At COP 26, where net-zero commitments were being announced, ‘phase-down’ versus ‘phase-out’ of coal was being debated, and even methane pledges were being made, it was the oil and gas lobby representatives who were walking around smug and grinning as they had dodged the bullet once again, thanks to the United States, the European Union and rich countries protecting their interests.
But outside the venue, a group of intrepid campaigners were pointing to the insidious role of oil and gas industry in the rising greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from a completely unlikely source that the well-heeled suits at the conference were oblivious to, or deliberately ignoring – the role of the fashion industry in carbon emissions, specifically cheap synthetic fibres like polyester, nylon, acrylic and elastane, produced from oil and gas.
Synthetic fibres represent over two-thirds (69%) of all materials used in textiles, which is expected to reach nearly three-quarters by 2030. The production of polyester alone is leading to annual GHG emissions equivalent to 180 coal power plants, and this is projected to nearly double by 2030.