Fashion’s Deforestation Footprint

The fashion industry’s insatiable demand for resources is driving the alarming deforestation of the Rainforest, unraveling its intricate ecosystem and threatening the livelihoods and the home of indigenous communities. There is an urgent need for sustainable alternatives to halt this environmental catastrophe and protect our planet’s last sanctuary.

With The Amazon Rainforest nearing a tipping point and the climate crisis being on the brink of irreversible damage, it is time for the fashion industry to take responsibility for its contribution. The Amazon plays a crucial role in maintaining the global health of our planet and the fight against climate change as it acts as a carbon sink, absorbing vast amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and helping to mitigate the impact of climate change. Although, through constant deforestation and fires, it is now a net carbon emitter, emitting more carbon dioxide than it absorbs and exacerbating the effects of climate change. We need systemic change to stop the environmental destruction of one of the world’s most vital ecosystems, that is happening in the name of profit and growth. 

The fashion industry has managed to slip under the radar when it comes to the deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest and its role as a significant driving factor, yet the biodiversity of the Amazon is threatened at every stage of the fashion value chain. Fashion’s demand for raw materials, like leather and cotton has put immense pressure on the rainforest and its delicate ecological balance, while chemicals used in garment manufacturing processes massively contribute to biodiversity loss. This is because there is a lack of traceability and an absence of legislation in fashion supply chains, making it almost impossible to track the journey of cowhide from the land to the final product. Yet the cattle industry has been identified as the single largest driver of deforestation, which the fashion industry is tied to as a co-product. Land clearing for cattle raising is responsible for almost 80% of the deforestation of the Amazon, which is driven by demand from the food industry and the fashion industry - a demand that is disproportionately from the Global North and inflicting irreversible damage on The Amazon, destroying ecosystems, biodiversity and the livelihoods of indigenous populations. With the vast majority of the bovine leather produced in Brazil being exported to the Global North, the leather industry is a huge source of revenue for Brazil, which has pushed those in power to turn a blind eye to the deforestation that often takes place illegally. This ‘business as usual’ mentality that constantly elevates profits above people and the planet is what needs to change. Because what use is profit on a burning planet?

Deforestation and the loss of forest cover will disproportionately impact communities and ecosystems, mostly in the Global South, but if the Amazon is destroyed, we will all suffer the consequences. On an environmental level, the loss of the Amazon will result in a severe loss of biodiversity, compromise ecosystems, increase droughts, desertification and accelerate climate change. On a human level, the rainforest is home to an estimated 400 indigenous communities who are relentlessly fighting for their lives, their rights, their home and our collective future, all because of excessive consumption and the demand for leather products in the West. While indigenous people make up an estimated 4 to 5% of the world’s population, they protect 80% of the world’s biodiversity and with the Amazon being one of the most diverse places on earth, the indigenous communities who call it home are crucial for its survival. Indigenous groups who have inhabited the forest for centuries and lived in harmony with the forest are facing the constant threat of erasure, with their cultural heritage, livelihoods and home all at risk of eradication, in the face of an industry that prioritises profit and growth. The indigenous communities living in the Amazon rainforest have vast knowledge, skills, traditions and practices in sustainability and the environment that are undeniably the way forward to tackle the climate crisis. As communities who have adopted the role of conservationists, protecting their land and living in symbiosis with nature and the environment, there are vital lessons to be learnt from indigenous knowledge if we want to have any chance at restoring the collective future on planet Earth.

The Amazon rainforest really is one of our planet’s last sanctuaries. A sanctuary for biodiversity, indigenous populations, ecosystems and carbon sequestration. We need to start acting like it.

There needs to be greater transparency, accountability and most importantly, the descaling of the leather industry. Sustainability discourse is quick to promote vegan leather alternatives as the way forward, with the elicit pressure remaining on the consumer. But in reality, the majority of vegan leather alternatives are made from plastic and aren’t biodegradable, making them problematic. Crucially, even with leather alternatives that are biodegradable and made from natural materials, the problem lies in overproduction and the excessive demand for these products. Even if the entire industry switched to vegan alternatives, if we fail to address the issue of overproduction and in turn, overconsumption, then these alternatives will be mass-produced on the same scale and the demand and pressure from brands that squeezes the supply chain will remain unchanged. This means exploitative conditions and practices will dominate the supply chain, resulting in human exploitation,  environmental degradation and further loss of biodiversity. Alternatives are not the way forward. The root causes of the fashion industry’s exploitation and extraction need to be addressed and challenged, which means descaling the industry, reducing consumption and understanding the importance of indigenous knowledge and cultural practices in reforming the fashion system.

With the recent implementation of a new-cross industry collaboration by Textile Exchange and Leather Working there is hope for a leather industry that is not tied to deforestation. The Deforestation-Free Call to Action for Leather calls on brands to commit to sourcing their leather from deforestation-free supply chains by the year 2030. With brands, like Adidas signed up, who were found to have multiple connections to Amazon deforestation throughout their supply chains, this is a step in the right direction. But we all know that brands saying yes is one thing - brands holding themselves accountable and being more transparent is another.