The Emerging Talk of Net-Positive Fashion and Its Impact on the Jewellery Industry

Sustainability is gaining momentum in the fashion industry. From CEOs, and A-listers to consumers, everybody is getting on board. Will jewellery follow suit?

Ethics no longer reside solely within the pages of our moral science books; they have now permeated the sphere of the fashion industry. For years, the growing concern about net-positive fashion has alerted brands and designers, CEOs and consumers, fashion influencers and policy-makers that sustainability is no longer an option. It has become a lifestyle that people are increasingly subscribing to as a mindful investment.

Even the A-listers—from the sustainable fashion advocate and actress, Emma Watson to the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle—are taking inspiration from clean fashion for rehauling their wardrobe. This, all together, is not just a step towards a greener tomorrow but also an antidote to the trend of fast fashion that has led us here.

The Birth of Global Fashion Agenda to Tackle the Environmental Issues

The fashion industry is one of the largest sectors and it might be unbelievable to gulp but McKinsey in its State of Fashion 2017 report, stated, " [Fashion] is one of the key value-creating industries for the world economy. If it were ranked alongside individual countries' GDP the global fashion industry would represent the seventh-largest economy in the world.''

But this biggest value-creating industry has only become the sector that is fueling the ever-growing problem of over-consumption. Moreover, the industry is responsible for some 2.1 billion tons of CO2 and 92 million tonnes of textile waste produced every year—concluding that fleeting fashion trends are not only killing the sustainability of our planet but also the real meaning of fashion.

"Fashion shouldn't cost the earth", exceptionally stated the Environmental Audit Committee (UK House of Commons), and it's true because it is about expressing your style statement and not exhausting the sustainable environment.

With this emerging awareness about planet preservation and reducing carbon footprint, the idea of eco-fashion has entered the mainstream with greater emphasis. Giving rise to the leading international non-profit organisation, Global Fashion Agenda in the year 2009.

Picture source: Quiet Studio

GFA, a non-profit organisation, strongly emphasises the importance of partnering and collaborating with respected industry leaders to address common social and environmental challenges. Recently, it has aligned its vision with one of the fastest-growing sectors—the Watch & Jewellery Industry—which is expected to reach a market volume of US$418.90 billion by 2026. This alliance has the potential to be a significant milestone in advancing a sustainable fashion industry.

Global Fashion Agenda X WJI 2030

Global Fashion Agenda strives to promote industry collaboration in the realm of sustainable fashion. Their mission involves catalyzing impactful actions by mobilizing, inspiring, influencing, and educating all stakeholders. One of their key objectives is to transform the vision of a fashion industry with a positive impact into a tangible reality through strategic initiatives. Notably, they have formed a partnership with the Watch and Jewellery Initiative 2030, established by Kering and Cartier and guided by the Ten Principles of the United Nations Global Compact and the 17 SDGs.

This collaboration, initiated on March 16, 2023, is focused on addressing the intricate value chains that underpin the fashion, watch, and jewellery sectors. By instigating change in these industries, the Global Fashion Agenda aims to contribute a valuable step towards the creation of a more sustainable world.

Picture source: Oprahdaily

At this moment, the focus is not on constant deliberation but on decisive action. The 'what' has been clearly defined, and now GFA is dedicated to the implementation of the 'how.' During the recent Global Fashion Summit: Copenhagen Edition 2023, which took place on June 27 and 28, 2023—GFA centred on the theme 'Ambition to Action'.

It underscores that while we are well-informed about the issues at hand, what's lacking is proactive measures to rectify them. GFA emphasized that the need is to move beyond identifying 'what is going wrong' and instead, concentrate on 'how to solve it' long before it becomes apparent.

“Cross-industry alliances are critical to achieving pervasive systemic change – we cannot operate in silos," said Federica Marchionni, CEO of Global Fashion Agenda. "By bringing our industry minds together, I am confident that we can pool our knowledge and identify joint paths for progressive action."

How Will This Alliance Impact the Jewellery Industry?

By encouraging and involving the stakeholders across the fashion ecosystem and parallel industries, this alliance aims to bring the desired results for a greener future. This initiative is indeed reshaping the narration of the fashion, watch & jewellery industry, making conscious fashion a responsible decision for building climate resilience.

“Wherever our members are on their sustainability journey, partnerships like these will help them connect, learn, lead, communicate, moving them faster and farther in demonstrating progress on sustainability,” said Van der Veken, Executive Director & Secretary General, Watch & Jewellery Industry 2030. “Whatever we learn, over time we will share with the wide industry.”

This alliance will influence the brands & companies in the jewellery industry, who are in collaboration with GFA, to responsibly source the materials and adopt more climate-positive practices while crafting and designing jewellery.

The demand for sustainable lab-grown diamonds and gemstones is set to rise, offering multiple benefits. It will diminish the environmentally damaging mining processes that degrade the health of our planet, improve the safety of labourers, and contribute to responsible fashion.

The confluence of recent crises has heightened the urgency around advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the opportunity and responsibility for businesses to take a leading role. Whether soon or later, it's sure that a step towards climate-positive fashion will only create a better place to celebrate fashion while never compromising on the planet because if the planet won't be there, how the fashion will ever exist.

The convergence of recent crises has increased the pressing need to promote the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and underscores the chance and obligation for businesses to assume a prominent role.

Sooner or later, it's certain that embracing climate-positive fashion will result in a more sustainable fashion industry without jeopardising the planet. It's high time and we need to understand that even in the game of gambling, we bet everything but not our lives. Our environment is our life, and risking it is not an option. It never was.