At the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, the industry's urgent need to be proactive was made evident by the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action. The revised agreement asks signatories to take additional pledges that include securing 100 percent electricity from renewable sources and the complete phasing out of coal in production.

Those who have signed up include retail heavyweights-the likes of the sports multinational Adidas AG, British luxury house Burberry, French fashion house Chanel, Japanese company Fast Retailing and luxury conglomerates like PVH Corp and VF Corporation. The reasons include excessive production-fiber production reached an "All-time high" in 2021.

Over 50 per cent of global fiber production is currently synthetic and fossil based, while the market share of 'good' cotton decreased by three per cent. In India, only 17 per cent of the cotton produced was organic or under programmes like Better Cotton initiative or the REEL Cotton Programme.

The volume of polyester production increased-it remains the most widely produced material in the world. India was also the largest producer of virgin leather made from buffalo hide in 2021, with 44 percent of market share. The report further highlights that approximately 8,00,000 tonnes of leather waste is produced each year.