Zara Rawoof- Nonprofit organization Climate Group wrapped up September with its annual Climate Week NYC. The event is dedicated to stimulating the movement for climate action across multiple industries. This year’s theme was simply “It’s Time.” Hundreds of executives, politicians, and prominent climate activists gathered throughout the week, attending more than 600 events designated to end the climate crisis rapidly.
The fashion industry produces up to 10% of the global carbon emissions that are raising the earth’s temperature. Between fast fashion manufacturing and the fact that 85% of textiles end up in landfills, developing more sustainable techniques in the industry will greatly contribute to slowing down the planet's deterioration.
The Global Fashion Agenda (GFA) hosted multiple events where fashion executives met to discuss the action they would be taking to end the climate crisis. A GFA Assembly was held at Nike Headquarters, where topics like regenerative agriculture, policy, and circularity were discussed. 92 million tons of clothing end up in landfills every year. In order to end the constant cycle of consumption and waste, circular methods such as reusing and recycling materials of various kinds are now being promoted in conversations regarding climate action.
A Fusion Fashion Tech Summit was held at the beginning of the week, where long-sustained circularity in the fashion world was a topic of conversation. In addition to panel talks on sustainability, upcycling, and product value chain transparency, interactive workshops were also held at the summit. Invitees had the chance to attend workshops that dove deeper into the primary panel discussions. Dinners and mixers allowed for networking between industry peers that allowed them to engage with each other regarding the methods of climate action discussed earlier throughout the day.
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a company dedicated to reducing cycles of waste and overconsumption in the economy, explored the rising popularity of the circular economy during Climate Week. The circular economy model was developed by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to regenerate nature, circulate materials at their highest possible value back into the economy, and re
place systems that cause waste. During Climate Week, the foundation talked to Trellis Group’s Vice President of Circularity about the rising popularity of the circular economy and how it builds a more sustainable future. One event focused on how circularity can help decarbonize the heavy industry. Primary concerns were product packaging and the environmentally responsible means of securing essential materials. Programs similar to this one were spread across Climate Week, centered around confronting the lack of clean energy infrastructure.
Climate Week NYC 2024 discussed various methods of decreasing the greenhouse gases produced in industrial processes, eliminating the egregious amounts of waste industries across the board produce, and encouraging businesses to invest in energy efficiency. Climate Group relayed a sense of urgency in all the events that took place, fitting for this year’s theme of “It’s Time.” Every day of the week was jampacked with activities and seminars that made it clear there is no excuse to be inactive about the climate crisis. For those not in attendance during Climate Week, many session recordings have been uploaded to their website and serve as reminders that right now is the time to address the environmental collapse threatening the integrity of our global community.