High level overview of Sustainability in Fashion covering Emissions by Value Chain, industry trackers, Circularity, LCA, Best practice examples by Value Chain, Status by Brands, Luxury and Fast Fashion and lastly business benefits of adopting sustainability practices!

1. Sustainability @Fashion

2. Fashion Value Chain
Product
Development:
Our journey starts
with market and
materials research
trend analysis to
inform initial design
concepts. This leads
to developing
complete
prototypes, sample
garments, plus
costing and pricing
evaluations.
Supply
Sourcing:
Product managers
choose the
appropriate
manufacturer
partners and raw
material suppliers
to support the
product line
specifications. They
secure vendor
contracts
considering
capabilities, quality
levels, lead times
and cost structures.
Raw Material
Procurement:
Sourced cotton,
polyester and other
textile materials
enter warehouses.
They are tested for
quality compliance
and then loaded for
transport to
processing facilities
like dye houses and
mills.
Contribution: 20%
GHG Emissions
Textile
Processing and
Trimming
Supply:
This entails dyeing
the raw textiles,
performing
specialised
treatments, or
constructing
finished fabrics
through
weaving/knitting to
customer
specifications.
Here, elastics,
zippers, buttons
and label trims are
procured from
third-party
vendors.
Contribution: 7%
GHG Emissions
Apparel
Production:
Manufacturing
partners cut the
fabric received, sew
materials into
finished labelled
garments as
ordered, complete
quality control, and
prepare shipments.
Contribution: 18%
GHG Emissions
Shipping and
Distribution:
Freight forwarders
consolidate
garment shipments
from suppliers to
the brands' regional
distribution
centres. Products
are received,
stocked, and then
allocated to various
retail channels.
Contribution: 24%
GHG Emissions
Retail Stores
and E-
commerce:
Products are
distributed weekly
from distribution
centres to physical
retail locations
based on sales
forecasts and
reordering stock
levels. Dedicated e-
commerce
inventory helps
support digital
order fulfilment
and returns
handling.
Contribution: 3%
GHG Emissions
Recycling,
Resale and
Reuse:
Finally, at end-of-
use, brands
implement product
return and
recycling initiatives
to keep materials in
circulation for
additional
lifecycles.
Contribution
Customer Use:
21% GHG
Emissions
Contribution
Textile Waste: 3%
GHG Emissions

3. GHG
emission of
Fashion
Industry
GHG
emission
of Fashion
Industry
Emissions
Throughout
the Supply
Chain
Raw Material
Production
Manufacturing
Processes
Transportation
Consumer
Behavior
Waste and
End-of-Life
Prevailing analyses suggest fashion contributes
approximately 2-8% currently based on complex
calculations spanning materials, production,
distribution, usage and disposal variables. But rapid
projected growth means its total footprint may expand
drastically without major interventions.
Fast fashion, characterized by rapid production cycles
and disposable clothing, is often associated with higher
emissions due to overconsumption, frequent
production turnover, and shorter product lifespans.

4. Global
sustainability
tracker for
fashion
industry
It's important to note that these trackers may have
different focuses, criteria, and methodologies, so users
should explore multiple sources to understand a
brand’s sustainability efforts comprehensively.
Additionally, the fashion industry’s sustainability
tracking landscape is dynamic, with new initiatives and
tools continually emerging.
Fashion Revolution's Fashion
Revolution Index
Measure & score brands on SC
transparency, worker rights and
environment impact
Sustainable Apparel Coalition
(SAC) - Higg Index
Measure and score environment and social
impact of their products including
materials, water use and labour
condiitions.
Textile Exchange
Offer brands tools and standards to
measure, report their sustaiability
performance.
Good On You
Platform and app that rates fashion
brands based on their ethical and
sustainability practices
Cradle to Cradle Certified™
Cradle Certified™ is a certification
program that evaluates factors such as
material health, material reuse, and
renewable energy use.
EcoVadis
It assesses companies based on
environmental, social, and ethical
criteria. The ratings are used by
businesses to evaluate and improve
their sustainability performance.
Rank a Brand
Rank a Brand is a European-based
platform that ranks and assesses
brands’ sustainability practices

5. Fashion
Circularity
The goal is to shift today's dominant
linear "take-make-waste" fashion
model to one mimicking natural
cycles, where nothing is wasted and
materials remain in use.
Design for
durability
Rental and
resale
Takeback
programs
Recycled
materials
Upcycling
Supply chain
transparency
Retail
innovation
Policy
incentives

6. Fashion
LCA
Robust LCAs utilize data models spanning these five
phases documenting quantitative energy demands,
emission volumes, exact chemical pollution levels, and
biodiversity consequences.
This supports certifications like Bluesign system,
Cradle2Cradle, or Global Recycled Standard that
credential apparel sustainability claims with third-party
LCA audits.
Disposal
impact
Landfill biodegradability levels if garments aren't recycled/upcycled at end-
of-use. Incineration and microfiber leakage to waterways also factor
depending on regional waste management infrastructure
Usage impact
Laundering, drying, ironing apparel through customer ownership represents
up to 80% of some garments' lifetime carbon footprint, especially synthetics
emitting microplastics. Proper clothing care & detergents dramatically help.
Distribution
impact
Fossil fuels burnt and distances travelled to move garments from
manufacturing hubs to retail outlets matter. A 1,000 mile plane trip emits
50x a short truck route. Complex global supply chains mean more transport
environmental burdens.
Production
impact
Energy demands, water usage, and emissions from spinning raw fibers into
fabrics, dyeing processes, cut/sew/finishing at tier 2+ garment factories.
Regional grid reliance on renewables vs fossil fuels affects scores.
Materials
impact
Assessing the ecological footprint of producing the base fabrics and
components - water intensity, carbon emissions, pollution, biodiversity
harm, etc. For blends, evaluating impact share from each material type.

7. Sustainability
actions by
value stages
Mapping relevant sustainability
efforts to each of those fashion
value chain stages can showcase
examples of best practices
adopted at different links.
Evaluating eco-material alternatives. Piloting virtual sampling. Adopting zero
waste pattern cutting techniques. Assessing life cycle climate impacts. Setting
recyclability targets.
Product
Development:
Prioritising certified sustainable/ethical suppliers. Auditing working conditions.
Implementing green chemistry requirements. Enforcing living wages and
environmental criteria via vendor codes of conduct.
Supply
Sourcing:
Purchasing verified recycled or organic sources for primary material inputs like
cotton and polyester. Sourcing low-impact man-made cellulosic fibres.
Raw Material
Procurement:
Reducing water/chemical usage via innovative dyeing technologies. Installing
real-time tracking systems. Utilising alternative energy sources in production
facilities. Converting to bluesign system or ZDHC compliance.
Textile
Processing:
Monitoring energy, emissions, and waste outputs. Pursuing LEED-certified green
factories. Expanding community engagement initiatives. Establishing worker
training programs.
Apparel
Production:
Optimising transport loads and modes. Switching to biofuels or EV fleets.
Reducing air shipments and favouring ocean routes. Utilising recycled packaging.
Distribution:
Offering customer recycling/resale. Expanding garment care guide education and
repair services. Incorporating sustainability tags on products. Training sales
associates.
Retail Stores:
Scaling apparel takeback systems. Investing in closed-loop recycling infrastructure
for blended fabrics. Supporting entrepreneur upcycling programs.
End-of-use:

8. Sustainability
@Luxury
brands
Many other luxury brands have also adopted
sustainable sourcing guidelines and policies to
guide their future environmental and social
governance, including access to healthcare,
education, and clean water initiatives in their
respective supply chain communities.
Kering: An international conglomerate including brands like Gucci, Balenciaga, and Saint Lauren.
They launched several sustainability initiatives, strategies, and targets around materials,
production, ecosystems, transparency, and human rights.
Prada: Launched their Re-Nylon line, using eco-friendly ECONYL regenerated nylon in many
handbags and accessories. They set environmental and DE&I (diversity and inclusion) goals
and released sustainability-linked bonds to support those efforts financially.
Burberry: Pledged to achieve net-zero emissions, implement sustainable farming, prohibit real fur,
and explore recyclable, compostable fabrics and garments. Also, it has shifted to more
ethical virgin wool in partnership with local farms to support animal welfare and
sustainable practices.
Tiffany &
Co:
Established strict policies around diamonds’ origins and mining operations, traceability,
and suppliers’ human rights and working conditions. Launched the “GRI” ratings to
monitor suppliers’ sustainability, diversity, and social responsibility.
LVMH: These brands include Louis Vuitton, Dior, Celine, and Marc Jacobs. They launched several
standards, frameworks, and scorecards around ethical materials, packaging/waste
reduction, and more, along with a heavy focus on internal awareness-raising and training.
Requiring suppliers to meet over 23 criteria and KPIs.

9. Sustainability
@Fast
fashion
brands
Nearly all major fast fashion retailers have publicly
announced sweeping long-term sustainability targets to
appeal to the cost and environment-conscious Gen
Z/millennial customers.
Execution remains inconsistent but establishes critical
performance indicators to shift toward greener, circular
supply chains.
Industry disruption from emerging sustainable innovators
likely pressures incumbents further in this direction.
H&M: Huge goals for 100% recycled or sustainably sourced products by
2030 and becoming climate-positive across the entire value chain.
Partner with innovators and companies supporting renewable
technologies to shift production.
Zara: Announced their "Join Life" collection of at least 50% sustainable
fabric like recycled cotton and polyester. Some products are process-
approved by industry bodies for sustainability. Pledged to shift to
100% sustainable cellulosic fibres by 2023 and eliminate single-use
plastic on a 3-year timetable. Includes training programs on
sustainability practices for employees.
Uniqlo: Parent company Fast Retailing pledged to eliminate single-use
plastics, switch to renewable electricity across stores and offices,
improve factory working conditions, and make sustainability a key
performance indicator in manager evaluations. Aiming for 100%
recycled polyester use by 2030. Launched appealing UTME! line
made of water-saving materials.
C&A: Many lofty goals for 100% organic cotton use by 2020, all sustainable
cotton by 2025, over 70 materials/fibres to be sustainably processed
by then, and complete circular design principles adopting a "cradle to
cradle" philosophy for all products..

10. Green washing
@Luxury,
@Fast Fashion
The lines between material improvement and
exaggeration are often blurry. While intentions may be
genuine, many brands leverage environmentally-
friendly messaging without the inventory or supply
chains fully supporting the scale of stated ambitions.
Transparency, traceability, and third-party audits are
crucial to curtailing unsubstantiated marketing claims.
Consumer scrutiny is also intensifying pressure toward
legitimate reform and industry regulations.
Luxury:
•Prada came under scrutiny from
consumer watchdogs for
promoting their Re-Nylon initiative
and praising its "regenerative"
material while still using nylon and
lacking full supply chain
transparency. Critics argued this
overstates true environmental
benefit.
•Chanel faced backlash when they
banned exotic animal skins but
continued using lambskin and
calfskin leather without clearly
addressing ethical sourcing
concerns. Perceived as superficial
banned materials list rather than
wholesale shift.
Fast Fashion:
•H&M has set very ambitious
sustainability targets but reporting
shows only about 35% of their
assortment currently meets stated
criteria around renewable
materials as of 2021. Big unmet
goals.
•Forever21 launched a misleading
"Forever21 Love & Care" capsule
marketed as sustainable but
individual products had no specific
certifications or authenticity
supporting most claims.
•Zara uses common buzzwords
around sustainability but offers
little hard evidence on progress.
Critics argue announcements seem
more optical than substantiated by
their available collection metrics so
far.

11. Adopting
sustainability
practices yield
positive
benefits
In summary, prominent industry case studies
show that sustainability allows fashion brands to
future-proof against climate risks or regulations
and unlocks real business value - such as higher
profit margins, lower operating costs, and
building brand equity and customer loyalty. It's
increasingly a competitive advantage rather
than just a cost centre.
Market Valuation
& Stock Price
According to McKinsey
research, the top-
ranking fashion
companies in Dow
Jones Sustainability
Indices outperform
peers by over 33%. For
example, with solid
sustainability profiles,
Nike and Adidas have
seen stock prices
outperform rivals.
Revenues &
Profitability
According to Nielsen,
business case studies
show that brands with
certified sustainability
attributes can
command price
premiums ranging
from 5-66%. For
fashion retailer H&M,
21% of its sales now
come from sustainable
collections.
Cost Savings
According to an MIT
study, investments in
eco-efficiency at
apparel factories can
result in cost savings
from reduced water,
energy and materials
to $7M over five years
at a mid-sized facility.
Reputation and
Consumer
Demand
Research shows that
73% of customers
expect companies to
make eco-friendly
products and use green
manufacturing
processes.
Accountability drives
brand loyalty - so
sustainability boosts
reputation and sales.