Cop26: How fashion industry aims to make sustainability fashionable


Nicky Harley
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British fashion houses have united to showcase sustainability as the industry pledges to bolster its sustainability ambitions by calling on companies to halve their carbon emissions by 2030.

The sector previously had a target of reducing emissions by 30 per cent by 2030 but through the Fashion Charter, it is now urging groups to set targets based on science.

On Tuesday, the British Fashion Council hosted GREAT Fashion for Climate Action, for which designers including Burberry, Phoebe English and Stella McCartney set out how they have adapted their work to increase sustainability and reduce their contribution to the climate crisis.

The sector is responsible for 10 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions – more than shipping and aviation combined – and pressure to find sustainable solutions is mounting.

“The GREAT campaign showcases the best of the UK’s creativity and ingenuity across the world,” UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.

“From infinitely recyclable clothing to carbon neutral companies, it’s brilliant to see these British fashion brands innovating and leading the industry towards a greener future.

“I know many more businesses will work hard to make fashion more sustainable in the years to come and I commend the industry’s resolve to play their part in this.”

British fashion designer Phoebe English said the event was a “huge opportunity”.

“We are pleased to be able to showcase our work and methods as part of the Cop26 conference,” she said.

“The fashion sector has a huge opportunity to be contributing to healthier less extractive systems. It is imperative that as an industry we are unified in our actions to make these approaches general practice across the international sector.

“The time is now.”

Mother of Pearl launched its first fully sustainable line, No Frills, in 2018 and urged the industry to follow suit.

“Sustainability has been a lifelong passion of mine and I’ve been on a mission for Mother of Pearl to reduce its impact on the planet,” the brand’s creative director, Amy Powney, said.

“However, it’s no longer about one brand. The fashion industry requires an entire system reset and a shift in consumer behaviour.

“We need to get back to valuing clothes as beautifully crafted pieces, not throwaway objects. The system needs to slow down; we need to invest in brands with the right values and consider closed loop systems which encourage us to rent, repair, recycle and resell, replacing impulse purchases and fast fashion methodology.”

At an event at the Cop26 climate summit on Monday, the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action set out new targets to introduce sustainability measures faster in response to the climate crisis.

“We have realised [the charter we launched at Cop24] is not enough and we need to make it stronger, more concrete and call for companies to halve emissions by 2030,” said Niclas Svenningsen, manager of Global Climate Action at UN Climate Change.

“The science is clear – we have to do this. We do not have a choice.”

Jerome Le Bleis, chief supply officer at Burberry, said the industry needed to work together.

“We have to set bold targets supported by science,” he said.

“The focus on raw materials is extremely important and collaboration is key to making it happen. At Burberry we have set a bold ambition to become climate positive by 2040. It is not just setting the goals, but setting concrete actions.”

Further commitments in the updated Charter include ensuring all electricity used is from renewable sources by 2030, sourcing environmentally friendly raw materials and phasing out coal from the supply chain by the same date.

“This is an important milestone for the Fashion Charter, as it increases the ambition level in effort to align the industry with 1.5°C,” said Stefan Seidel of Puma, who is also co-chairman of the Fashion Industry Charter Steering Committee.

Elvis & Kresse has found a novel way to reuse unrecyclable firehoses, by creating high-end fashion accessories.
Elvis & Kresse has found a novel way to reuse unrecyclable firehoses, by creating high-end fashion accessories.

“It is a signal that we need to work closely together with our peers, our supply chain, policymakers and consumers to get on the track to net zero.”

Dr Delman Lee, vice chairman of Tal Apparel, has called for a sustainability index to rate companies.

More than 130 companies and 41 supporting organisations have signed the Fashion Charter, including H&M Group, Adidas, Nike and Chanel.

The renewed charter also calls for creating incentive mechanisms for supplier engagement in decarbonisation, as well as measures to engage policymakers and financial institutions.

“In a time when the climate crisis is accelerating to unprecedented levels, we need the real economy to lead on climate action,” Mr Svenningsen said.

“The strengthened commitments of the Fashion Charter signatories is an excellent example of such leadership.”

Last week, fashion designer Stella McCartney showed Britain’s Prince Charles her eco-fashion exhibit, the Future of Fashion, at Cop26.

She discussed vegan items with him and ways to avoid making football boots out of kangaroo leather.

The industry has been pioneering alternatives, including Dr Carmen Hijosa, who came up with the novel idea of using leftover pineapple leaves as an alternative to leather and created Pinatex.

More than 3,000 brands in about 80 countries use her Pinatex creation, including high-street names such as Hugo Boss and H&M.

Fashion brand Elvis & Kresse is leading the way using the London Fire Brigade’s old hoses, which had previously gone to landfill, to create designer bags and belts.

The business has also signed a five-year deal with Burberry to use 120 tonnes of its leather offcuts to create luxury items.

Primark has recently pledged to make all its clothing more sustainable by 2030 and to sell clothes that can be “recyclable by design” by 2027.

The clothing sector is worth £32 billion ($43.38bn) to the UK economy annually, and every year about a million tonnes of clothes are thrown away.

British researchers are developing ways of manufacturing textiles from household waste, such as food scraps and kitchen roll.

This year, luxury French fashion brand Saint Laurent announced it would stop using fur next year.

Research in the Netherlands found that the greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the production of one kilogram of mink fur was at least five times that of the highest-scoring textile, wool. This was in large part due to the production of the animals’ feed, emissions from their faeces and the processing of their pelts.

Malcolm & Marie

Directed by: Sam Levinson

Starring: John David Washington and Zendaya

Three stars

Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Bio

Favourite place in UAE: Al Rams pearling village

What one book should everyone read: Any book written before electricity was invented. When a writer willingly worked under candlelight, you know he/she had a real passion for their craft

Your favourite type of pearl: All of them. No pearl looks the same and each carries its own unique characteristics, like humans

Best time to swim in the sea: When there is enough light to see beneath the surface

Monday's results
  • UAE beat Bahrain by 51 runs
  • Qatar beat Maldives by 44 runs
  • Saudi Arabia beat Kuwait by seven wickets
The five stages of early child’s play

From Dubai-based clinical psychologist Daniella Salazar:

1. Solitary Play: This is where Infants and toddlers start to play on their own without seeming to notice the people around them. This is the beginning of play.

2. Onlooker play: This occurs where the toddler enjoys watching other people play. There doesn’t necessarily need to be any effort to begin play. They are learning how to imitate behaviours from others. This type of play may also appear in children who are more shy and introverted.

3. Parallel Play: This generally starts when children begin playing side-by-side without any interaction. Even though they aren’t physically interacting they are paying attention to each other. This is the beginning of the desire to be with other children.

4. Associative Play: At around age four or five, children become more interested in each other than in toys and begin to interact more. In this stage children start asking questions and talking about the different activities they are engaging in. They realise they have similar goals in play such as building a tower or playing with cars.

5. Social Play: In this stage children are starting to socialise more. They begin to share ideas and follow certain rules in a game. They slowly learn the definition of teamwork. They get to engage in basic social skills and interests begin to lead social interactions.

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

Gothia Cup 2025

4,872 matches 

1,942 teams

116 pitches

76 nations

26 UAE teams

15 Lebanese teams

2 Kuwaiti teams

WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?

1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull

2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight

3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge

4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own

5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
  1. Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
  2. Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
  3. Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
  4. Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
  5. Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
  6. The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
  7. Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269

*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year

Global Fungi Facts

• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil

UK-EU trade at a glance

EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years

Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products

Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

Smoother border management with use of e-gates

Cutting red tape on import and export of food

I Care A Lot

Directed by: J Blakeson

Starring: Rosamund Pike, Peter Dinklage

3/5 stars

ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS

- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns 

- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;

- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces

- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,

- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.

Results

2.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,700m; Winner: AF Mezmar, Adam McLean (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer).

3pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 2,000m; Winner: AF Ajwad, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.

3.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,200m; Winner: Gold Silver, Sam Hitchcott, Ibrahim Aseel.

4pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 1,000m; Winner: Atrash, Richard Mullen, Ana Mendez.

4.30pm: Gulf Cup Prestige (PA) Dh150,000 1,700m; Winner: AF Momtaz, Saif Al Balushi, Musabah Al Muhairi.

5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 1,200m; Winner: Al Mushtashar, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.

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Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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Smart words at Make Smart Cool

Make Smart Cool is not your usual festival. Dubbed “edutainment” by organisers Najahi Events, Make Smart Cool aims to inspire its youthful target audience through a mix of interactive presentation by social media influencers and a concert finale featuring Example with DJ Wire. Here are some of the speakers sharing their inspiration and experiences on the night.
Prince Ea
With his social media videos accumulating more half a billion views, the American motivational speaker is hot on the college circuit in the US, with talks that focus on the many ways to generate passion and motivation when it comes to learning.
Khalid Al Ameri
The Emirati columnist and presenter is much loved by local youth, with writings and presentations about education, entrepreneurship and family balance. His lectures on career and personal development are sought after by the education and business sector.
Ben Ouattara
Born to an Ivorian father and German mother, the Dubai-based fitness instructor and motivational speaker is all about conquering fears and insecurities. His talk focuses on the need to gain emotional and physical fitness when facing life’s challenges. As well managing his film production company, Ouattara is one of the official ambassadors of Dubai Expo2020.

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Updated: November 09, 2021, 5:40 PM`