sustainability / Circularity

This year offered up a jarring reality check for players seeking to improve the industry’s environmental and social impact, with brands deprioritising sustainability efforts even as the risks of inaction have become more apparent.

A fragmented fashion industry needs to cooperate in order to avoid falling further behind on decarbonisation efforts, according to the BoF-McKinsey State of Fashion 2025.

As the EU seeks to crack down on a growing glut of clothing waste, the rise of low-value ultra-fast-fashion, along with increased competition and geopolitical disruption, are putting pressure on the economics of collecting, sorting and recycling used textiles.

Cheap and versatile polyester has underpinned both the fashion industry’s growth and its worsening environmental footprint. Efforts to switch to recycled fibre are stalled, new data show.

A new California bill proposes that brands take charge of recycling efforts, allowing consumers to drop off unwanted clothing at designated sites.

A bill that would make brands responsible for making sure old clothes don’t wind up in landfill only needs the signature of Governor Gavin Newsom to become law, potentially paving the way for other states to take action on textile recycling.

The ultra-fast-fashion giant’s planet-warming emissions have nearly tripled in the last three years as its growth far outpaced other major fashion companies. In Shein's latest sustainability report, CEO Sky Xu says tackling emissions is “particularly critical."

The controversial e-commerce giant is on a charm offensive as it seeks to manage regulation that takes aim at fast fashion and drum up support for a possible London listing.