Fashion	  Revolution	  Statement	  on	  House	  of	  Commons	  Environmental	  Audit	  Committee	  Interim	  Report	  on	  the	  Sustainability	  of	  the	  Fashion	  Industry	  	  Fashion	  Revolution	  welcomes	  the	  UK	  Environmental	  Audit	  Committee’s	  findings	  of	  their	  inquiry	  into	  the	  sustainability	  of	  the	  fashion	  industry.	  We	  too	  want	  to	  see	
  a	  thriving	  fashion	  industry	  in	  the	  UK	  that	  employs	  people,	  inspires	  creativity	  and	  contributes	  to	  sustainable	  livelihoods	  in	  the	  UK	  and	  around	  the	  world.	  We	  agree	  with	  the	  Environmental	  Audit	  Committee’s	  conclusion	  that	  the	  global	  fashion	  industry	  is	  exploitative	  and	  environmentally	  damaging	  and	  that	  brands	  and	  retailers	  have	  an	  obligation	  to	  address	  the	  fundamental	  business	  model.	  	  This	  report	  states	  “We	  believe	  that	  there	  is	  scope	  for	  retailers	  to	  do	  much	  more	  to	  tackle	  labour	  market	  and	  environmental	  sustainability	  issues.	  We	  are	  disappointed	  that	  so	  few	  retailers	  are	  showing	  leadership	  through	  engagement	  with	  industry	  initiatives.”	  	  	  Fashion	  Revolution	  believes	  that	  fashion	  brands	  and	  retailers	  should	  sign	  up	  to	  pledges	  and	  multi-­‐stakeholder	  initiatives	  which	  are	  working	  towards	  improving	  workers’	  rights,	  paying	
  a	  living	  wage	  and	  striving	  towards	
  a	  closed	  loop	  system.	  They	  should	  also	  use	  our	  Transparency	  Index	  as	  a	  tool	  to	  disclose	  more	  about	  their	  social	  and	  environmental	  policies,	  practices	  and	  impact	  both	  within	  their	  companies	  and	  throughout	  their	  supply	  chain.	
  	  The	  Committee	  believes	  that	  “The	  fashion	  industry’s	  current	  business	  model	  is	  clearly	  unsustainable,	  especially	  with	  a	  growing	  middle-­‐class	  population	  and	  rising	  levels	  of	  consumption	  across	  the	  globe.	  We	  are	  disappointed	  that	  few	  high	  street	  and	  online	  fashion	  retailers	  are	  taking	  significant	  steps	  to	  improve	  their	  environmental	  sustainability”.	  	  	  	  Brands	  are	  criticised	  for	  inadequate	  sustainability	  actions	  and	  initiatives.	  The	  report	  concludes	  that	  recycling	  waste	  and	  complying	  with	  the	  Government’s	  Carbon	  Reduction	  Commitment	  is	  not	  sufficient	  to	  offset	  the	  environmental	  damage	  caused	  by	  the	  fashion	  industry.	  	  We	  believe	  that	  the	  fashion	  industry	  in	  the	  United	  Kingdom	  and	  globally	  needs	  far	  reaching	  systemic	  change	  in	  order	  to	  tackle	  poverty,	  inequality	  and	  environmental	  degradation	  and	  greater	  transparency	  is	  the	  first	  crucial	  step	  towards	  solving	  its	  human	  rights	  and	  environmental	  crises.	  Our	  Fashion	  Transparency	  Index	  research	  has	  shown	  that	  some	  major	  brands	  and	  retailers	  are	  making	  significant	  efforts	  to	  tackle	  these	  issues	  in	  their	  companies	  and	  across	  their	  supply	  chains,	  whilst	  at	  the	  same	  time	  far	  too	  many	  large	  brands	  and	  retailers	  are	  turning	
  a	  blind	  eye.	  Increased	  transparency	  means	  issues	  along	  the	  supply	  chain	  can	  be	  identified,	  addressed	  and	  remedied	  much	  faster.	  Greater	  transparency	  also	  means	  best	  practice	  examples,	  positive	  stories	  and	  effective	  innovations	  can	  be	  more	  easily	  highlighted,	  shared	  and	  potentially	  scaled	  or	  replicated	  elsewhere.	  

	  In	  an	  Ipsos	  MORI	  survey	  of	  5,000	  people	  across	  the	  five	  largest	  EU	  markets	  published	  by	  Fashion	  Revolution	  in	  November,	  	  consumers	  told	  us	  they	  want	  to	  know	  more	  about	  the	  social	  and	  environmental	  impacts	  of	  their	  garments	  when	  shopping	  for	  clothes	  and	  they	  expect	  fashion	  brands	  and	  governments	  to	  be	  doing	  more	  to	  address	  these	  issues.	  	  	  77%	  strongly/somewhat	  agree	  that	  fashion	  brands	  should	  be	  required	  by	  law	  to	  respect	  the	  human	  rights	  of	  everybody	  involved	  in	  making	  their	  products,	  75%	  strongly/somewhat	  agree	  that	  fashion	  brands	  should	  be	  required	  by	  law	  to	  protect	  the	  environment	  at	  every	  stage	  of	  making	  their	  products.	  The	  majority	  of	  people	  surveyed	  believed	  governments	  should	  be	  responsible	  for	  holding	  fashion	  brands	  to	  account	  for	  disclosing	  information	  about	  the	  way	  their	  products	  are	  made,	  what	  suppliers	  they	  are	  working	  with	  and	  how	  they’re	  applying	  socially	  and	  environmentally	  responsible	  practices	  in	  their	  supply	  chains.	  	  It	  is	  clear	  that	  greater	  government	  intervention	  will	  be	  necessary	  if	  companies	  are	  to	  be	  held	  to	  account	  for	  the	  impacts	  of	  their	  practices	  on	  people’s	  lives	  and	  the	  environment.	  
We	  want	  the	  U.K.	  Government	  to	  pass	  mandatory	  due	  diligence	  laws,	  building	  upon	  the	  recent	  regulatory	  examples	  in	  France	  and	  Switzerland.	  Ultimately,	  if	  the	  U.K.	  
Government	  is	  serious	  about	  improving	  human	  rights,	  social	  impacts	  and	  environmental	  sustainability	  in	  the	  fashion	  industry,	  then	  it	  must	  rewrite	  the	  rules	  of	  the	  economy	  so	  that	  shareholder	  profit	  is	  no	  longer	  prioritised	  above	  the	  protection	  of	  our	  ecosystems	  and	  the	  health	  and	  wellbeing	  of	  our	  communities.	  	  	  	  For	  press	  interviews	  and	  enquiries	  about	  this	  statement	  and	  our	  involvement	  in	  the	  House	  of	  Commons	  Environmental	  Audit	  Committee	  Inquiry	  into	  the	  Sustainability	  of	  the	  Fashion	  Industry,	  please	  contact:	  Carry	  Somers,	  Founder	  and	  Global	  Operations	  Director	  carry@fashionrevolution.org	  Sarah	  Ditty,	  Policy	  Director	  sarah@fashionrevolution.org