Carbon footprint of leading European apparel brands 2023

Global climate change has become a dire reality with urgent consequences confronting communities and the planet. Worldwide, the industrial sector is the third main source of global carbon emissions, the leading factor making the planet warmer. In recent years, the fashion industry has become one of the key sectors to have come into focus, due to the environmental impact left by the industry’s manufacturing and operational processes.

Fast fashion’s carbon footprint

Accordingly, many fashion and apparel brands have taken steps to reduce their carbon emissions, which have been exacerbated over the years by the industry’s apparel production, which has been growing at an alarming rate. There has also been more pressure on fashion companies to report their activities transparently. Sustainability figures compiled from the leading Europe-based fashion retailers’ annual reports indicated that the Swedish multinational retailer H&M surpassed other big names of the industry with roughly 55 thousand tonnes of Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions released during the 2023 financial year. 

Emission scopes

The Greenhouse Gas Protocol classifies emissions into three categories. Scope 1 refers to a company’s direct emissions such as fuel combustion. Scope to 2 refers to energy-related indirect emissions, and Scope 3 includes operational emissions associated with the value chain, e.g. transport and delivery processes.