Reweaving fashion: How women are leading change for a sustainable industry

重塑时尚: 女性如何引领可持续产业变革

Each year, the fashion industry produces over 60 million tonnes of clothing, making it a major contributor to global pollution and climate change—and deeply intertwined with the land it relies on.

时尚产业每年生产超过6000万吨服装，是全球污染和气候变化的主要推手之一，且与它所依赖的土地紧密相连。

From fibre production to garment disposal, its impact on land, water and biodiversity is undeniable. Yet few realize that the very fibres in our clothing have profound effects on the land they come from. Over 40 per cent of textiles come from cotton and cellulosic fibres—crops that require intensive land and chemical use.

从纤维生产到服装废弃，其对土地、水资源和生物多样性的影响毋庸置疑。然而，很少有人意识到，我们衣物中的纤维本身就对其来源地的土地产生着深远影响。超过40%的纺织品原料来自棉花和纤维素纤维——这些作物需要大量土地和化学品投入。

Without intervention, the fashion industry is projected to use 35 per cent more land by 2030—an area equivalent to 115 million hectares—roughly the size of Ethiopia—highlighting the urgent need for sustainable land management practices.

若不采取干预措施，预计到2030年，时尚产业的土地使用率将增加35%，相当于1.15亿公顷（约为埃塞俄比亚的国土面积），这凸显了可持续土地管理实践的迫切性。

Beyond the connection between fashion and land, issues of land tenure and gender are crucial to driving meaningful change. Of the approximately 300 million people employed in fashion, women make up over 65 per cent of the industry’s workforce, particularly in the production stages. In rural areas, they play a vital role in growing, harvesting and processing the natural fibres that fuel the sector. Yet despite their contributions, only one in five landowners is a woman. Without secure land rights, women are often excluded from key decisions on how land is used and managed. Research shows, however, that when women do own the land they work on, they are more likely to invest in sustainable practices—helping to combat land degradation and adapt to climate challenges.

除了时尚与土地的关联，土地所有权和性别问题对推动实质性变革至关重要。时尚产业约有3亿从业人员，其中女性占比超过65%，尤其集中在生产环节。在农村地区，她们在种植、收割和加工支撑该产业的天然纤维方面发挥着关键作用。然而，尽管贡献巨大，女性土地所有者仅占五分之一。缺乏稳固的土地权，女性往往被排除在土地使用和管理的关键决策之外。但研究表明，当女性拥有自己耕种的土地所有权时，她们更倾向于投资可持续实践，助力应对土地退化和适应气候挑战。

Indigenous peoples, local communities and smallholder farmers are also disproportionately affected by land-use changes driven by fashion supply chains. These communities often lose access to ancestral lands and livelihoods to make way for cash crops and grazing pastures. As climate impacts and social inequalities deepen, a new narrative is emerging—one where gender equality, sustainable land management and circular production patterns intersect.

原住民、当地社区和小农也受到时尚供应链引发的土地利用变化的过度影响。为种植经济作物和开辟牧场，这些社区往往被迫失去祖传土地和生计来源。随着气候影响和社会不平等加剧，一种新的理念正在兴起——将性别平等、可持续土地管理和循环生产模式相结合。

Women-led initiatives are already at the forefront of this shift—advocating for responsible fibre production, promoting sustainable alternatives, improving labour conditions and empowering women, especially in rural and marginalized communities.

女性主导的倡议已处于这场变革的前沿——倡导负责任的纤维生产、推广可持续替代方案、改善劳动条件，并赋能女性（尤其是农村和边缘化社区的女性）。

One such initiative is Tujikuze—a women-led Kenyan enterprise focused on sustainable, circular fashion. By using locally sourced, biodegradable materials and empowering young women through training and employment, Tujikuze exemplifies how fashion can serve both people and the planet. Their model promotes community resilience, environmental stewardship and economic opportunity—showing that ethical fashion is not only possible but already in motion.

图吉库泽（Tujikuze）就是这样一项倡议——这是一家肯尼亚女性主导企业，专注于可持续循环时尚。通过使用本地采购的可生物降解材料，并通过培训和就业赋能年轻女性，图吉库泽展现了时尚如何同时服务于人类与地球。其模式促进社区韧性、环境管理和经济机遇，表明道德时尚不仅可行，而且已在实践中。

Tujikuze was among the inspiring examples shared at the recent event “Women leading change: Shaping a sustainable future in fashion,” held on the margins of the Regional Forum for Sustainable Development. Organized by the UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion, UNECE, ITC Ethical Fashion Initiative, ILO, UNIDO, UNCCD and the UN Office for Partnerships, the event brought together global advocates and entrepreneurs to spotlight the transformative role of women in shaping a more equitable and sustainable fashion sector—and to highlight the industry’s deep connection to the land and natural resources.

图吉库泽是近期在可持续发展区域论坛期间举办的“女性引领变革：塑造时尚可持续未来”活动中分享的励志案例之一。该活动由联合国可持续时尚联盟、联合国欧洲经济委员会、国际贸易中心道德时尚倡议、国际劳工组织、联合国工业发展组织、联合国防治荒漠化公约秘书处及联合国伙伴关系办公室联合举办，汇集了全球倡导者和企业家，聚焦女性在打造更公平、更可持续时尚产业中的变革性作用，并强调该产业与土地及自然资源的深厚联系。

One central message was underscored: land degradation, gender injustice and unsustainable fashion are interconnected. A people-centered, land-conscious and gender-equal approach is essential to reversing the industry’s harm. Fashion can no longer be separated from the land that sustains it.

活动强调了一个核心信息：土地退化、性别不公与不可持续时尚息息相关。以人为本、重视土地且性别平等的方法，是扭转该产业危害的关键。时尚再也不能与其赖以生存的土地割裂开来。

To heal our relationship with nature, we must redesign our wardrobes from the ground up.

要修复我们与自然的关系，就必须从根本上重新设计我们的衣橱。