Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s video message to the ELLE Education Sustainability Seminar today:
It is my pleasure to open this new series of ELLE Education Seminars. My thanks to the ELLE Education team and its President, Francisco López, for putting sustainability at the core of this event.
I would also like to recognize the Editor-in-Chief of Elle France, Erin Doherty, for amplifying the Sustainable Development Goals within the fashion industry.
Fashion has a unique presence in our world. You start, spot and shape trends. You reach millions of people. And you are avatars of innovation and diversity. That is why it is so exciting to see you turn your attention to inclusion and sustainability.
From designers and supply chains, to influencers and consumers, your creativity can help us deliver the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and offer opportunities for all. These 17 Goals aim to lift people out of poverty, ensure gender equality and build green and resilient economies.
The importance of this work has been underscored by the COVID-19 crisis. And that’s where each of you come in as consumers, companies and communities to keep the momentum going for this transformative agenda. Your policies, investments and individual actions can help achieve a circular economy — reducing waste while supporting economic growth and human well-being.
Take plastics, for example. This morning, as I reached into my closet for this outfit, I didn’t give a second thought to the humble clothes hanger. But someone has. Plastic hangers are like the plastic straws of our closets. Each year, an estimated 85 billion plastic hangers are thrown away.
But now there are companies producing hangers from “ocean soup” — the mixture of plastic and waste found in the sea. These are the types of solutions we need. We need the entire fashion industry to rethink its way of doing business — considering both the human and environmental implications of your operations, meeting labour standards and adopting sustainable consumption and production practices.
This includes water. An estimated 20 per cent of industrial water pollution is associated with garment manufacturing. Some 1.3 trillion gallons annually is used for fabric dyeing processes alone.
Recently, leaders in the denim industry came together to create the Transformers Foundation — to significantly reduce water usage — trying things like laser or foam dyeing.
Where one part of the industry moves the needle on sustainable performance, others must follow. I have no doubt that you, as global trendsetters, can lead in this way, too.
The United Nations counts on you to create sustainable solutions for people and for planet — and we are eager to explore what more we can do together to advance lives of dignity and equality for all on a healthy planet.
I look forward to taking this exciting journey with you to meet the SDGs in this Decade of Action by 2030.
