COP 26 is just about over and climate change has never been more relevant. According to the Financial Times, the whole fashion industry is “estimated to generate more greenhouse gas emissions than the UK, Germany and France combined” – enough to make us want to collectively address this alarming issue.
Second-hand clothing has often been suggested as the immediate answer to this pressing matter, but given the emergency, the call for change has to take place faster and from the top-down too. And Google seems to be ready to move the dial forward. Working hand in hand with WWF and British-born luxury designer Stella McCartney, the giant search engine has developed a tool, called Global Impact Fibre Explorer, that can identify the environmental impact of the use of any given material on air pollution, biodiversity, water use and greenhouse gases.
Providing labels with precious recommendations and insight, a pilot of the program has already been released as some retailers have already had the opportunity to test the tool and refine it as much as possible. Adidas, Allbirds, H&M Group and VF Corporation are part of the few recognisable names that have already put their hands on the new plug-in.
Willing to deepen its ties with the industry while making sure to be a catalyst for positive change, we can only expect this new tool to help us counter the growing and gruesome issues related to the climate in the times to come.
