How fashion can be a key player in a nature-positive economy

The fashion industry is heavily dependent on nature for raw materials but currently operates on a linear 'take, make, use, waste' system. To address its contribution of 4-10% of global carbon emissions, the author proposes the CEO Carbon Neutral Challenge, which encourages companies to invest in natural climate solutions to offset emissions they cannot yet mitigate. A primary lever for this transition is the shift toward regenerative agriculture in supply chains to sequester carbon and restore biodiversity.

• The fashion industry is responsible for an estimated 4-10% of global carbon emissions, with approximately 90% of its environmental impacts occurring within the supply chain.
• To limit global warming to less than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, annual global emissions must now decrease by approximately 7.6% per year during this decade.
• Natural climate solutions account for more than one-third of the total climate solution but currently receive only 1-3% of climate funding.
• Transitioning to regenerative agriculture in fashion's agriculture-based supply chains can reduce pollution, increase biodiversity, and remove carbon from the atmosphere; one study suggests it could potentially sequester over 100% of global annual CO2 emissions.
• The CEO Carbon Neutral Challenge proposes that companies immediately translate emissions they cannot mitigate into investments in natural climate solutions, using carbon credits to incentivize farmers to adopt regenerative practices.

APA

Bizzarri, M. (2021). How fashion can be a key player in a nature-positive economy. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/how-fashion-can-be-a-key-player-in-a-nature-positive-economy/

Chicago

Bizzarri, Marco. How fashion can be a key player in a nature-positive economy. World Economic Forum, 2021. https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/how-fashion-can-be-a-key-player-in-a-nature-positive-economy/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Bizzarri |first1=Marco |title=How fashion can be a key player in a nature-positive economy |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=21 April 2021 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/how-fashion-can-be-a-key-player-in-a-nature-positive-economy/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{bizzarri2021how, author = {Bizzarri, Marco}, title = {{How fashion can be a key player in a nature-positive economy}}, publisher = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2021}, month = apr, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/how-fashion-can-be-a-key-player-in-a-nature-positive-economy/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }