APPG for Ethics and Sustainability in Fashion: Cleaning Up Fashion Report
For immediate release
New report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Ethics and Sustainability in Fashion urges the Government putting an end to exploitation and environmental harm
London, 12th July 2021 // The APPG for Ethics and Sustainability in Fashion (ESF APPG), co-chaired by Catherine West MP and Baroness Lola Young of Hornsey, release Cleaning Up Fashion Report.
Cleaning Up Fashion examines how the Government and other supportive actors can help amplify sustainability in action, recognising and supporting the work of pioneers and putting an end to exploitation and environmental harm. The report offers clear, evidence-based recommendations that deal with the causes and symptoms of a sector with massive market responsibility, that clothes us all and is global in its economic, environmental and social significance. The ESF APPG hosted a number of parliamentary evidence sessions exploring the issues, as well as conducting a survey with over 110 respondents ranging from business leaders to consumers.
Cleaning Up Fashion addresses the combined issues of worker exploitation, climate change and offers sustainable solutions to support sector transformation towards net zero and the levelling up agenda.
Policy recommendations and findings based on a series of parliamentary evidence sessions and survey research we have 5 recommendations to Government and 2 for industry which we believe would support the Government’s levelling up agenda, the Green Action Plan and commitment to net zero, with stronger legislation to address worker exploitation and environmental impacts across supply chains.
Recommendations
Collective action for net-zero Emissions
Resourcefulness for waste elimination
Expedite Modern Slavery Act legislative changes and introduce a garment adjudicator
Support for UK manufacturing and skills development
An overhaul of the current civil service system to provide a sector lead expert approach, rather than each sector working across multiple Whitehall departments
Tax Incentivising and funding to support onshoring of fashion manufacturing
Measures of success for a just transition and wellbeing economy
Catherine West MP and Baroness Lola Young of Hornsey, Co-chairs of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Ethics and Sustainability in Fashion: In light of the global pandemic and the evidence we have heard: from non payment of Bangladeshi factory workers, the Uyghur crisis with its implications on cotton manufacture and closer to home the Leicester scandal with its impacts on our fast fashion sector. This report outlines the escalating concerns and issues impacting the supply chain. The report also highlights the unsustainable consequences of the overproduction of garments and outlines the opportunities for a just transition towards a future wellbeing economy. This would support businesses to be more sustainable, workers to be paid fairly for their labour and scope the possibilities for innovation to support greater circularity of finite resources. In the lead up to COP26 we believe this was never more important or timely.
Dilys Williams, Professor Dilys Williams, Special Adviser to the ESF APPG and Head of the Centre for Sustainable Fashion: Tinkering at the edges of change is not an option for a sector as critical to lives and livelihoods as critical in economic, environmental and social terms as fashion. Whilst there is a high level of awareness of the role of this sector in achieving climate justice, with clear actions that can be taken; a joined up approach across Governmental departments is needed and this needs to lead to action across industry and its infrastructure. We are not starting from scratch here, UK pioneers who demonstrate that sustainable prosperity can be achieved are already changing the paradigm: their criteria for success, based on social, economic, cultural and environmental prosperity, needs however to be recognised by the UK Government. That way the licence to do harm is taken away and the licence to prosper is re-defined.
Tamara Cincik, CEO & Founder, Fashion Roundtable: Cleaning Up Fashion, not only highlights the key issues facing the sector, it offers a roadmap to transform the sector and change policy to support success. We outline the haemorrhaging of the Earth’s finite resources to feed the monster that is escalating and utterly unsustainable over production of clothing, the race to the bottom on payments to garment workers and the need for a united coherent strategy from the Government in line with their commitment to net zero and eradicating modern slavery. This is an incredible piece of work that brings together many actors in a complex system. Something we are in a unique position to enable. Based on hearing evidence from a series of experts, our survey data and our unique work with Parliament, Government, brands and businesses, Cleaning Up fashion offers an opportunity to turn insights into action. Fashion is a fantastic, creative industry to work in, but it needs cleaning up, fast, if we are to support future talent, pay workers fairly, end the climate crisis and indeed have any future at all.
Fjolla Kondirolli, Economics Researcher, Fashion Roundtable: The garment industry is one of the biggest employers worldwide, and it is a source of income for millions of people in developed and developing countries. Yet, it is characterized by poor working conditions, low pay and unpaid work, and job insecurity. Covid-19 has exposed the fragile position of garment workers in the fashion industry supply chain. Transparency on supplier lists, wages paid, and responsible purchasing practices is paramount to keeping fashion firms accountable in the public's eyes when it comes to these workers.
Laura Gibson, Head of Sustainability, Other Day: There is a clear need for improved collaboration and knowledge sharing throughout the fashion industry in order to rapidly advance the systemic change needed to decarbonise the supply chain and promote the equitable distribution of responsibility between stakeholders. This report highlights clear recommendations for how to improve the environmental and social sustainability of the UK Fashion industry inline with the aims of the Sustainable Development Goals and the hopes of a Just Transition.
ENDS
Notes to editors
Cleaning Up Fashion report can be downloaded online from Fashion Roundtable here
Cleaning Up Fashion was authored by Fashion Roundtable, secretariat to the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Ethics and Sustainability in Fashion (ESF APPG), with written contributions from; Professor Dilys Williams, Special Adviser to the ESF APPG and Head of the Centre for Sustainable Fashion and Laura Gibson, Head of Sustainability, Other Day.
The report aims to outline the complex current issues, both environmental and ethical, facing the global supply chain on a national and international level, looking both at UK based micro brands (MSEs) and larger internationally renowned brands. The report explores long term sustainable solutions, with key recommendations for both policy makers and business leaders. These recommendations, if actioned, would not only mitigate against the potential suffering of garment workers at the bottom of the supply chain everywhere from Leicester to Xinjiang; they would also address the escalating impacts of the fashion industry on the environment’s finite resources, as a consequence of consumer choices based on an unsustainable and untransparent fashion business models.
The ESF APPG received over 110 submissions to this inquiry, ranging from industry leaders to consumers, through an industry survey and written evidence. It also heard oral evidence from: Basic Premier, Labour Behind the Label, Anti-Slavery International, University of Leeds, Denim Expert Ltd, Traidcraft, King's College London, University of Leicester, Corporate Justice Coalition (previously CORE), the UK Anti-Slavery Commissioner Dame Sara Thornton, First Mile, The Ethical Fashion Initiative, University of Manchester, Dublin City University, Awaj Foundation, Human Trafficking Foundation, Centre for Social Justice, ASOS, TRAID, University of Nottingham's Rights Lab, HURR Collective, Birdsong, Fashion Enter, Compare Ethics, Make It British, Protection Approaches, Uyghur Human Rights Project, IndustriALL Global Union, Worker Rights Consortium, World Uyghur Congress as well as several academics and experts. This report makes specific and direct reference to research carried out to investigate the aims, values and working practices of fashion micro and small (MSE) businesses embedding sustainability within their enterprises. We engage on a regular basis with Governmental departments, including the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Home Office on sustainability, business opportunities and labour exploitation in the fashion industry.
Key findings from ESF APPG’s survey are as follows:
72% of respondents self-certified at the top level of concern about the climate crisis
24.5% of respondents self-certified at the top level of concern about the impact of COVID-19 on their business
43% of respondents chose the top level of concern when asked how problematic they believed the issue of Modern Slavery in the UK was.
53% of respondents expressed a clear preference for a focus on onshoring.
30% noted the benefits that onshoring could provide but recognised the complexity of such a move for the impacts both in the UK and globally.
33% of respondents explicitly mentioned Government action when asked what changes need to be made to work toward a more sustainable future in the fashion industry.
58% of responses highlighted an industry recommendation.
Notes to editors:
The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Ethics and Sustainability (ESF APPG) was launched in 2011. The ESF APPG is co-chaired by Catherine West MP and Baroness Lola Young of Hornsey. Members include: John McNally MP, Karen Bradley MP, Caroline Nokes MP, Baron Vaizey of Didcot, Lord Young of Norwood Green, Claudia Webbe MP, Siobhan Baillie MP, Caroline Lucas MP, Dr Lisa Cameron MP, Sharon Hodgson MP.
Fashion Roundtable is an advocacy organisation that supports the fashion industry and Government to shift towards a more representative, equal and sustainable future. We ignite effective discourse between fashion industry and policy leaders; Front Row to Front Bench.
Fashion Roundtable is the secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Ethics and Sustainability in Fashion and also the secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Textiles and Fashion chaired by Dr Lisa Cameron MP.
All reports available online at Fashion Roundtable
https://www.fashionroundtable.co.uk/reports
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