The fashion and apparel sector is a crucial industry at bothnational and global level, with the potential to transform our approach toclimate change. As a sector contributing up to eight percent of globalgreenhouse gas emissions (UnitedNations Alliance for Sustainable Fashion, 2021), significant shiftstowards sustainability within this industry can inspire other sectors to act onclimate change. From creating livelihoods for millions to leveraging the planet’sresources, the fashion sector’s movement towards ethical, sustainable, andclimate-friendly practices can lead the way in building long-term resilience,especially for those who are most vulnerable to climate change.
Inclusive and participatory processes, encompassing actionsand evidence generation on the ground and policy interlinkages at local,national, and international level, support effective risk management andclimate action. The multi-actor partnership on climate and disaster riskmanagement and finance established by SLYCAN Trust brings together stakeholdersfrom key groups to contribute to long-term resilience-building through climaterisk management, risk transfer, risk finance, and collective action.
This report is based on inputs and findings from theinception workshop for the fashion sector held on September 21st,2023, in Sri Lanka, which brought together representatives from the publicsector, private sector, entrepreneurs, and academia, connected to the fashionand apparel industry. It features visions for resilience-building from fashionsector stakeholders as well as their key priorities, the gaps, and needs to beaddressed, and avenues for scaling up risk management and finance. The eventwas organized as part of the project “Multi-actor partnership for pro-poor andgender-equitable climate risk financing in the context of the IGP’s 2025vision” supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation andDevelopment.
