FASHION FORWARD: Policy Pathways for a Biodiversity-Positive Transformation of the EU Fashion Sector

The fashion sector plays a significant role in the European economy and cultural identity. As a global trendsetter and one of the world’s top exporters, Europe’s fashion system, comprising the fashion, textile and apparel industries, shapes consumption patterns far beyond its borders. This global reach, however, carries significant environmental costs. The fashion sector contributes to biodiversity loss through land use change, pollution and greenhouse gas emissions linked to material extraction, fibre processing, production and transport. Addressing the fashion sector’s impact on biodiversity requires tackling the structural barriers that keep production and consumption locked into unsustainable patterns. Five policy challenges and corresponding options discussed in the report identify where EU policy can most effectively catalyse a biodiversity-positive transformation of the fashion system. Each challenge highlights an area where reinforcing or better aligning existing instruments, from design and trade to agriculture and finance, could drive deep, fair and lasting change.