Despite being responsible for 4% of emissions from greenhouse gasesthe fashion sector has shown little commitment to environmental goals. This is what shows Brazil Fashion Transparency Index (ITMB) 2023do Instituto Fashion Revolution. By analyzing the 60 largest fashion brands operating in Brazil, the report exposes the lack of transparency and initiatives to contain overproduction and create circular alternatives.
There have been advances, it is necessary to recognize. For the first time since the start of the survey, in 2018, six brands, representing 10% of the total, surpassed the 60% mark in the available score. They are: C&A, Malwee, Dafiti, Renner, Youcom and Havaianas. In past editions, only one or two brands reached this level.
In terms of transparency, however, we are still in our infancy, with minimal or no efforts. Almost half of the brands (48%) scored less than 10% in this regard, with 16 not scoring at all. They are: Besni, Brooksfield, Carmen Steffens, Cia. Marítima, Colcci, Di Santinni, Dumond, Fórum, Havan, Leader, Lojas Avenida, Lojas Pompéia, Marisol, Moleca, Sawary and TNG.
The report also highlights a significant gap in the best-performing brands, which lack clarity on crucial issues such as overproduction, waste, water and chemical use and logging.
The production of cottona principal fibra natural used in fashion, is directly linked to the deforestation of the Cerrado which, in 2023, had 494 thousand hectares of native vegetation converted into agribusiness areas. In times of COP28the main world climate conference, Brazilian cotton producers receive tribute at the Times Squarein New York. The slogan “our fiber dresses the world” is completely detached from the reality of social and environmental impacts.
There are several studies that report environmental destruction – such as death of 100 million bees – and the increase in cancer cases in cotton production regions. ITMB points out that only 10% of brands publish a measurable commitment to zero deforestation, and only 2% publish their progress towards achieving this goal.
The report also highlights the greenwashing under the BCI (Better Cotton Initiative) seal: “almost all Brazilian cotton produced on a large scale is sold as ‘responsible’ (…) this BCI standard cotton does not eliminate pesticides, transgenic seeds or reduce social inequalities”. Only 8% of the companies analyzed disclose evidence of implementing regenerative practices in one or more raw material sources in their chain.
There is no room for the fashion sector to continue pretending that we do not live in a climate crisis and that it is one of its main causes. And there is definitely no room for brands to deliberately choose not to be transparent about their supply chain.
Less overproduction, more circularity
Another point highlighted by the report is waste and overproduction data. Brands are more transparent about the quantity of items they produce annually, but they still disclose little information about the waste they generate. In this edition, 80% of companies did not disclose data on pre-production waste, such as fabric scraps, and 83% did not disclose post-production waste, such as excess stock and defective parts.
Resources are finite, but the fashion industry continues to expand, with projection of a 63% increase in global clothing consumption by 2030. Natalie Unterstell, president of the Talanoa Institute, writes in ITMB that “it is vital to evolve from the ‘fast fashion’ mentality to an approach of durability and regeneration”. In fact, the way out of overproduction already exists – and in different forms.
Circular initiatives are there to test the feasibility of creating longer-lasting pieces, or ones that don’t end up in landfills. As an example, we have Banco de Tecidos, brands that use upcyclingsuch as Think Blue, and which try to improve traceability through blockchainsuch as the Alinha Institute.
The support of laws is necessary so that these practices become more financially attractive and others, which are more harmful to the environment, such as, for example, the use of polyester – whose raw material is petroleum – are discouraged, through cutting of subsidies and addition of fees. In Europe, circularity is already part of some bills. In a statementthe European Union highlights its position to reverse the overproduction and excessive consumption of clothes, “taking fast fashion out of fashion”.
In Brazil, while only 16 brands publish their annual progress in the search for more sustainable materials, disclosing the percentage used of recycled, reused, organic fabrics, the Bill 00270/2022 circulates in the Chamber of Deputies.
Being the first proposal at a national level to regulate textile disposal, the project aims to return waste to the business sector, for reinsertion through mechanical and chemical recycling, destination to craft centers or finally, and less desirable, incineration.
In August, it was reopened for amendments, but it is a (finally) promising start. Currently, only 7,2% of the materials used are recycled and returned to the economy, and when it comes to textile waste, this value drops to 1%.
Degrowth, another essential tool for the fashion industry, also remains largely forgotten. The topic was addressed by ITMB for the first time in this edition, as, according to the report, “it is a model for exiting the productivist cycle, based on the reduction in consumption of natural resources and energy, to respond to restrictions and the capacity for renewal of ecosystems.” None of the 60 brands disclose a commitment to degrowth.
Without traceability practices, measurement of socio-environmental impacts, and action plans, the fashion industry continues to fail to find alternatives for its survival. ITMB is just one of several initiatives that demand clear positions and more sustainable practices from companies and, in another year, little is delivered.
In a reality in which the climate crisis invades homes with historic floods, droughts and fires, the industry needs to know its responsibility in the chaos and create real commitments to, much more than just score points in this report, create solutions for our future.
