The Tamesis
As the race to achieve ambitious sustainability goals intensifies, the fashion industry is increasingly focusing on decarbonization, looking to reduce supply chain emissions at the source. But making an impact is not as easy as it seems. The fashion industry’s preference for fragmented global supply chains and its tendency toward top-down sustainability strategies ignore the role of suppliers in scaling up decarbonization and make progress slow.
A number of reports related to decarbonization have been published in recent months, providing a new perspective on one of the fashion industry’s most critical challenges.
But plowing through multiple 30+ page reports is not for the faint of heart, so fashion business Decided to take on the heavy responsibility. Below, you’ll find key takeaways from six recent reports, setting out findings that challenge assumptions, data that supports common beliefs, and previously overlooked aspects of decarbonization.
Several of the reports repeated similar messages: that decarbonization is progressing too slowly, for example, or that brands are not doing enough to help suppliers move faster. Overall, the reports provide a “surround sound” effect that can help increase the credibility and visibility of small nonprofits and labor groups’ efforts by strengthening their messaging, said Ruth McGilp, a climate activist with Action Speaks. “That way it’s not just one activist screaming outside a brand’s office, but an entire ecosystem sharing the same message, albeit with a different accent.”
McGilp said the relevance of the recent decarbonisation report to wider sustainability themes was “refreshing”. “A number of recent reports have linked climate change to labor rights and business resilience – rather than viewing them as isolated issues, brands are encouraged to take a comprehensive approach to address root causes. We know that when you tackle one issue at a time, you get unintended consequences, so the more we can make these connections, the better.”
reality check
In January, member-led nonprofit Cascale released its 2026 Industry status The report provides a sobering reality check on the fashion industry’s decarbonization efforts. The report aggregates data from 13,000 Tier 1 and Tier 2 facilities that submitted self-assessments to Cascale’s Higg Facilities Environment Module (FEM) tool for independent review and verification.
One of the solutions that many brands have high hopes for is electrification, the shift from fossil fuels to renewable electricity. Kascal reported that electrification alone is “insufficient” to meet the requirements of the Paris Agreement, mainly due to a general lack of grid-scale renewable energy in producing countries. This means on-site renewable energy infrastructure, such as solar panels, and off-site energy, such as wind farms, will be “critical”. Currently, renewable energy accounts for only 2% of the industry’s total energy use. But this should not be an excuse for brands to abandon specific production countries or suppliers, said Joël Mertens, director of Higg Product Tools. Instead, brands should use the report to incentivize deeper supplier engagement, forge long-term partnerships, including co-investing in decarbonization, and move beyond “low-hanging fruit” to pursue “deeper transformation.”
