60+ Fashion Brands Pledge Net-Zero by 2040 in New Coalition

For climate and energy analysts, the coalition's 2040 net-zero target is the most consequential signal in fashion's decarbonization trajectory since 2019. The pledge arrives after earlier industry pacts lost momentum, and its accelerated timeline implies deeper supply-chain electrification, material innovation and renewable energy adoption across the value chain. Whether the 60-plus signatories produce real emissions data will determine if this coalition closes the gap between climate ambition and verified action.

On 23 September 2026, Vogue reported the launch of The Climate Pledge Fashion Coalition, a new multi-stakeholder sustainability initiative that has signed more than 60 brands, retailers, manufacturers and innovators, each committing to reach net-zero emissions by 2040. Stella McCartney, one of fashion's most visible sustainability advocates, has cosigned the pledge and is using her platform to frame the initiative as a departure from earlier industry promises. The designer told Vogue from her London studio that the conversation has been happening for a long time, that people have good intentions, but that solving fashion's climate problem is not an overnight solution and requires care and commitment.

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In 2018, 43 major brands including Adidas, Burberry and H&M signed the UN Fashion Charter, committing to net-zero emissions by 2050.

The launch arrives at a moment when sustainability has slipped down the fashion agenda, with brands increasingly focused on protecting their bottom lines. This is not the first time the industry has attempted collective climate action. In 2018, 43 major brands including Adidas, Burberry and H&M signed the UN Fashion Charter, committing to net-zero emissions by 2050. The following year, 250 brands including Chanel, Prada and Nike signed the G7 Fashion Pact, spearheaded by French president Emmanuel Macron and Gucci owner Kering, with commitments to net-zero emissions by 2050, restoring biodiversity and protecting the oceans. Yet, as Vogue notes, momentum from those initiatives has largely stalled. McCartney, an original signatory of both earlier pacts, is explicit about the failure: many participants greenwash or sign up and then quietly leave while still appearing to be part of the movement.

The new coalition's most concrete differentiator is its 2040 target, a full decade earlier than the 2050 commitments made under the UN Fashion Charter and G7 Fashion Pact. That accelerated timeline is ambitious for an industry with complex, globalized supply chains and significant Scope 3 emissions embedded in raw materials, manufacturing, logistics and retail operations. By spanning brands, retailers, manufacturers and innovators rather than just fashion houses, the coalition attempts to address decarbonization across the value chain rather than treating it as a marketing exercise. The emphasis on tangible change, as McCartney describes it, suggests signatories will be expected to move beyond pledges and toward measurable reductions, though the sources do not yet detail formal verification or enforcement mechanisms.