At Vegan Fashion Repository, we keep our ears firmly to the ground for every essential development in the vegan and sustainable fashion industry, and celebrate when another milestone is reached. Here’s a brief summary of the highlights from November 2024:
To start with, on November 27th, we published a comprehensive 59-pages Vegan Fashion Report and Playbook for 2024-2025. This report and playbook delves into the current state of the vegan fashion market, explores projected growth, and provides detailed insights and analysis on the most significant changes, opportunities and challenges that shape the vegan fashion industry. The report is free to download.
The British Fashion Council, represented by its Deputy Director, David Leigh-Pemberton, has announced a ban on exotic animal leather at London Fashion Week, effective from 2025. This decision, which prohibits the use of materials such as snake, alligator, and crocodile skins, follows the fur ban that came into effect in December 2023. The move is widely seen as a deliberate effort to strengthen London’s identity as a hub for young creativity, innovative technologies, including digital fashion, and now, as a leader in sustainable and ethical fashion. By taking such a bold stance, London seeks to differentiate itself from Paris and Milan, where the use of fur is still permitted. The initiative aligns with the practices of smaller fashion weeks, such as those in Copenhagen and Melbourne, which have gained recognition for their commitment to sustainable, wildlife-free fashion. Could a prohibition on wild bird feathers be next? Copenhagen has already declared its intention to implement such a ban by 2025.
Fashion For Good has launched World of Waste, a groundbreaking platform designed to pinpoint global textile waste hotspots. The World of Waste platform aggregates data from countries worldwide, covering both post-industrial and post-consumer waste, and provides information on waste composition and quantities to assist recyclers, innovators and policymakers develop new solutions and policies to address the global waste crisis. World of Waste
In other news, Fashion for Good has also teamed up with Circ and Canopy to launch Fiber Club, an initiative that aims to democratise access to sustainable next gen materials for smaller fashion enterprises. By securing bulk quantities of these materials, Fiber Club enables smaller brands to purchase them at competitive prices. This collaboration ensures that smaller brands can take part alongside industry giants in pioneering the use of innovative materials. Ecotextile
The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre has published a 390-page report assessing product groups and requirements that should be prioritised under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), which came into force on 18 July 2024. Textiles and Footwear were identified as key product groups with the greatest potential to be prioritised in the first ESPR Working Plan, which is expected to be adopted within the first half of 2025. While this is not a binding conclusion, it serves as a strong recommendation for the Commission to consider. JRC Publications Repository
On 19th November, the European Council formally approved a new regulation banning the sale, export, and distribution within the European Union of products made using forced labour. This landmark regulation will take effect three years after its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. This development marks a significant step towards eradicating forced labour from global supply chains and ensuring ethical practices across the market. Consilium Europa
Testex AG (Switzerland) has introduced the TESTEX Microplastic certification standard. This innovative standard ensures textiles meet stringent requirements for microplastic residue detection, in compliance with ISO 4484-2:2023. Testex’s rigorous testing spans fibres, yarns, woven and knitted fabrics, and finished products, offering analysis of particle type, morphology, and distribution. This certification represents a vital advancement in addressing the environmental challenges posed by microplastics in textiles. Testex
Lastly, COP29 concluded on 22 November in Baku with the introduction of new carbon market rules, paving the way for businesses to tap into a $1 trillion carbon credits market by 2050. This development offers a significant funding stream for credible climate projects. Overall, businesses are increasingly recognised as pivotal partners in achieving Net Zero, with a growing focus on public-private collaboration to bridge funding gaps and drive impactful action. Enhanced climate finance goals highlight a greater reliance on private-sector contributions, with developed nations pledging $300 billion annually by 2035 and exploring initiatives such as sector-specific levies and reduced fossil fuel subsidies. Furthermore, national climate targets indicate that businesses should prepare for stricter policies, including carbon pricing, which will accelerate transitions across key sectors.
For more sustainability and vegan certifications, visit Vegan Fashion Repository to discover our brand-new, one of a kind directory of certifications curated for vegan and sustainable fashion brands.