I’ve come to realize that my passion lies at the intersection of sustainable fashion and policies and regulations. It is my belief that one of the most effective ways to truly achieve sustainability in fashion is by stakeholders (consumers, NGO, government bodies, etc.) demanding transparency and accountability from industry leaders and supply chain drivers.

The US is a bit behind the EU and Scandinavian countries in its efforts to ensure brands and designers are establishing actionable plans for long-term sustainability measures within the fashion industry. However, I want to share that fashion retailers and manufacturers in the US, specifically NYC, may be subjected to a new policy.

This groundbreaking law start in NYC simply because it is one of the fashion and business capitals of the world. Therefore, NYC has responsibility to “mitigate environmental and social impact of the fashion industry”. The New York Fashion Sustainability and Social Accountability Act is a law that, if passed, will place sustainability requirements on large fashion companies. The proposed act will apply to those that 1) do business in New York; and 2) have revenues in excess of $100 million.

The act was initiated in October 2021 and slated to be voted on in 2022. If passed, fashion retailers and manufacturers should be prepared to disclose their environmental and social policies, processes, and outcomes. More specifically suppliers with high social and environmental risk will be required to map at least 50% of their supply chains. These companies will also be required to publish reports identifying any potentially adverse impact and remediation efforts. The reports are expected to show compliance with global principles and guidelines set by the UN, ILO and OECD.

Another interesting component of this proposed act are the consequential enforcements. Failure to comply could lead to penalties in the form of injunctions, monetary damages and civil performance duties brought by the NY Atty. General. Additionally, citizens will have the right to compel the AG to investigate a company believed to be in violation of compliance with the Act.

Feel free to follow the link to read proposed bill in its entirety A8352/S7428