Dirty Fashion Disrupted: Leaders and laggards revealed

The report evaluates the fashion industry's transition to responsible viscose production, noting increased engagement from brands and some progress by producers toward EU Best Available Techniques (BAT) standards. While some European brands are leading in transparency and policy, many others—including several luxury and US-based brands—remain laggards. The document emphasizes that voluntary self-regulation is insufficient and calls for government legislation to ensure industry-wide compliance with environmental standards.

• Consumer expectations for brand responsibility and transparency are high, with 72% of the public believing clothing brands should be responsible for the manufacturing process and 56% stating they would be deterred from buying brands associated with production pollution.
• There is a significant disparity in progress between European and US brands; no US company reached the 'Frontrunner' category, which is dominated by European firms, and only Victoria’s Secret reached the 'Could do better' category.
• While engagement has increased—with 54 of 91 contacted brands responding—27 brands still lack any viscose-specific policy, and many existing policies are described as 'piecemeal or vague'.
• Lack of commitment to responsible production is evident across both luxury and low-cost sectors, with brands such as Versace, Prada, Dior, Armani, and Dolce & Gabbana ranked alongside Boohoo, Walmart, Matalan, Forever 21, and TK Maxx.
• Certain producers are making strides toward EU Best Available Techniques (BAT) standards: ENKA has disclosed consumption and emissions data, Lenzing requires all sites to comply by 2022, and Aditya Birla Group (ABG) has a 2022 compliance target, though ABG's target excludes sulphur emissions to air.
• The Collaboration for Sustainable Development of Viscose (CV) initiative is criticized for a lack of ambition, as its roadmap relies on the 'Clean Production Standard' based on Chinese government recommendations rather than the more stringent EU BAT.
• The report concludes that voluntary industry-led initiatives and self-regulation are inadequate for the global textile industry, arguing that government legislation is necessary to ensure environmental and social compliance.

APA

Changing Markets Foundation (2019). Dirty Fashion Disrupted: Leaders and laggards revealed. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/CM_EX_SUMMARY_DIRTY_FASHION_DISRUPTED_LEADERS_AND_LAGGARDS_REVEALED.pdf

Chicago

Changing Markets Foundation. Dirty Fashion Disrupted: Leaders and laggards revealed. 2019. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/CM_EX_SUMMARY_DIRTY_FASHION_DISRUPTED_LEADERS_AND_LAGGARDS_REVEALED.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Changing Markets Foundation |title=Dirty Fashion Disrupted: Leaders and laggards revealed |date=November 2019 |url=https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/CM_EX_SUMMARY_DIRTY_FASHION_DISRUPTED_LEADERS_AND_LAGGARDS_REVEALED.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{changingmarketsfoundation2019dirty, author = {{Changing Markets Foundation}}, title = {{Dirty Fashion Disrupted: Leaders and laggards revealed}}, institution = {Changing Markets Foundation}, year = {2019}, month = nov, url = {https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/CM_EX_SUMMARY_DIRTY_FASHION_DISRUPTED_LEADERS_AND_LAGGARDS_REVEALED.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }