As 2023’s COP28 parley fades into the rear view, we share in four graphs the key findings from our “Higher Ground?” reports published in September. The work measures the present and future risks of exposure to extreme heat and flooding in some of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries for apparel workers, suppliers, fashion brands and investors.
Today, fashion focuses its climate change efforts on goals such as increasing use of recycled fabrics, reducing water usage, and cutting down its notable greenhouse gas emissions—fashion ranks third on greenhouse gases behind only global food production and construction.
But these mitigation efforts by the fashion industry largely ignore the knock-on implications of climate breakdown on the workers, communities and industries producing the world’s garments. This is the problem of adaptation, and it is not part of fashion’s plan.
