The Proposed New York Sustainability and Social Accountability Act
Image courtesy of vogue.com
As of October 2021, a proposed Fashion Sustainability and Social Accountability Act was bared upon New York, potentially making the Big Apple the first state to lawfully hold fashion brands accountable for their part in climate change. The New York Consumer Protection Senate Committee and its sponsors plan to vote on this legislation later in the year.
The main pursuit of the Fashion Sustainability and Social Accountability Act would be that Fashion brands transcending a revenue of $100 million are obliged to publicise their social and environmental methods and policies. This captures a range of household fashion names scoping from Prada and Gucci to Shein and Boohoo. These brands are required to disclose the origins of their materials and in what ways their production impacts greenhouse gas emissions, energy, water and chemical waste. The Brands are also permitted to address how they will mitigate their waste and meet annual goals to diminish their environmental footprint. This information will be published and easy to access on the brands website. A brand that fails to meet these targets will be fined approximately 2% of their yearly revenue and this will be donated to one of many New York environmental justice projects. This failure would again be publicised for all to see.
Image courtesy of thelastfashionbible.com
New York is one of the fashion capitals of the world and according to State Senator Alessandra Biaggi, has a moral responsibility to usher other fashion metropolises to effectively alter the methods that are poorly impacting the environment. The fashion field is one of the top polluting industries, after the oil industry, and taking lawful action to hold brands responsible for their throw away is a big step towards a more sustainable and environmentally friendly future for the fashion world.
If you would like read more about the ways in which Europe is attempting to legally regulate fashion waste, please click here.