The COVID-19 pandemic has made evident that reliable access to safe water is essential to global health security. At the same time, it has disrupted economic security for several sectors, including the global fashion value chain. As one of the world’s largest consumers of water globally, and the producer of more than 20 percent of global wastewater, the fashion industry will need to embrace sustainable and inclusive value chain solutions for its resiliency.
Women have a massive role in shaping the sustainability of the fashion industry. The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs’ Providing Opportunities for Women’s Economic Rise (POWER) initiative and U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City in partnership with U.S. Water Partnership and WWF hosted a four-panel series and a follow-on roundtable from April 13-28, 2021 called “Women Changing the Course Toward Water Sustainable Fashion.” Women from across the industry and across the world came together to be agents of change throughout the fashion value chain with a focus on those chains that began in Southeast Asia and South Asia. These Women for Water Sustainable Fashion identified important steps needed to change the textile, apparel and fashion industry’s course toward water-sustainable fashion. Many focused on the need for transparency and information sharing throughout the complex supply chain. Please visit our resources page that shares some of the tools that they identified.
