The Sustainability 2030 Goals the Fashion Industry Can Support

At the historic UN Summit in 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals were approved by all member nations. These international objectives establish the deadline for achieving sustainable growth and living by the year 2030.

While the business community supports all of the UN’s objectives, there are few crucial areas where it can actually make a noticeable and immediate influence. These objectives can support the sustainable development of people’s lives, livelihoods, and the environment while assisting the fashion sector in lowering its carbon footprint. The fashion sector may assist the following major objectives listed by the UN as part of its sustainability 2030 countdown.

Goal 1: End Poverty in All Its Forms Everywhere

By 2030, this sustainability objective seeks to end all forms of extreme poverty. People who make less than $1.25 daily are included in this category. The fashion business can get going by implementing an all-inclusive fair wage policy. Fashion companies may advocate for ethical labor practices, sustainable livelihoods, and neighborhood projects to lessen poverty.

Goal 5: Achieve Gender Equality

The fifth goal focuses on empowering women and achieving gender equality. Three out of every four of the 60 million garment workers who are directly employed by the fashion business worldwide are female. The fashion firms ought to collaborate with vendors who give these women job security and a safe working environment.

Goal 6: Water and Sanitation for All

Sustainable livelihoods are intimately related to this sustainability objective. The garment industry must recycle its water in manufacturing and treat it before discharging it into freshwater systems to avoid compromising drinking water supplies or releasing wastewater into marine environments. By facilitating access to clean water and sanitation for the underprivileged and population who have experienced gender displacement, this aids in achieving Goals 1 and 5.

Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

One area where the fashion industry can make a big difference is in reducing our reliance on fossil fuels. Brands may lessen their impact on climate change by implementing cleaner energy sources like solar, wind, and biogas in all areas of garment production, including materials, manufacturing, and goods.

Goal 8: Gender Equality 

Given that women make up more than 75% of the industry’s workforce as a whole, it is necessary to eliminate wage disparities between men and women. The fashion industry should make investments in the livelihoods of its workers, notably women who are largely underprivileged and have experienced various sorts of abuse, in order to contribute to the UN’s sustainability goals.

Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

According to statistics, the global consumption of clothing has increased 400% since 20 years ago. Because of the industry’s emphasis on rapid fashion, users and producers now follow rising trends in an effort to attract customers and increase sales. Responsible production and consumption require the clothing industry to move to recycling, slow fashion, and ethical procurement of raw materials in order to create more durable clothing lines.

Goal 13: Climate Action

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030 were established by the UN using this as its guiding principle. The fashion sector pollutes marine habitats with microplastics made of synthetic fibers and has a significant carbon footprint. The time has come to take action on climate. The fashion sector should implement zero-waste production methods, convert to recycling materials, and lessen its reliance on polythene. In order to prevent old clothing from ending up in landfills and increasing the carbon footprint, it should nudge customers not to toss them away.

Fashion Industry’s Support of the UN Sustainability Goals is a Necessity 

Amazingly, the global fashion sector is valued at US$2.5 trillion. But throughout the years, a trail of energy- and climate-damaging practices have been used to create this vast empire. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, up to 10% of the world’s tidal carbon emissions can be attributed to the garment industry alone. It is also one of the major contributors to the harm done to marine and terrestrial ecosystems, making up 20% of the total amount of plastic generated annually. A good way to start making amends and lowering its carbon impact on the planet is by supporting the UN’s sustainability goals for 2032.

So, it is important to note,

The fashion industry must contribute to sustainability by reducing carbon emissions and water pollution.