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Ten years ago, in April 2013, Rana Plaza collapsed in Bangladesh, causing more than 1,100 deaths and 2,500 injuries, and a spotlight was shone on working conditions in the global fashion industry, given that that building housed several manufacturing factories. clothing. What has happened since then?
«Between 2017 and 2021 we recorded a decline in working conditions in the fashion industry: out of 50 million workers, only 2% have an adequate wage», explained Carlo Cici, partner and head of sustainability at The European House-Ambrosetti, presenting the 2023 Just Fashion Transition Observatory at the Venetian Forum (see article on page). Working conditions are just one of the aspects of sustainability that Ambrosetti analyzed in its strategic study on the financial statements of 2,800 European companies in the supply chain, of which 374 were assessed with a sustainability questionnaire. The results are only partially comforting.
If it is true that European companies have made quantifiable progress of 17% in the last year, and that Italian companies have made progress of 16%, above all driven by the pressure of brands that ask for certifications and compliance with specifications and also by banks that request ESG criteria, it is also true that the issue of textile waste continues to be a thorn in the side of the sector. And the so-called fast fashion sector has contributed to this phenomenon. «Today fashion is the sector that exports the largest volume of waste to non-OECD countries and this value has multiplied five times in 20 years, between 2000 and 2019», explained Cici, adding that when we buy a garment online and return an item, one in three returns ends up directly in a landfill in Africa or Chile. The hopes for reducing this waste are placed in recycling, reuse, second hand and upcycling: all activities in which Italy could carve out a leading role for itself. Although on the communication front there is still a lot to do: «We all say that we want traceability – concluded Cici – but then when we buy we don’t look at the label. In addition to the fact that, despite what we often hear, the data does not show a new generation that is more sensitive to sustainability.”