Pingree urges Biden to give the fashion industry a voice in climate policy discussions • Maine Morning Star

U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree and her slow fashion caucus sent a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to include the fashion industry in his new White House Task Force on Climate and Trade. 

In the letter, Pingree, a Democrat, and the rest of the caucus highlighted the environmental challenges the fashion and textile industries pose, calling them a “fundamental missing piece” to addressing the climate crisis. The six representatives who signed the letter said they want to see members from the fashion and textile industries added to the president’s task force to ensure their voices and policy recommendations are part of those climate conversations.

“The United States lags sorely behind many other nations in sustainable textile policy, both in regulations and incentives,” read the letter, dated July 12. 

The formation of the White House Climate and Trade Task Force was announced in April by Biden’s senior advisor on international climate policy, John Podesta. Its purpose is to develop a climate and trade policy toolkit, ensure there is good data to back up policy decisions and identify what more can be done in the U.S. and abroad to build economic opportunity while fighting the climate crisis. 

In a speech about the formation of the task force, Podesta said the administration is open to proposals from members of Congress and other policy thought leaders.

“Here in the U.S., we want our manufacturers to be the cleanest and most competitive in the world,” Podesta said in his April speech, specifically mentioning efforts to reduce emissions through lower-carbon construction materials and processes, like smelting, as well as clean energy. 

Why fashion should be at the climate discussion table

Fashion is a multinational industry valued at nearly $10 trillion in the United States alone, according to the letter. 

The fashion and textile industry is estimated to be responsible for about 4% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, the letter points out, textile waste in the U.S. has increased by 80% since 2000, which Pingree and her colleagues note is “fastest-growing waste stream in the country.” 

Not only would sustainable fashion be more friendly for the planet, but the letter also lays out the economic benefits it could generate, such as job opportunities in textile manufacturing, reuse and recycling technology, logistics, and science.

Pingree was joined by other House Democrats in signing the letter, including Sydney Kamlager-Dove of California, Jerrold Nadler of New York, Kathy Castor of Florida, Jared Huffman of California, and Jill Tokuda of Hawaii.

In late June, Pingree announced the formation of the slow fashion caucus, which is meant to develop policies to curb pollution from “fast fashion” — which involves cheaply manufactured, frequently-bought clothing items that have a short life span. 

The caucus has received support from several outside groups — such as American Circular Textiles, the Garment Worker Center, former Vice President Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project, Patagonia, and others. Its goal is to incentivize the apparel industry to reuse, repair and recycle textiles to reduce natural resource consumption in the sector. 

The group also supports building reuse and recycling infrastructure, creating awareness of the environmental impact of fast fashion, bringing textile production back to the U.S., pushing for the use of more sustainable fibers, and building on existing efforts to encourage sustainability.