The environmental toll of the fast fashion industry is undeniable but the integration of renewable energy offers a promising path to sustainability. This article explores how major brands like H&M and Gap are embracing alternative practices to reduce their carbon footprints and whether they can begin to undo the damage the industry has for decades inflicted to our planet.

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Fast fashion is a force to be reckoned with amongst climate polluters, winning third place as the world’s largest polluters according to a 2021 Insight Report by the World Economic Forum. The industry has an array of injurious impacts on the environment, from water pollution to textile waste and greenhouse gas emissions. Depleting an immense amount of natural resources each year – about 141 billion cubic meters of water – and making up 10% of the global annual carbon footprint, fast fashion is an ever-growing concern in need of immediate attention.

The industry’s heavy reliance on fossil fuels is set to increase greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 unless urgent action is taken. While major players like Zara and H&M remain dominant, they face growing pressure to adopt sustainable practices. 

Last December, the 28th United Nations Conference of the Parties, better known as COP28, began to put this pressure on. For the first time, the summit formally recognized the necessity of moving away from fossil fuels and finally gave the fashion industry some much-needed attention – albeit still limited. The summit featured its inaugural Sustainable Fashion Show while calling upon Stella McCartney and other sustainable fashion leaders to showcase next-generation solutions in the industry.

This awareness, coupled with the UN Climate Change Fashion Charter’s goal to guide the industry into net-zero emissions by 2050, delivers a clear message: the fashion industry must promptly accelerate its shift toward sustainability. 

More on the topic: The 10 Essential Fast Fashion Statistics

The Solution

While we are far from bandaging the wound fast fashion has inflicted on our planet, there are remedies within reach. Renewable energy, in particular, is lending a hand to the industry, with mega fashion corporations now realizing how crucial a transition to clean energy is. 

So what does renewable energy look like within the realm of fast fashion?

Energy-efficient machinery optimizes energy use in textile production through advanced technologies like high-efficiency motors and intelligent controls. This reduces energy consumption, lowers emissions, and supports sustainability while enhancing productivity and output quality.

Solar power can be incorporated into factories, warehouses, and retail stores to generate electricity on-site. The switch to solar within the textile industry has a drastic effect on greenhouse gas emissions. The 2017 MAS Holdings’ Project Photon in Sri Lanka proves so as the installation of 67,000 solar panels across MAS facilities now saves 18,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually. 

Wind farms, both onshore and offshore, provide scalable solutions for powering production facilities and distribution networks. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the use of wind energy can save up to 7.88 billion gallons of water annually for every 3,000 megawatt (MW) of wind capacity. Given how water-intensive textile and apparel production is, wind energy is a particularly fitting remedy.  

Needless to say, efficiently incorporating these solutions into a brand’s operations is easier said than done. 

It is important to acknowledge the limitations these solutions present, such as infrastructure and cost barriers, especially in developing countries where much of the production occurs. Additionally, the intermittent nature of renewable sources like solar and wind requires advanced storage solutions to ensure consistent energy supply. 

Obstacles like these make it difficult for companies to integrate renewable energy in the short term. It is a long and arduous process but a necessary one at last. And some apparel brands seem to have taken a step in the right direction.

H&M

Though the fast fashion giant has a long way to go in reducing its environmental impact, it is pioneering the exploration of wind energy use in apparel production. Announced at COP28, H&M partnered up with Danish fashion brand Bestseller and renewable energy investment firm Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) to launch Bangladesh’s first offshore wind project. The country plays a vital role in H&M’s supply chain. With the company sourcing garments from approximately 1,000 factories in Bangladesh, this endeavor could help the brand make massive strides in cutting manufacturing emissions. 

The 500 MW project, which will begin operations in 2028, is expected to reduce the country’s CO2 emissions by 725,000 tonnes annually. The partnership aims to streamline the fashion industry’s transition to renewable energy while supporting the country’s goal of sourcing 40% of its power from renewable sources by 2041.

Levi Strauss & Co

The major denim retailer released its inaugural climate transition plan in October 2024, outlining a strategy to achieve net-zero emissions across its operations and supply chain by 2050. Part of this plan includes a transition to “100% renewable electricity in all company-operated facilities by 2025.” Levi’s is making huge strides to accomplish such goals. In fact, by 2022 90% of the electricity used at Levi’s facilities was already renewable. 

Gap Inc.

In Gap’s 2023 ESG Report, the company set a goal to reduce Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 90% from a 2017 baseline by 2030. To accomplish this, the company initiated two virtual power purchase agreements (VPPAs) with Aurora Wind, a 90 MW wind farm in North Dakota, and Fern Solar, a 7.5MW solar project in North Carolina. The VPPAs are proving effective so far – according to the report, “Fern Solar has offset 100 percent of electricity used at Athleta’s company-operated stores in North America since 2021.” 

Ralph Lauren

As a member of the global corporate renewable energy initiative RE100, Ralph Lauren committed to transition all its globally owned and operated offices, distribution centers, and stores to 100% renewable electricity by the end of 2025. In its 2024 Global Citizenship & Sustainability Report, the company noted its progress, stating it “continued to invest in renewable energy attribute certificates, accounting for 64% of our global electricity use.” 

By shifting its operations to green facilities and signing VPPAs for new wind and solar plants in the US and Europe, the company has already decreased absolute emissions by 33%.

Outlook

Early adoption of renewable energy by these brands has shown promising results but real progress can only be made if other giants in the industry follow suit. According to a study by Stand.Earth, Gap, Levi’s and Ralph Lauren are some of the only brands on track to reduce emissions enough to fulfill their commitments to limit warming to 1.5C. While H&M has yet to demonstrate it is tracking to meet its 2040 net-zero target, its wind energy efforts hold great potential

.These are just a few of several major fashion brands that have begun their net zero emissions journey, and significant progress remains to be made. For these companies and their sustainability endeavours, the road ahead is long and complicated to navigate. For now, the industry must trust renewable energy to pave the way.

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