgin resources, and a decline in emissions that will lead to an industry of net positive mode.
“The fashion industry employs approximately 70 million people and generates enormous economic value, but its current practices affect the planet and the value is not distributed fairly among the people who generate it,” the report states. “To create a net positive fashion industry that delivers more than is needed, fashion leaders must continue to join forces with their peers and partners across the fashion value cycle to achieve systemic change in five fronts: safe and respectful work environments, better wage systems, resource management, smart material choices and circular systems”.
Federica Marchionni, Executive Director of Global Fashion Agenda, notes: “With such a variety of information circulating about sustainability, it can be a challenge for leaders to identify which actions will take them down the path of progress. Through this report, we aim to create an aligned resource for the industry. We have created alliances with multiple expert organizations with different specialties to combine existing knowledge and reduce complexity. The solutions and tools that the fashion industry needs to improve already exist. It’s time to use them ambitiously. I hope that this report can be a companion to the industry on its journey to achieve a net positive industry by 2050.
Through a newly formed partnership with sustainability information platform Higg, GFA is working to establish a measurement baseline to improve the availability, reliability and consistency of data to measure industry progress. Data from brands and retailers that have completed the Higg Brands and Retailers Module (BRM) indicate that they have made the most progress in the areas of Resource Management, Safe and Respectful Work Environments, and Smart Material Choices, while still Significant improvements remain to be made. related to Better Salary Systems and Circular Systems. The data demonstrates that more action is urgently needed in all five priority areas to improve industry performance.
Building on the inaugural 2022 edition, GFA intends for The GFA Monitor to become an annual fashion industry indicator; monitor industry progress to increase accountability, present the latest insights and impact data, and identify critical actions required to meet your goals. GFA welcomes further cooperation with other industry organizations as the annual report evolves and responds to scientific and industry developments.
Jason Kibbey, CEO of Higg, data partner of The GFA Monitor, says: “Higg is honored to have been selected as a data partner of GFA. We look forward to helping close the information gaps that exist today to give businesses the data they need to make critical interventions and reduce impact.”
GFA and its Impact Partners will discuss the findings during the World Fashion Summit: Copenhagen Edition, the international forum for sustainability in fashion, taking place this week at the Royal Opera House in Copenhagen.
GFA recently forged a new partnership with the UN Climate Change Secretariat (UNFCCC) to accelerate action by the fashion industry on climate change.
Click here to download the full report from The GFA Monitor.
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Source: www.just-style.com