Stella McCartney urged world leaders to stop “punishing those who do good” and motivate the fashion industry to adopt sustainable choices.
On 11 June, executives from nine global companies, including the British fashion designer, met with world leaders during the G7 Summit to discuss accelerating sustainable investment.
Ahead of the meeting, Stella McCartney had told Sky News that it would be an “important opportunity to shine the spotlight on an industry that has gone unnoticed in terms of sustainability issues“.
The designer, who is the daughter of former Beatles member Sir Paul McCartney and the late animal rights activist Linda McCartney, founded her eponymous brand in 2001.
The brand does not use animal materials such as leather, feathers, or fur in its products and is committed to treating “Mother Earth with care,” a mindset that McCartney said is rare in the entire fashion industry.
“I don’t think anyone really knows that fashion is one of the most harmful industries. I don’t think they know that 150 million trees are cut down for viscose, and I managed to find a viable wood pulp in Sweden.
I desperately want to convey some of the facts and reality that show how outdated the fashion industry is,” he said.
McCartney urged world leaders to rethink their policies and incentivise new designers, explaining that current tax laws “punish” those who try to implement sustainable practices.
I have no incentives, in fact, I can be taxed up to 30% if I export a non-leather good to the US and I have to put it on the back burner and that doesn’t help the business and I’m penalised for good, he noted.
Since launching her brand two decades ago, Stella McCartney has been looking for suppliers who can produce the same materials used in the fashion industry in a more sustainable way. He said he hopes that governments will invest in them for a “sustainable future“.
“60% of all the positives I do is just in the way I source my raw materials. I have the solutions. So I hope that if we can promote these smaller companies that I work with, and we can ask for investment in them, then they can have a seat at the table and we can pursue a sustainable future.” he said.
