Stella McCartney, Gabriela Hearst, and More Designers On Why Fashion Needs to Take Real Climate Action

If any of us needed yet another wake-up call on the climate crisis, the latest report from the United Nations’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) certainly provided that. Scientists have warned that time is running out to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, adding that many of the changes caused by human-induced global warming are already “irreversible.” As the world heats up, we can also expect more of the devastating events we’ve seen this summer, from wildfires in Turkey, Greece and the U.S. to extreme flooding in Germany and China.

Of course, fashion is a major contributor to the climate crisis, responsible for an estimated 4 to 10% of greenhouse gas emissions globally. And if that wasn’t enough, the industry’s emissions are actually on course to rise by a third—to a shocking 2.7 billion tons a year—by 2030, according to a McKinsey report, despite all the talk about sustainability in recent years.

Given the pressing need to drastically cut CO2 emissions, it’s clearer than ever that fashion needs to take action on the climate crisis now. Here, 10 leading designers call for urgent change across the industry, and outline the steps they would like to see for a more sustainable future.

Stella McCartney

“Our house is on fire. As one of the most polluting industries in the world, we are at breaking point and it’s never been more critical for us to come together and act. This isn’t just a fashion fad. This is an issue that every industry is facing, but the major issue with our industry is that we have never been policed. There are no regulations, guidelines, or restrictions in place that stop brands from working in the way they have always worked and that is ultimately what is killing Mother Nature at an alarming rate.

“In order to make real change, we need the government to give us strict timelines and deadlines and we need to be incentivized or else nothing will ever move forward. We need to show the next generation of businesses and business leaders that there’s a benefit to working in a sustainable way.”

Gabriela Hearst

“The IPCC report revealed with certainty what we already knew: the faster speed of events that we are seeing from freak weather and the terrorizing realization we are achieving 1.5 degrees Celsius before anticipated. I hope the IPCC report will ring the last alarm bell—we have to extract ourselves from a fossil fuel-dependent economy and move to a circular one, where overproduction, overconsumption, and waste are managed. [We have to] focus all our efforts on conservation and preservation.

“I dream for our children of a more evolved society [that’s achieved] climate success, that is in balance with our environment and each other. The moment is now.”

Vivienne Westwood

“When people ask me, ‘how can I save the planet?’, in all my time as a fashion designer and an activist I’ve never had an easy answer: refuse plastic, inform yourselves, tell children the truth. Buy less, choose well, make it last, switch to a green energy supplier! We have no choice between mass extinction and a green economy. First step: the fashion industry has to switch to green energy—and the rest will follow.”

Bethany Williams

“With the rate of global warming continuing to increase, the release of the IPCC report is a terrifying reminder that we need to take action before we reach the point of no return. The transformation that needs to happen needs to come from everyone. Every industry and sector needs to do their part in reducing their impact on this global issue.

“Change needs to come from both the fashion industry and also the consumer. We are currently stuck in an unfathomably large cycle of overproduction and overconsumption. It is a brand’s duty to offer transparency to their customer, and in turn, this gives the customer more knowledge on their product to aid their buying decisions.

“One avenue of development that is worth exploring is de-growth and localization. Smaller, more localized business models would cut down on transportation costs. Localization also supports the local community that it is situated in, generating jobs and industry.”

Rosario Dawson and Abrima Erwiah, co-founders of Studio 189

“These past couple of years, we have witnessed an acceleration of the impact of climate change on our day-to-day lives. Scientists have been telling us for years that the point of no return is rapidly approaching and the effects of climate change would become irreversible. It is not a far-away concept. It is imperative that we take action immediately.

“Fashion [has] a responsibility to reduce our negative impact on the planet. Long-term solutions involve creating systems that allow communities to build sustainable solutions for themselves and to empower them by providing them the tools to succeed. This is particularly true for marginalized communities, for women, and for the youth. Designing with humanity in mind will make a significant difference. We urge the fashion industry to take more time to share with customers how products are made and to build a more transparent supply chain. The customer cares, but doesn’t always know how their clothes are made. Shifting the expectations of the customer will allow brands to breathe and give them permission to create better products that are more sustainable. This will also allow the people in their supply chain more room to breathe and create products with purpose that are more conscious of our relationship with nature and with people. ”

Kenneth Ize

“Planet Earth has a mission to erase poverty, hunger, and protect our environment; it is unbelievably sad that we won’t protect what is there that unites us as humans. I think about how I want the clothes we wear to feel on us, and it’s exactly how I want planet Earth to feel on us—to nourish us. We need to embrace more, and understand the importance of, Mother Earth from whom we pick when developing our skills.”

Sindiso Khumalo

“Stopping climate change rests on all our shoulders. We vote with our dollar and the more conscious we are of how we consume, the better we will be about saving our climate. As the fashion industry we can make very conscious steps in our supply chain that can hugely impact our planet in a positive way. It’s just up to us as an industry to make those steps. Now is the time to act.”

Hillary Taymour, creative director of Collina Strada

“We are in a crucial state of change right now and the more we do, the more we can impact others to take action. The whole industry needs to take a step back and think about the amount of products we are manufacturing and rethink the supply chain. Where is the material coming from, is it hurting the planet, are the people producing it earning fair wages? Instead of hitting yearly financial goals, large corporations should be hitting environmental goals as the bare minimum. Laws need to be implemented on all levels of the supply chain to make sure we are not continuing to harm the planet and human beings in order to make fast fashion.”

Amy Trinh and Evan Phillips, co-founders of Wed

“[The latest IPCC report] certainly reiterates that the industry can no longer excuse its unethical practices in the pursuit of cheaper and cheaper goods. There are many layers, but many of the issues point towards how little we value our clothes, the impact of the resources [used] to produce them and the labour of skilled craftspeople who make them, as society promotes profit over people and trends over timelessness or investment.

“The onus can’t be on small and independent brands each season to try driving ‘sustainable’ buying habits to a wider audience. Big companies need to invest properly in better practices, ultimately making access easier for everyone in the industry.”

Originally Appeared on Vogue