Redress and UN network call for fashion industry to meet sustainability goals

John E. Kaye
- Published
- News, Sustainability

Fashion is under pressure to clean up its supply chains, with campaigners warning that the sector lags behind on climate and social targets. At the UN General Assembly in New York, Redress and the UN Fashion and Lifestyle Network set out how designers are trying to close the gap
Fashion’s environmental impact was in the spotlight at the United Nations General Assembly in New York yesterday, where Hong Kong-based non-profit Redress announced it had joined the United Nations Fashion and Lifestyle Network (UNFLN).
The two organisations co-hosted a panel in the Assembly’s SDG Media Zone with designers from India, the Philippines and the United States, urging the industry to move faster on sustainability.
They said fashion remained one of the world’s most polluting industries, producing up to 8 per cent of annual greenhouse gas emissions and around 9 per cent of ocean microplastic pollution.
Redress said the sector was lagging behind on climate and social targets, citing research by McKinsey & Company and the Business of Fashion that suggested many executives were prioritising other opportunities over sustainability.
Smaller brands, the group argued, were already showing how supply chains could support the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Christina Dean, founder of Redress, told the event: “Fashion must be more than just creativity and commerce. Fashion needs more of an ethical heart and soul to address our planetary challenges. There are countless inspiring brands globally making more than just clothes; they are making positive impacts at various Sustainable Development Goals. From consumers to investors, we must spotlight and empower these businesses to give them a rightful seat at the global fashion table.”

The panel featured Indian fashion designer Damini Mittai, Filipino fashion house founder Jann Christian Lim Bungcaras, and U.S-based artist Isabella Li Kostrzewa.
Mittai, who runs the Koaka Collective in India and works with rural women to create jobs and build skills, said: “My work with marginalised female rural communities in India aims to foster sustainable livelihoods through skills-building and collective action, working against gender equality and the injustice of climate change.”
Bungcaras, who runs a fashion house in the Philippines, added: “The Philippines is awash with a modern textile waste colonialisation, from post consumer to industry waste, and as a developing country, we should not be seen as a dumping ground for waste.”
Alongside the discussion, a wider group of Redress Design Award alumni also joined the UNFLN. They included Aashita Jain (India), Ruyin Tian (China), Aarushi Kilawat (India), Ruwanthi Gajadeera (Sri Lanka), Lívia Aguiar de Castro (Brazil), Louise Boase (Australia), Rachel Clowes (UK), Rose Brown (UK), Magdalena Malbran (Argentina) and Silvia Acién Parrilla (Spain).
Redress said Asia, which accounts for around 60 per cent of global garment and textile exports and employs an estimated 60m workers in the sector, would remain the central focus of its work.
The UN and World Meteorological Organization have also warned that Asia is heating faster than the global average, making it especially exposed to climate risks.
Kerry Bannigan, co-founder of the UNFLN, added: “As the United Nations Secretary-General reminded us on the International Day of Zero Waste, fashion must make good sense for both people and planet. Fashion significantly influences numerous aspects of society, from employment and gender equality to innovation and cultural expression. The choices we make in this sector today profoundly affect the world we live in tomorrow.”
READ MORE: ‘World Coastal Forum leaders warn of accelerating global ecosystem collapse’. The World Coastal Forum opened in Yancheng with global leaders calling for urgent action on coastal protection and green growth. The European’s Editor-at-Large, Stanley Johnson, was among the delegates
Do you have news to share or expertise to contribute? The European welcomes insights from business leaders and sector specialists. Get in touch with our editorial team to find out more.
Main image: Stacks of denim jeans, one of the most resource-intensive products in the global fashion industry. Credit: Waldemar Brandt/Pexels
Sign up to The European Newsletter
RECENT ARTICLES
-
Study finds creative storytelling boosts confidence and career prospects for young people
-
Global development banks agree new priorities on finance, water security and private capital ahead of COP30
-
South African students develop tech concept to tackle hunger using AI and blockchain
-
Global startup expo enters final day in Dubai as Expand North Star marks a decade of innovation
-
Bleisure boom turning Gen Z work travel into ‘life upgrade’
-
Automation breakthrough reduces ambulance delays and saves NHS £800,000 a year
-
AI found to make people 15% more likely to lie, study warns
-
Global aerospace composites market to triple by 2034 as demand for lighter, greener aircraft accelerates
-
ICIEC to host 15th AMAN Union Summit as Islamic finance eyes closer trade integration
-
Matching words and images helps charities raise more money, study finds
-
UK to host African Development Fund summit as Africa pushes for food self-sufficiency
-
Off the blocks: LEGO and Formula 1 reunite for documentary on viral Miami Grand Prix stunt
-
Mergers and partnerships drive Africa’s mining boom – but experts warn on long-term resilience
-
New AI breakthrough promises to end ‘drift’ that costs the world trillions
-
Europe tightens grip on strategic space data as dependence on U.S tech comes under scrutiny
-
Trinity Business School study warns conspiracy theories are fueling real-world protest and sabotage
-
GITEX GLOBAL 2025 to spotlight AI’s expanding role in future-critical sectors
-
UK organisations show rising net zero ambition despite financial pressures, new survey finds
-
HumanX to establish permanent European base with 2026 Amsterdam AI summit
-
Gulf ESG efforts fail to link profit with sustainability, study shows
-
Glastonbury and Coachella set the stage for $400bn music tourism growth
-
Geopolitical volatility enters global top ten business risks for first time, new survey finds
-
Redress and UN network call for fashion industry to meet sustainability goals
-
Dar Global unveils $1bn Trump Plaza Jeddah in second Saudi venture with Trump Organization
-
Investors eye UAE as Belt and Road real estate gateway for Asia