The fashion industry has long faced scrutiny for its environmental footprint, but recent data shows its climate impact is not shrinking—it’s climbing. Despite public commitments to sustainability, emissions from the sector surged over 7 percent in the last year alone. This sharp increase highlights a pressing reality: fashion’s influence on global warming is growing, not slowing.
Fashion accounts for anywhere from 1.7 to 8 percent of worldwide emissions, depending on how the supply chain is measured. Whether the focus is only on production or on the entire life cycle of clothing—from raw materials to disposal—the numbers tell the same story. The industry’s rapid expansion comes with equally rapid environmental consequences, affecting not just factories but also communities, workers, and consumers.
How Fashion Fuels Climate Risks
Instagram | climateforchangeau | The fashion industry’s emissions are a significant cause of climate change.
The environmental impact of fashion stretches far beyond the production floor. Rising emissions intensify climate disruptions already altering daily life, from unpredictable weather to resource scarcity. A hotter planet means more challenges for growing cotton, cultivating silk, or sourcing other natural materials, driving up costs and limiting supply.
Unchecked emissions also increase the frequency of extreme events such as heatwaves, floods, and storms. These not only disrupt supply chains but also endanger lives in regions heavily dependent on garment production. For an industry that thrives on global connectivity, these risks create instability across every link of the chain.
The High Cost of Inaction
Climate change carries an expensive bill for fashion. Beyond environmental degradation, the sector faces billions in potential losses due to:
1. Disrupted supply chains caused by floods, storms, or wildfires
2. Rising energy and material costs
3. Reduced productivity from extreme heat in manufacturing hubs
Countries like Bangladesh, Vietnam, India, and Pakistan, which are central to apparel production, face the harshest realities. These regions are already grappling with record-breaking heat and water shortages, putting both workers and businesses at risk.
Pathways Toward a Greener Industry
Despite the challenges, solutions exist. Factories have access to technologies that lower emissions while improving efficiency. Heat pumps, for instance, provide both heating and cooling while consuming far less energy than traditional fossil-fuel boilers. Not only do they cut emissions, but they also create safer working conditions.
The obstacle lies in funding. While suppliers manage day-to-day production, brands hold the capital needed for large-scale decarbonization. Without collective investment, most factories cannot afford the upfront costs of sustainable technology, even if long-term savings are guaranteed.
This creates a critical question: will brands align their climate pledges with real financial support for suppliers?
Examples of Change Already Underway
There are encouraging signs of progress across the industry. Some brands and suppliers are proving that meaningful reductions are achievable with the right investments.
H&M Group reduced indirect emissions by nearly 25 percent between 2019 and 2024 by using circular materials and renewable energy. The company is also co-developing offshore wind power in Bangladesh, ensuring cleaner energy for one of its major supplier bases.
Instagram | retail4_growth | By using circular materials and renewable energy, H&M Group reduced its indirect emissions by almost 25% in five years.
Artistic Milliners, a major supplier in Pakistan, invested over $100 million in renewable energy, adding more than 100 MW of wind power to the grid. Within three years, the company cut its measurable emissions by more than half.
These examples demonstrate that ambition and technology are not the limiting factors. The challenge is scaling these successes across the global supply chain.
Why Collective Action Matters
For fashion to reduce its carbon footprint meaningfully, collaboration is key. Brands, retailers, financial institutions, and manufacturers must pool resources instead of working in silos. Organizations like the Apparel Impact Institute are already bringing stakeholders together to fund solutions at scale.
Consumers also play a role. By choosing products certified by standards like bluesign or the Global Recycled Standard, shoppers can help push the market toward greener practices. While individual choices alone cannot solve the issue, they create demand that reinforces systemic change.
A Road Forward for Fashion
The evidence is clear: fashion can either remain a growing contributor to climate risk or become part of the solution. The technology is available, suppliers are ready to innovate, and the financial case for sustainability is strong. What’s needed now is a shift in mindset—treating sustainability not as a side project but as central to how the industry operates.
Fashion has the potential to drive climate progress if stakeholders act decisively. With proven solutions ready to be scaled and a collective willingness to invest, the sector can rewrite its story. Instead of being remembered for record-high emissions, fashion could become a model for how industries align profitability with responsibility.
