Online retail heavyweights About You, Yoox Net-A-Porter, and Zalando are stepping up their joint ‘Fashion Leap for Climate’ initiative, now in its second year, inviting 250 brand partners to participate.
Fifty-five brands participated in last year’s Fashion Leap for Climate. The effort, curated by sustainability consultancy, Quantis, aims to increase its impact by adding nearly 200 more partners this year.
Fashion Leap for Climate is working to support brands in quantifying their carbon footprints and aligning their objectives with climate science. With the conclusion of the platform’s inaugural year, partners have reported an impressive 85 percent increase in their understanding of science-based targets (SBTs), manifesting a boost in confidence, the initiative says.
All brands associated with the platform have affirmed their recommendation of Fashion Leap for Climate, citing increased preparedness in setting future science-based targets. Over half have plans to establish their SBTs within the upcoming year, crediting their newfound knowledge to the program. An overwhelming majority (91 percent) have lauded the collaborative opportunities that the platform presents, fostering discussions and idea exchange with sustainability professionals and peers.
As the initiative advances into its second year, About You, Yoox Net-A-Porter, and Zalando are poised to deliver heightened value and flexibility to a broader selection of brand partners throughout 2023. Participants can now benefit from a live eight-week course (comprising eight hours across four modules) or opt for self-directed, on-demand learning.
The program serves as a cornerstone of the online retailers’ climate journeys, each striving to curtail their brand partners’ emissions to achieve their own Scope 3 targets. Anticipating future growth, the retailers envision the platform’s expansion to accommodate every fashion brand partner and the wider industry.
“At About You, we believe that collaboration and transparency are key to sustainable change across the industry. This creates accountability, but also comparability between businesses and leads to positive change within the fashion sector. We are proud of last year’s strong results of Fashion Leap for Climate and are excited – together with Zalando and Yoox Net-A-Porter – to start its second year,” Hannes Wiese, Co-CEO, About You Holding SE, said in a statement.
Alison Loehnis, ad interim CEO, Yoox Net-A-Porter says the online platforms are committed to ambitious goals to lower their impact on the environment. “Our brand partners are the most sought-after in luxury fashion and we take pride in supporting them to navigate this complex topic and reduce our collective carbon footprint,” she said. “Following promising results from Fashion Leap for Climate’s first year, we are thrilled to be launching year two in partnership with About You and Zalando. This initiative represents the potential of industry-wide collaboration, harnessing a shared ambition to create a more sustainable future for fashion.”
David Schneider, Co-CEO, Zalando SE, says Zalando iscommitted to bringing together different stakeholders in the industry to collectively tackle challenges around fashion’s climate impact. “We believe this is crucial to drive positive impact across the industry,” he said. “We are proud to mark our second year of Fashion Leap for Climate in collaboration with About You, Yoox Net-A-Porter and Quantis, one of our key collaborative efforts helping our partners to set their own science-aligned climate targets. Since launching this initiative last July, it is very encouraging to see that the first of our partner brands have completed the learning journey and how it has improved their confidence in taking steps towards climate action. We strongly believe that such partnerships are the driving force of progress and that only through working together a long-lasting impact is possible.”
The fashion industry is renowned for its creativity and innovative designs, but it’s also one of the major contributors to climate change. The industry’s environmental impact, from raw materials sourcing to manufacturing and distribution, contributes to approximately ten percent of global carbon emissions, which is more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined.
Climate change’s influence on the fashion industry is a two-way street, as changes in climate also disrupt supply chains, pose risks to raw material sourcing, and threaten the livelihoods of those working in the industry. Through initiatives like Fashion Leap for Climate, the industry is stepping up to take action against its environmental impact.
Sustainable fashion choices, from manufacturing practices to consumer behavior, are becoming increasingly important. Encouragingly, brands are beginning to take responsibility for their emissions by setting science-based targets. Additionally, consumers are becoming more conscious, and demand for sustainable products is on the rise. All of these factors together provide a clear sign that the fashion industry is moving towards a more sustainable future.
“The successful completion of the learning journeys by our initial partner brands marks a crucial initial stride in the right direction,” Weise said. “We are convinced that it will take collective initiatives from the entire industry to create sustainable change”
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