United Nations

Rachel Arthur, the sustainable fashion advocacy lead at the UN Environment Programme, breaks down for The State of Fashion 2024 why marketers should have a bigger role in efforts to improve the way the industry operates.

The UN’s annual COP climate summit ended Wednesday with an agreement to transition away from fossil fuels. The fraught, days-long negotiations to get there point to the challenges facing fashion companies seeking to deliver on these ambitions.

With global temperatures reaching new highs and time running out for brands to deliver on their environmental commitments, here’s what fashion leaders need to know ahead of the start of the UN’s annual climate summit in Dubai Thursday.

While fashion shows themselves account for a tiny fraction of the industry’s environmental impact, they sit at the very heart of the marketing machine that fuels planet-damaging overconsumption, argues Rachel Arthur.

This week at fashion’s annual sustainability gathering, luxury giant LVMH called for a luxury-only sustainability initiative, while policymakers pressed for an end to throwaway fast fashion.