One State's 'Moral Responsibility' to Make Apparel More Sustainable
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New York lawmakers introduced the first "fashion sustainability" bill in the U.S. It would require global brands to disclose their climate and social impacts.
If passed, the Fashion Sustainability and Social Accountability Act would make New York the first state to require global fashion brands to disclose their climate and social impacts.
The bill, introduced last week by state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi and Assemblywoman Anna R. Kelles, is backed by a coalition of nonprofits, including the Natural Resources Defense Council. It applies to apparel and footwear companies, with more than $100 million in revenues, doing business in New York.
“As a global fashion and business capital of the world, New York State has a moral responsibility to serve as a leader in mitigating the environmental and social impact of the fashion industry,” Biaggi said in a news release.
The bill would require the companies to map their supply chain: from raw materials to factories to shipping. They would also have to disclose where in that chain they could have the greatest social and environmental impact when it comes to energy, greenhouse gas emissions and more, and make a plan to reduce those numbers.
Fashion companies also would be required to report the wages paid by their suppliers and how they compare to local minimum and living wages.
The apparel and footwear firms would have 18 months to comply with environmental and social impact disclosures and would have to publish the disclosures on their websites. If they failed to comply with the law, they may be fined up to 2% of revenues of $450 million or more, according to the legislation.
Finally, the New York state attorney general would be required to release an annual report identifying companies that violate the law, which would allow citizens to file civil legal actions.
Fashion Industry’s Impact on Environment
According to BBC Future, the fashion industry accounts for about 10% of global carbon emissions and nearly 20% of wastewater, which is drastically impacting the climate.
The industry also uses a large amount of wood pulp to make fabrics like rayon, viscose and others leading to 70 million tons of trees being cut down each year, according to Columbia Climate School at Columbia University. That number is expected to double by 2034, speeding deforestation in some of the world’s endangered forests.
"Sustainability in fashion and textiles requires us to address environmental and social impacts across the entire lifecycle of a piece of clothing—from the fiber it is made from, to the way it is produced, through to how it is worn and disposed of, or recirculated," Alice Payne, associate professor in fashion at Australia’s Queensland University of Technology, told Route Fifty. "For this reason, action is needed from people throughout the system—producers, consumers and policymakers."
In the past, similar laws have been passed. For example, in 2010, California passed the Transparency in Supply Chains Act, which addresses modern slavery, and in 2021, the state passed the Garment Worker Protection Act. However, the difference with the New York act is that it focuses on the manufacturing end of the business.
Andre Claudio is an assistant editor at Route Fifty.
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