Waste is still too often treated as a matter of what happens at the end of the value chain, as though the real problem begins only once a garment is unsold or discarded.

In reality, the damage is already baked in much earlier. If one fifth of production volume is destined never to reach a consumer, then one fifth of all the energy, water, chemistry, and labour that went into that production is squandered the moment the order is placed.

Shivam Gusain - Founder at Decypher

KEY FINDINGS:

• Economic Contribution: The branded clothing retail sector contributed €331.8 billion to the EU’s GDP, accounting for 2% of total GDP, and supported 4.5 million jobs, equivalent to 2% of total employment in the EU. 

• Employment: The sector directly employs 1.3 million people, with an additional 3.2 million jobs supported indirectly and through induced effects.  Notably, 63% of employees in the sector are women. 

• Global Trade: The EU is a major player in global trade for branded clothing products, ranking as the largest importer of apparel (28% of global imports) and the second-largest exporter of bags (28%) and footwear (17%).

There is no need to enforce behavioural change. There is no need to ban high-emitting activities or impose immediate penalties. The act of disclosure alone begins to shift the terrain. Because this is not a symbolic gesture. It is a new lens on value itself.

By forcing carbon risk into the structure of reported profit, this approach does what sustainability pledges never could.

Shivam Gusain - Founder at Decypher