PressRelease
Washington, D.C. — EARTHDAY.ORG today formally launched its new campaign “Fashion for the Earth” dedicated to changing the trajectory of the fashion industry and educating the public on sustainable fashion. Sustainable fashion refers to a clothing supply chain that is ecologically and socially responsible. The topic of sustainable fashion has been noticeably absent from COP26 climate action discussions, even though the fashion industry is responsible for 10% of total greenhouse gas emissions. Corporations, governments as well as every day individuals around the world have a role to play in the solution. From making personal changes to advocating for and legislating better, more sustainable fashion practices, to educating others about the issue, there must be commitments at all levels.
Earth Day, which began in 1970 as a grassroots movement, led to the passage of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act and the Endangered Species Act. Today, EARTHDAY.ORG will act to avert the impact of an industry that squanders the Earth’s finite resources, destroys soil, contaminates fresh water with hazardous chemicals, and pollutes the atmosphere with carbon and the oceans with microplastics. All for the sake of profits and with little mind to the consequences, the fast fashion industry takes a devastating toll on the labor force and the natural world.
To address the psychology and the pattern of overconsumption of clothing requires education. The new Fashion for the Earth website contains numerous educational resources and materials including a fashion footprint calculator, sustainable fashion quiz, and additional information on the environmental impact of the fashion industry. In the coming months, EARTHDAY.ORG will host additional Earth Day Live digital events to highlight both fashion designers as well as industry insiders using their influence to change standards in materials and manufacturing. Past event participants include: LaRhea Pepper, CEO, TextileExchange; Maxine Bedat, Director, New Standard Institute; Lewis Perkins, President, Apparel Impact Institute; and Lucie Brigham, Chief of Office, United Nations Office for Partnerships.
As a part of the campaign, EARTHDAY.ORG has recruited Fashion for the Earth Ambassadors including Melissa Tan, Host and Producer, Actress, Climate Activist and zero waste advocate; LaRhea Pepper, CEO, Textile Exchange; and Kerry Bannigan, Executive Director, Fashion Impact Fund and Co-Founder, Conscious Fashion and Lifestyle Network. This group of industry insiders and young professionals around the world have pledged to responsible clothing consumption and are working to educate others on how they can make sustainable changes in their lives.
‘My Planet, My Closet’ is designed to create a dialogue around sustainable fashion and change the prevailing mindset around shopping. ‘My Planet, My Closet’ is a play on the typical fast fashion hauls circulating on social media but with a twist. EARTHDAY.ORG invites the public to post a photo or video on social media showcasing their sustainable clothing and favorite sustainable fashion brands to encourage others to invest in sustainable pieces.
“The debate continues about where responsibility for changing the fast fashion industry lies: with the brands, the consumers or governments? The answer is all three. The keys to change are in educating consumers, forcing brands to alter their current business model based on price and volume, and increased regulation by governments. While progress has been made, much more is needed. EARTHDAY.ORG will focus its attention on education and promoting all efforts that address the unrestricted and unsustainable fashion industry,” said Shelley Rogers, Fashion for the Earth and Artists for the Earth Coordinator, EARTHDAY.ORG.
To learn more about EARTHDAY.ORG’s Fashion for the Earth campaign, please visit: https://www.earthday.org/campaign/sustainable-fashion/
ABOUT EARTHDAY.ORG:
EARTHDAY.ORG’s mission is to diversify, educate, and activate the environmental movement worldwide. Growing out of the first Earth Day (1970), EARTHDAY.ORG is the world’s largest recruiter to the environmental movement, working with more than 150,000 partners in 192 countries to build environmental democracy. More than 1 billion people now participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world. Learn more at earthday.org.
