Initiative helps fashion businesses reduce carbon emissions

The Mindful Fashion New Zealand Climate Action Programme is an initiative designed to catalyse action and support the local industry on its decarbonisation journey. 

With the New Zealand clothing and textile industry predominantly made up of SMEs, Mindful Fashion has designed its programme to address common barriers to action these businesses typically face. Currently each business needs to embark on emissions measurement and reduction independently, with cost, time and knowledge significant barriers.

The Mindful Fashion programme provides industry specific guidance and tools, support to participants during the measurement process, and workshops to collaborate on developing reduction strategies.

One of the key takeaways from recent analysis is the New Zealand fashion industry’s desire to address its climate impact. Mindful Fashion Programme Director Jacinta FitzGerald says, “We know that globally the fashion industry is a huge contributor to carbon emissions. To create effective change a sector-wide approach is needed. Our action-oriented programme will build capability and use collective action to drive reductions over time. This is a programme the entire fashion and textiles industry can get behind, and frankly it must if we are to meet global targets.”

More than 20 Mindful Fashion businesses are participating in Stage 1 of the Programme, which is designed to enable businesses with knowledge and tools to measure their organisation’s greenhouse gas emissions and take steps to reduce them. Findings from this stage will feed into a Climate Action roadmap that will outline the path towards meeting longer term goals for the industry including emissions generated both upstream and downstream in the supply chain. 

Mindful Fashion’s programme is kickstarted by funding from Whakatupu Aotearoa Foundation, with further support from the Ministry for the Environment. It has been co-developed with carbon measurement and offset specialist Ekos, is open industry wide and free for Mindful Fashion members to participate.

Whakatupu Aotearoa’s Programme Director Yii Petrus says, “We are excited to support Mindful Fashion to catalyse climate action within the fashion industry in New Zealand. We share a vision of a restored and thriving Aotearoa New Zealand, and this initiative is a crucial step on this journey.”

Ian Challenger from Ekos says, “Working in industry sectors is an excellent way for companies of all shapes and sizes to learn how to measure and manage their emissions, often from each other as they are tackling similar challenges. Ekos is excited to be working with Mindful Fashion and being part of a programme to help reduce emissions across a whole sector”.

Jacinta says “Collaboration is key to making meaningful progress. We welcome all members of the industry to join us on this mission. It’s imperative the industry starts to tackle this challenge. ”

For a full list of MFNZ members or more information on the collective, visit https://mindfulfashion.co.nz/