The UN Climate Conference in Belém, Brazil, served as a stark wake-up call to the fashion industry. Years of sustainability pledges and net-zero commitments have resulted in nothing. Fashion sector emissions surged to 944 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2023 – a 7.5% increase that moves the industry even further from Paris Agreement targets.
The numbers tell a damning story. Despite countless brand announcements and voluntary initiatives, the fashion industry now contributes approximately 10% of global carbon emissions. That is more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined. Projections suggest emissions could grow to 1.24 billion tonnes by 2030 unless fundamental changes occur. The problem is obvious. Profitability in fast fashion depends on perpetual growth, producing ever-increasing volumes of clothing made from cheap, environmentally harmful materials.
What made COP30 distinctive was its highlighting of Indigenous voices. More than 900 Indigenous leaders from around the world participated – the highest number in COP history. Representatives of Brazil’s Indigenous populations brought ancestral knowledge of land stewardship and ecosystem health. Their presence underscored a critical connection – the protection of their territories could prevent up to 20% of projected deforestation in Brazil and reduce carbon emissions by 26% by 2030.
This is particularly important for textile production. Natural fibres depend on thriving ecosystems and regenerative land practices. The conference made abundantly clear that business models built on unchecked land conversion and extractive resource depletion are incompatible with a healthy planet. The alternative exists and it has been proved over millennia. Work with nature not against it.
While major brands pledged to eliminate coal from supply chains by 2030, oil-derived synthetic materials still seem to be swept under the carpet. Polyester and other petroleum-based fibres consume approximately 70 million barrels of oil annually. These materials take hundreds of years to decompose, if they break down at all, and they shed microplastics throughout their lifecycle that contaminate our water, soil and even human bloodstreams.
Transitioning to renewable energy for production facilities addresses only part of the crisis. It does nothing to solve the microplastics catastrophe or the end-of-life waste problem built in to synthetic textiles.
Even as brands report reduced “emissions intensity” – emissions per dollar of revenue – many are actually increasing their total emissions. This statistical sleight of hand allows companies to claim progress while expanding their environmental footprint. The fundamental business model of fast fashion – cheap, trendy, disposable clothing designed for obsolescence – cannot be reformed. It must be replaced.
The solution isn’t found in incremental improvements to fundamentally flawed materials. It exists in returning to what humans have used successfully for thousands of years: natural plant-based fibres.
Hemp, flax, organic cotton and other cellulosic fibres offer genuinely sustainable alternatives. These materials are renewable, grown season after season without depleting finite resources. They’re biodegradable, returning harmlessly to the earth rather than persisting as pollution for centuries. Crucially, they sequester carbon during growth, actively removing CO2 from the atmosphere rather than adding to it.
Natural fibres require significantly less energy to produce than synthetics. They don’t shed microplastics into waterways with every wash. When their useful life ends, they decompose naturally, completing a closed loop rather than creating perpetual waste.
Nature has always provided the answer. It’s time the fashion industry finally listened.
