Fashion’s Future Hinges on Nature: Embracing Biodiversity for Sustainable Success.
Introduction – Nature as the Bedrock of Fashion
Fashion might seem all about glamour and innovation, but its foundation is profoundly natural. From cotton t-shirts to wool sweaters and rubber-soled shoes, nearly every apparel item begins with resources provided by nature. As Marie-Claire Daveu, Chief Sustainability Officer of Kering, bluntly put it: “We are able to make beautiful products [because] most of our raw materials come directly from nature.” Yet today, nature is in crisis. Global wildlife populations have declined by an average of 68% since 1970 and 1 million species face extinction risk. This biodiversity freefall isn’t just a moral issue – it’s a direct business concern. Healthy ecosystems provide fresh water, fertile soil, pollination, climate regulation and more. In short, nature’s stability underpins the fashion industry’s survival. For fashion executives and investors, protecting biodiversity is no longer optional or philanthropic – it’s an urgent strategic imperative to secure supply chains and future growth.
Fashion’s Reliance on Natural Resources (Cotton, Wool, Rubber)
Fashion is deeply dependent on natural raw materials, particularly cotton, wool, and rubber, which connect apparel to agriculture and forestry across the globe. Each of these commodities highlights the industry’s reliance on biodiversity and ecosystem services:
Cotton: The world’s most used natural fiber grows on only ~2-3% of agricultural land but consumes a disproportionate amount of agrochemicals – by some estimates 16–22% of insecticides and 7–10% of all pesticides. Conventional cotton farming also requires huge water inputs (about 2,700 liters for one T-shirt in some cases). This intensive approach can degrade soil health, pollute waterways, and harm beneficial insects like pollinators. If soils are exhausted or pollinators vanish, cotton yields and quality will suffer – a direct risk to any apparel brand reliant on this fiber.
Wool: Sourced from sheep (and goats for cashmere), wool production is tied to grassland ecosystems. Poor grazing practices can lead to overgrazing, soil erosion, and the loss of native plants and wildlife. However, with careful land management, wool can be produced in harmony with nature. The Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network is working with wool, cashmere and mohair producers to ensure wildlife and ecosystems thrive alongside their operations. Some brands are now adopting regenerative grazing techniques – rotating flocks and restoring pasture health – so that producing wool enhances biodiversity rather than harming it.
Natural Rubber: Rubber for fashion (think sneaker soles, boots, elastics) comes primarily from latex tapped from rubber trees in tropical forests. Traditionally, vast areas of biodiverse rainforest in Southeast Asia have been cleared for monoculture rubber plantations, degrading biodiversity and driving deforestation. The loss of forests for rubber not only endangers species but also disrupts local climates and water cycles. Brands that depend on rubber are thus tied to the fate of far-flung forests. Encouragingly, solutions are emerging: companies like Timberland (VF Corporation) are pioneering regenerative rubber agroforestry – growing rubber trees mixed with other species to mimic a natural forest and enhance the ecosystem. Early results show this approach can restore forest cover, support multiple income streams for farmers, and maintain biodiversity, all while securing a stable rubber supply.
In sum, fashion’s key materials come from living systems – farms, forests, and fields. If those systems are undermined, so is the business model of fashion. A large share of the industry’s biodiversity impact happens at the raw material stage: the expansion of cropland or pasture for cotton, wool and other fibers is a leading cause of habitat loss. In fact, fashion is projected to use 115 million extra hectares of land by 2030 under business-as-usual – land that could otherwise host natural ecosystems. Clearly, the way fashion sources materials must change if we are to preserve the very nature it depends on.
The Biodiversity Crisis – A Direct Threat to Fashion
The ongoing biodiversity crisis is not a distant environmental issue; it poses immediate and material risks to fashion brands and their investors. As ecosystems decline, brands face supply chain vulnerability, cost volatility, and regulatory and reputational risks:
Supply Chain & Resource Risks: Biodiversity loss can disrupt the natural inputs fashion relies on. Fewer pollinators and degraded soil mean lower crop yields – a clear threat to the cotton supply and price stability. Water scarcity, exacerbated by ecosystem degradation and climate change, is already a concern in major cotton-growing regions. Similarly, deforestation-driven climate shifts can make wool and rubber production less predictable.
Regulatory Pressure: Global policymakers are responding to the nature crisis with new regulations. The EU, for example, has adopted a groundbreaking anti-deforestation law that will ban imports of commodities linked to forest destruction, including leather and natural rubber. Forthcoming rules may require companies to disclose their nature-related risks (as encouraged by the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures, TNFD).
Investor and Consumer Expectations: Shareholders increasingly recognize that the biodiversity crisis carries financial risks. Major investors have formed coalitions to push companies on nature action. Meanwhile, consumers – especially younger generations – demand to know that their clothes are not driving species extinction or ecosystem ruin. Brands found complicit in environmental destruction risk severe damage to brand value.
In short, the message is clear: the health of the fashion sector is intertwined with the health of the planet’s ecosystems. Forward-thinking brands are awakening to this reality – treating biodiversity as the new frontier of risk management and innovation.
Global Frameworks Driving Nature Action (UN Goals, SBTI/SBTN, and Beyond)
The growing urgency to address nature loss has given rise to global frameworks and initiatives that guide businesses in taking meaningful action:
United Nations & Global Biodiversity Goals: In 2022, under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, world leaders agreed on the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which includes a pledge to protect 30% of Earth’s land and oceans by 2030. This plan calls for businesses to assess and disclose their impacts and dependencies on nature.
Science-Based Targets for Climate and Nature: The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has become the gold standard for corporate climate commitments. Building on that model, the Science Based Targets Network (SBTN) is developing methods for companies to set science-based targets for nature. Fashion leaders like Kering, LVMH, and H&M Group were among the first to pilot this framework.
Industry Initiatives: The Fashion Pact, launched in 2019 as a CEO-led coalition, explicitly includes biodiversity as a pillar. Dozens of major brands have pledged collective action. The Textile Exchange’s biodiversity benchmark and the OP2B (One Planet Business for Biodiversity) coalition are further advancing nature-positive fashion.
These frameworks give brands the tools to transition toward a nature-positive model. Aligning with frameworks like the UN Global Biodiversity Framework and SBTi/SBTN not only future-proofs a brand against regulatory and market shifts, it signals to investors and customers that the company is serious about long-term resilience.
Leading Brands Weaving Biodiversity into Strategy
Several brands are already demonstrating that protecting nature can go hand-in-hand with business success:
Kering: Kering set a bold target to achieve a net positive impact on biodiversity by 2025. It is regenerating and protecting 2 million hectares of land and has launched a €5 million Regenerative Fund for Nature focused on leather, cotton, cashmere, and wool. The company also uses EP&L accounting to measure environmental impacts.
H&M Group: H&M has pledged to source 100% of its cotton from sustainably sourced or recycled sources by 2025. It is working with the Science Based Targets Network and Conservation International on regenerative cotton and water targets.
VF Corporation (Timberland, Vans, The North Face): VF has launched footwear collections using regeneratively-sourced rubber and leather. Timberland has committed to a net positive impact, incorporating regenerative materials across hundreds of styles.
Patagonia & Stella McCartney: Patagonia aims to source 100% of its cotton and hemp from regenerative organic farms. Stella McCartney supports regenerative cotton and silk and uses forest-free viscose. Both brands are pioneers in linking product integrity to ecosystem health.
Veja: The sneaker brand sources wild-harvested rubber from the Amazon and pays communities a premium for conservation. It integrates biodiversity directly into its business model.
These leaders are investing in nature not as charity, but as strategy. They are proving that businesses can give more back to nature than they take.
A Call to Action – Integrating Nature into Core Strategy (and How SIV Impact Can Help)
For fashion executives and investors, the takeaway is clear: caring for nature is mission-critical. Every sustainability officer, CEO, and board member should ask: “What is our plan to ensure the ecosystems we depend on will thrive 10, 20, 50 years from now?”
SIV Impact can support fashion brands from strategy to execution:
Strategic Roadmapping: We help develop a comprehensive Nature & Biodiversity Strategy aligned with frameworks like SBTi/SBTN.
Supply Chain Transformation: We design and implement regenerative sourcing programs for cotton, wool, rubber, and more.
Capacity Building and Engagement: We train internal teams, engage suppliers, and align stakeholders to accelerate transition.
Measurement and Reporting: We help establish KPIs for biodiversity and align disclosures with TNFD and GRI.
SIV Impact acts as a bridge, turning vision into action and helping brands become true stewards of nature while sustaining profitability and growth.
Conclusion: The Time to Act is Now
The raw materials that fashion depends on – cotton from healthy soils, wool from thriving rangelands, rubber from standing forests – all originate in nature. If that web frays, the industry frays. Conversely, investing in nature’s resilience secures fashion’s own future.
Now is the time to act. The next 5–10 years are critical. Fashion must move from incremental changes to transformative ones. Let this be both an inspiration and a challenge: to imagine and build a future in which fashion regenerates rather than depletes the Earth. Together, we can redesign the business of fashion to respect planetary boundaries and become a powerful agent of positive change.
Sources: Fashion Revolution; McKinsey & GFA; Business of Fashion; Vogue Business; Kering Biodiversity Strategy; California Apparel News – Timberland; VF Corp Press Release; UN Convention on Biological Diversity; Science Based Targets Network; Textile Exchange; OP2B; TNFD; Conservation International; Regenerative Organic Alliance.
