Mayors from many European cities gathered at the ChangeNow Summit in Paris, in late May. They met to raise concerns about the damaging impact of fast fashion – in their cities and on the environment. In the end, Spanish ACTE member Terrassa was one of the more than 30 cities that signed the Slow Fashion Declaration.
The Slow Fashion Declaration aims to apply ethical and fair principles in the production of clothing for environmental reasons. And, at the same time, guaranteeing better working conditions for producers and suppliers in the industry. In other words, the world of fashion must be sustainable and fair.
On an international scale, the declaration urges:
- prohibit unfair trade practices
- support producing countries
- prohibit bad consumer initiatives.
On a European scale it recommends:
- adopt and implement the CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism)
- adopt an ambitious European directive on the sustainability of large corporations
- regulate the ban on products made with forced labor conditions
- prohibit the presence of chemicals in the textile industry
- make the textile industry a pillar of the European Green Deal Industry Strategy
- adopt a European Slow Fashion label
- support the cultivation of organic textiles in Europe and promote educational programs on the subject.
Joint effort
Dublin, Paris, Strasbourg, Bordeaux, Leuven, Annecy, Bologna, Rzeszów, Terrassa and Turku are some of the larger cities that support the Declaration. This joint effort aims to urge the European Union, the G7 and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to establish regulations that level the playing field between slow fashion entrepreneurs and fast fashion conglomerates.
Text from/read more about Terassa’s commitment (click).
Download the pressrelease from the ChangeNow Summit (click).
