‘Brands have been getting away with murder’: Stella McCartney and leading fashion figures on the fallout of Cop26

After Glasgow, there is a clamour for fashion companies to increase their commitment to sustainability and supply chain transparency - and for legislation to hold them to their promises

At the Cop26 conference, high-profile British brands including Stella McCartney, Burberry and Mulberry presented their visions for an ethical, sustainable industry. Now, there is an increasing demand for all fashion companies to make legally binding commitments to address the impact their supply chains have on the environment. While hundreds of companies - including Gucci-owner Kering, H&M and Inditex, which owns Zara - have signed up to the UN's Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action, which sets science-based targets in line with the Paris agreement, there is no obligation to take part, nor a legal mandate to hold brands to account.

Leading industry figures say that if fashion brands are to have any chance of having a meaningful impact on the climate crisis, legislation is needed.