EMA’s November Sustainable Fashion Roundup: Deadly Protests, Fast Fashion Bans, and Stella McCartney's Climate Leadership
This November showed signs of a shifting fast fashion landscape, with garment workers and clothing resale platforms challenging industry norms. In the meantime, fashion icon Stella McCartney made headlines for her statements on climate. Read on to learn more about the top sustainable fashion stories this month.
Violent garment worker protests break out in Bangladesh
Bangladesh is the second-largest exporter of ready-made garments in the world. So when Bangladeshi garment workers began to protest this November, fast fashion brands faced a significant impact to their supply chains. The announcement of the country’s new minimum wage increase, which garment workers’ unions argued had not kept up with inflation for the past five years, sparked the protests. Workers took to the streets to demonstrate, leading to the shutdown of several clothing factories. As unrest escalated in the country, the demonstrations grew violent: government forces used tear gas, rubber bullets, and violent force, killing several garment workers and injuring many others.
Eighteen fast fashion brands, including H&M, Levi’s, Gap, Puma, and Abercrombie & Fitch, have written to the Bangladeshi government urging it to engage in peaceful negotiations for a new minimum wage.
Stella McCartney was named a TIME 100 climate leader.
British designer Stella McCartney, known for her leadership in sustainable fashion, is being honored on the TIME 100 Climate list, which lists the “100 most influential climate leaders in business” of the year. McCartney’s accomplishments include being a sustainability advisor at Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH), being a founding investor at the $200m circular materials fund Collab SOS, and developing sustainable textiles such as plant-based leathers and Econyl, a 100% recycled and recyclable nylon material.
“This is one of my proudest moments,” wrote McCartney in an Instagram post. “Since day one, I have said we need to get creative and innovative with alternatives - moving beyond limited traditional materials and supporting the next generation of technologies. I do believe if we can continue to progress, and it we truly want it, then we can prove there is a better way.”
Vestiaire Collective has banned fast fashion from its resale platform.
As part of its #SayNoToFastFashion campaign, Vestiaire Collective announced that it would ban fast fashion brands from its platform. The secondhand fashion platform, which allows users to access pre-loved luxury fashion at lower prices, announced a new plan to fight fast fashion waste over the next three years. In addition to banning fast fashion from its platform, Vestiaire will partner with The Or Foundation to lobby for Extended Producer Responsibility legislation and to find circular solutions for existing fast fashion to be 100% free by Better Friday 2024.
About the author:
Katy Ho (she/her) is a Chinese Canadian writer, activist, and daughter of refugees who explores the intersections of gender, climate, and pop culture through her work. When she’s not writing about feminism and climate justice, you can find her hosting book club meetings, visiting her local thrift store, and coaching the next generation of climate leaders.